Today we’d like to introduce you to Reesa Write.
Hi Reesa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Reesa Write. I am a self published author and poet from Boston MA. I have a two-part memoir entitled “Twisted Fate” and two poetry books entitled “Still I Rose” & “You Are Enough”. I also am the founder of “Purposeful Pain Mentoring” a non-profit Mentoring program for at Risk Youth in the inner city of Boston. As a child as young as I can remember around age 10 writing was a huge hobby for me. I am an only child and always had a very big imagination. I spent a lot of time alone and was always trying to keep myself occupied and busy. I would journal a lot, I would write poems, songs, short stories. I even had a typewriter that I wrote a short story on. I also at that time could draw very well. Anything artistic I was into, for me it was just considered hobbies. I didn’t understand at that young age that these were gifts from God that would later serve such a big purpose in my life. I also did not understand it was therapeutic for me as well. By the time I was sixteen my life took a turn and all my hobbies came to a hard stop. I started running the streets with my boyfriend at the time, stopped going to school and became pregnant. As soon as I found out I was pregnant my life changed from that point on. By eighteen my parents separated and moved out and I took my son who was six months old at the time and we went into a shelter. Between then and when I wrote my memoir in 2018 I went through a whole lot, experienced a lot, was exposed to a lot. From abusive relationships in every sense, to the loss of many loved ones whether from gun violence, health related and suicide. To losing my dad from addiction. To struggling as a single mom of two, trying to get by day by day, emotionally, mentally, financially. To my children’s father going through spiritual warfare and mental health battles for many years, In a short span of my life I seen and experienced so much. I started going to a church in 2013 that a friend invited me to and it became me and my children’s home church for about seven years. At the time also I was in a relationship with one of my best friends who was in prison. I walked away from this relationship on Christmas day 2016. It was one of the hardest decisions at the time to make. A lot transpired in the three and a half years in the relationship and in my personal life. I reached a breaking point and also was very serious about my walk with God which was also bringing about a lot of changes within. I found myself now in turmoil not just from this breakup but going all the way back to my teen years when my life took off. I found myself every day crying out to God and looking for understanding on why I went through all I had and why am I still having to endure so much. The answer I was given was that I now have a story to tell that is going to help and inspire others. The church I was going to found out I was into writing and art and they began to encourage me to get back into it. For the next two years while beginning my healing journey I wrote my memoir. Interesting enough while I was writing this piece it was my first vision as a writer but I did not have expectations with it, I was just being obedient to the purpose behind it of using my story to help others embrace theirs. When I completed it and hit submit I thought I would feel relieved but instead my first thought was I can’t wait to do another. This was when I knew I was meant to be a writer/author. A few years later I published my first poetry book which was a compilation of poems I had wrote over the years from young adulthood and up. Again I did not have expectations on this but just following the vision. I ended up being asked to read a poem at an event and the reaction I got from the crowd was so amazing and that was when I realized again the power behind my words. I now have recited poetry at numerous venues in Boston over the past three years. Including the Strand Theatre in Dorchester MA where I was a part of a gala Art Show for body dysmorphia awareness in September 2022. I had the pleasure to perform at the City Winery for the Maui tour. I have written and featured in Tribe Magazine of NYC in December 2023. Just to name a few, I am still just getting started but grateful for the journey thus far, what started as me wanting to help others with my story turned into a lifelong purpose of evolving into who I was always meant to be despite all the trials and tribulations. Aside from that I have to mention I also am an educator and mentor for the past ten years. Working with the youth is actually my first passion next to being a mom. I myself was a troubled youth so this is my way of also serving the community where I am from and that built me with the good and bad. This year I registered my non-profit and now will be offering workshops all art related to get started to encourage art, confidence, journaling, spoken word, writing etc. Down the line I will be also offering transportation to youth in sports that need assistance getting to games and practices. I just want to be in position to give back and transform lives for the better for the rest of my life, that is my ultimate goal.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As an entrepreneur it has not been a smooth road by any means. I am a full time mom and I work full time along with everyday life. The hardest challenges would definitely be financially and time , wanting to invest more but not being able to. My home and children come first so I still make things happen the best I can but I take my time and do what I can. I seize as many opportunities as I can to get my name out there but it is a slow and steady grind for me. Before being an author came about I worked, went to school and took care of my children. I honestly never saw all of this in my future, I am the only entrepreneur in my family so I never saw what it looks like, never had the tools especially financially, I come from a very low income background. All I’ve seen is struggle, living check to check, making things happen as far as basic needs but that’s about it. I never saw anyone around me growing up doing any of this so I’ve literally started from the very bottom of it and have had to educate myself on everything along the way. Also as an entrepreneur you learn a lot about yourself, your strengths , your weaknesses, a lot of mental health challenges are revealed. It’s a very personal and self-reflective journey but nonetheless it creates a better you and more wholesome you so it is all worth it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The work that I am very proud of is the work I do with the youth in my community. I went to Boston Public Schools growing up and I became a troubled youth around fifteen, I struggled prior to that but then I really started to go down a lot of harmful paths. From that I was exposed to a lot in the community at that age and it stuck with me. I hung out with kids that had much worse upbringings and a lot more trauma, not to minimize mine but someone always has it worse. In my mid-twenties I decided to go back to school and I changed my major from business to education. I saw first hand growing up the effects of children growing up without parents in the home, with a lot of trauma from home life and environmental and I wanted to be part of the village to guide the youth and plant as many positive seeds as I could. I now have been working with the youth for ten years , middle school age. It has given me such joy, it is what gets me up in the morning next to God and my own children. I thrive in chaotic spaces, I thrive in spaces with some of the hardest youth because of the empathy, compassion and transparency I meet them with. With this I create a safe space where they are able to talk with me openly without judgement and ask for help for almost anything and they know I will rise to the occasion every time if I am able to. There’s nothing they can say or do that surprises me at all because I fully understand. This sets me apart from many adults especially in the education field. I am a paraprofessional and have no desire to be a teacher because I would not be able to reach the students in the same manner. This is what led me to starting my own non-profit for mentoring because the need is so high and I want to be able to make an even bigger impact in my own way with my own visions behind it. I became who I needed when I was young and that is what I am most proud of.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think of being a risk-taker as a characteristic trait. When I was younger I absolutely was a risk-taker but it was shown more in my behavior that I would act now and think later. That type of risk-taking would only lead me to getting in trouble or being irresponsible that would end up costing me later. Later in adulthood I am still a risk taker and that character trait is still with me just in a different way. I honestly feel like I am someone who takes risks daily. Reason being is I am willing to make mistakes, I am willing to speak up for what’s right, I am willing to go against the grain of societal pressures, I am willing to move with principles and morale even if it’s not popular. I definitely lead with dignity and even that is a risk these days because I want all my work to be meaningful and for the right reasons. Every time I post a video, a poem, a book launch that is me taking a risk on something I believe in that I pray reaches as many peoples hearts and they receive it . I struggle still with my own confidence that goes back to childhood so it’s always very nerve-racking for me and anxiety driven but I push through those feelings because I want to fulfill my purpose in my life while I am here to do so, my gratefulness outweighs all the emotions I am met with daily.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://reesawrites.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reesa_write/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@reesawrite
- Other: https://www.purposefulpainmentoring.com/
Image Credits
TRF Entertainment
https://www.instagram.com/trfentertainment/?hl=en (Instagram)
