Daily Inspiration: Meet Alexis Lawson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Lawson.

Hi Alexis, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am originally from Cleveland, Ohio but I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2011. I graduated from Appalachian State University with a BA in English Creative Writing and a minor in Criminology at 19 years old.

Currently, I am an aspiring freelance writer alongside my 9-5 at a publishing company. I have published two books, my own personal poetry collection The Beauty in my Bare Bones, and a student anthology Unmasked Imagination: An Anthology of Small Hands and Big Voices.

I am very passionate about making arts more accessible to the youth, while writing fiction through the black voice, incorporating culture into narratives that some otherwise may not see representation. I enjoy exploring themes including self-love, black womanhood, reflection, love, and connections.

It was during my freshman year in high school that I started writing. I had an English teacher, Ms.Gregory, who was in her 20s at the time. Fresh out of school and want to give us her all in her 2nd year of teaching high school English. She wasn’t as serious as my other teachers were. She wore bright colors, wore her hair short in blonde colors, and those long pencil skirts. She was everything that I thought I wanted to be at 14.

There was one assignment that she gave us that semester and it was to write a poem and perform it in front of the class. We had been studying Shakespeare before this assignment. I’d dabbled in poetry before, mainly trying to be a songwriter but dabbled. That assignment sparked it all. I was like yeah I can do this. I am good at this. And from poetry became fiction and from those two separate things became poetic prose and from that became HerBlackHand.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been anything but smooth. I am slowly learning new things each and every day but I am so proud of how I am connecting with people through my words and making the right connections on my journey. I think some of the biggest challenges to being a writer and seeking full-time artistry is that there isn’t much conversation around it, at least not in the black-lit community. And our journey looks much different from other groups.

It is just now that people are seeking out our words and work and giving us the tiniest piece of the platform even though the most known and notable artistic movements were spearheaded by black artists, activists, and writers. Another thing that is challenging is furthering education.

Writing courses are very expensive and for the average writer who doesn’t have big publication deals, we are living paycheck to paycheck like your average person. We don’t have $500+ to give to a 6-week course without a payment plan, but without investing in further education it can sometimes feel like you are limited and forced to learn on your own.

As I get into freelance writing, I find it very frustrating how hard it is to get in the door. You have to constantly be on the hunt for opportunities (which feels like a full-time job in itself). I wake up and search “Looking for pitches, pitch calls, submissions open, etc” on Twitter and Google.

I am constantly looking for places to submit my work, build my portfolio and gain some credibility as a writer in literary spaces. And it can get a bit exhausting when you don’t see an immediate return for your efforts.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Apps: Scrivener, Canva, Pinterest, and Tiktok.

Podcasts: The Black Girl Bravado Podcast, Brown Ambition, GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp, and theART Talk.

Books: The Well-Spoken Thesaurus, Finding The Beauty In My Bare Bones, The Artist Way Julia Cameron, and Monday’s Not Coming.

Guide To Writer’s: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TaM-HwcTcUlnBQNeeI7ndbjtVIoVNXtsElNsMbew7DQ/copy

Pricing:

• The Beauty In My Bare Bones Poetry collection is $14.99
• Finding The Beauty In My Bare Bones Writing Prompt Journal $14.99
• HerBlackHand Bookmarks $4.00

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://herblackhand.wordpress.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herblackhand/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexis.lawson.5439
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HerBlackHand
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcUHOyFFR1hUnRjHmsV_01Q
• Podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexis-lawson
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@herblackhand