At the start of this year I wrote my first chapbook and today I just submitted it into a poetry contest. All because I fell for an Instagram poetry challenge that claimed to publish your work by the end of it. Luckily, I did more research and decided not to go forward with that path, but I didn't abandon writing the chapbook.

Instead I used it as part of my mental health therapy. I wrote when I could. I wrote when I was awake because of perimenopause. I wrote as I doubted my choice to be a filmmaker. I wrote as I cried about parenting challenges.

Although I write poetry, I never imagined sharing it publicly. Instead, in 2019 I, along with Shery Alexander Heinis co-founded In Our Tongues - Ottawa's first poetry and arts series prioritizing poets and artists that were Black, Indigenous and People of Color. It's still running today.

It's only been within the last few years that I've had the courage to put my own words out there, from reading my poetry to an audience during open mic to now actively looking for a publisher for my chapbook.

If you're a poet with a chapbook, consider submitting to the Driftwood's Adrift Chapbook contest. The submission is $25, and submitters receive a free copy of the winner of the contest. The deadline to submit is July 15, 2025. Winners will be contacted in November and published in 2026.

https://driftwoodpress.submittable.com/submit

UPDATE: August 2, 2025 - I received this excerpt as part of a larger note:

"We cannot thank you enough for submitting your work to our Adrift Chapbook Contest. While we found much to admire about your manuscript, it has not progressed to our final round. We received many strong submissions, yours among them, and we thank you for trusting us with your chapbook."