Writing has always been my canvas and poetry my paintbrush. My muses whisper beautiful colors in my ear and I create them into a masterpiece of my own design. I tend to write freestyle most of the time; however, I do occasionally write blank poetry, prose poetry and in alliteration as in the poem, A Near~Miss. From 1993 until 1999, I attended Hollins University (then Hollins College) where I studied under some of the best contemporary writers of the 1990s. I received a Bachelor's and Master's degree in English with an emphasis on Poetry from Hollins. During that time, I published a few poems and prose poems under my maiden name in both collegiate publications and local and national poetry rags. I was a heavy competitor in the Poetry Slam venue around Roanoke, VA for several years, as well. In 1999, one of my poems was chosen for an online and paper magazine called Little Brown Poetry under my pseudonym, Iona Nerissa.
