For about seven years the a phrase: An Abbreviated Mass buzzed about my cranial hive. It found itself scribbled onto a page of my Poetic Scraps (idea notebook). I played with its conception and decided my first foray into “self-publishing” would be bits of poetry and collage (scraps of paper here, a sponge of ink there, a few stickers too. The end result was a poetique junk journal/album with seventeen poems. I compiled two variations of the poetry collections just in time for the Christmas Bizarre at work. I had readers but no one wanted to take it home. I received a few nods of interest and kudos.
I decided to look into self-publishing an actual collection of my poetry. I eventually stumbled on a printer that would prove to be newbie friendly. I had the title but what poems do I choose? An Abbreviated Mass appealed to me initially because it was an absurd pairing of two opposite words. I figured the abbreviation would represent a small to medium collection of my poetry. The term mass lends itself nicely to initially a galaxy, however it also struck me as representing the mass of lessons, observations and memories we amass throughout our lifetimes.
I embarked on a journey of writing and compiling my favorite poems over a span of 2-3 years, I lost track of time. However, I finished my book in July of 2025, so I could feature it on my table at an art fair in August…
My poems dive into what little writing process I do have. I attempt to paint pictures with my words some tie into space like my poems: Mangata (which I wrote in response to an instagram prompt) and Adrift. Mangata refers to the moon’s reflection on the water. Some poems are observational, nature inspired, paradoxical and anecdotal. There are one-liners and haikus too. Some of my poems I wrote twenty-ish years ago 😯. While other poems have been written as recently as five years ago or so.
Isn’t it funny how if you’ve been a writer or an artist for a while you eventually develop a personal archive?!
Find my Book:
Feel free to checkout my book and order your copy today! Currently you can view and order my book on Etsy, Barnes & Noble, and starting in May 2026 I will be working with National Authors in Grocery Stores–I’ll be selling and signing my books at various Kroger stores, stay tuned.
P.S– You can choose a bookmark to accompany your copy! Bookmarks are handcrafted with my poetry and art. 😁❤️
original post:8/21/2025
updated post: 4/12/2026
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