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February 2026
HP Poet: Tanisha Jackland (Lady of Fire)
Age: 55
Country: USA
Question 1: We warmly welcome you to the HP Spotlight, Tanisha. Please tell us about your background?
Tanisha Jackland: "My name is Tanisha Jackland and I just turned 55 in November. And yes, I’m a scorpio from the USA, living in the Emerald City. I’m a neurodivergent black female married to my husband of 31 years and a proud plant mom. No kids or pets because I am allergic to them. Lol! I love them but they are not for me. My hobbies are: I enjoy music/radio, art, and poetry. I’m learning to garden with my newly designated P-patch here in Seattle. It’s a community of gardeners who live in apartments and/or condos with no room for gardening at their home. It’s a labor of love, a lot like poetry!"
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Tanisha Jackland: "I’ve been writing poetry for as long as I can remember, since I was at least 8 years old. I would write short stories but poetry appealed more to me because of the purity of the feeling and imagery. I’ve been a member of Hello Poetry for more than 10 years and it saddens me that it may go away. Poets need a stable community and Hello Poetry is just that."
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Tanisha Jackland: "Music inspires me, especially the cello. It motivates me to write about hard and beautiful topics. Sometimes I explore sensuality/sexuality on a level that is not cliche, I would hope. Life inspires me too. I try to explore hard conversations like race and gender since I am a black woman living in America. I try to keep it somewhat lighter, short and sweet, but I’m not afraid to get heavy, and deep from time to time. In challenging times like these, I am hopeful in my writing, believing that love and compassion will pave the way. I write on the computer, but starting to go back to my roots and write my poems down on paper first."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Tanisha Jackland: "Poetry means to me: Essence. Poetry is the essence, the soul of the person expressing his or herself. Most poets have a good soul, in my opinion. We’re all (poets) just trying to make sense of a cruel and senseless world. I'm attempting to bring beauty and kindness back into the world, whatever that means. Highlighting what is good, true and beautiful. Beauty can include darkness if there is depth and soul to a given subject or circumstance or people. It’s not always rainbows and unicorns that are aesthetically pleasing. I do have a slightly darker palate. Life is not black and white, this or that. It's very complicated to live on planet earth under the social contracts of humans, so there is much more to life than what it seems. The unseen is much more powerful. Most animals have it right, live simply. I admire that philosophy."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Tanisha Jackland: "My favorite poets: Audre Lorde, Lisel Mueller, Phillis Wheatley, Alice Walker, e.e. cummings, Yusef Komunyakaa, Rumi, Khalil Gibran, A.R. Ammons, Mary Oliver, Lucille Clifton, Gwendolyn Brooks, June Jordan, Eve Ewing, Derek Walcott, Warsan Shire, Ocean Vuong, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Octavio Paz, Hafiz, Pablo Neruda and finally, dare I say, Charles Bukowski, and many more. I’m reading several poetry books but the one that is standing out is “Ghost in a Black Girl’s Throat” by Khalisa Rae. It’s phenomenal!"
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Tanisha Jackland: "I also create my own recordings with music and poetry. The combination of the two is magnetic. My website is Jacklandarts.com or on Soundcloud.com @ladyofire. My poetry name/handle is Lady of Fire Poetry. I’m on most major platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Soundcloud, Mix Cloud and YouTube. I also volunteer my time as a DJ on Hollow Earth Radio. My show, “Out of the Fray” is a fusion of poetry and music for an hour, every other Monday at 6pm pacific time. Anyone can send in a 3-4 minute mp3 to me at [email protected], attn: DJ Tanisha. I also paint and make zines!"
Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you Tanisha, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in what looks to be a continuing Spotlight series as Hello Poetry carries on!”
Tanisha Jackland: "Thanks, again!."
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Tanisha better. We most certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #37 in March!
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