Welcome to my little corner of the world wide web, friends!
I’ve been sharing my writing here for several years, but I figured it was high time for me to get a big-girl website. I’m so excited to share my words with you on these (albeit, virtual) pages. I have a backlog of poems that I’m hoping to share as well as some new developing pieces. Thank you for bearing witness to my words and for being patient with me while I figure out how the Internet works.
As I’ve progressed in my writing process and in my desire to be more public with my writing, I’ve often struggled with what it means to be a public theologian who shares intimate writings with the world. How do I maintain the integrity of a faith leader while sharing personal essays and poems? For a long time, this seemed like an irreconcilable dichotomy, but I’ve come to realize that it doesn’t have to be. Being a leader, especially one of faith, means being vulnerable. It means holding space for my own pain to model healing for others. It means poking holes in my own perfectionism. This new online space will, hopefully, be just that – a space where people looking for leaders in these tumultuous times can find one who is willing to show her scars.
This new endeavor also serves to hold myself accountable. If there’s a cute little place online waiting to receive my writing, then I have to keep doing it! This is for the times when I don’t feel like making something new, to remind myself why my voice is important. At one point, I was striving to write a new poem each week. I definitely haven’t maintained that, but with some new eyes on my work and a purposeful space to share it, I’ll be back on track soon.
Lastly, I wanted to use this space to set an intention for myself, to think about how writing serves me and what I’m moving toward. I landed on the word “unguarded,” partially from a haphazard Thesaurus.com search, but the more I considered it, the more focused the idea became. So, my intention for this space is to be unguarded: to relinquish perfectionism, to witness messiness, and to speak my truths.
Thanks for joining me here, and may this space be one of healing, hope, and creativity for you along the way!
Brenna Lakeson 