Poetically Pulled for a Purpose

Poetically Pulled for a Purpose As a writer, coping with everyday

INTVW by Carl Jason life while maintaining one’s craft is an arduous task that frequently is intensified by pesky thoughts like

Unintended, but Natural doubt or feelings of uncertainty relative to the profession and its

To write is to inscribe coherently composed emotion. In some competition. Gina, like many writers of its aspects, at least, it is true. In Gina Tranisi’s case, writing and artists, pronounces comparison started as a mere errand to send handwritten cards and with those who studied MFA or the letters. A natural inclination in sharing and feeling others’ joy discipline. and sadness.

“These practices taught me the importance of gratitude, of naming grief and loss, and of celebrating others’ wins as though they were my own.”

In hindsight, these instances of writing foreshadowed her calling toward a more noble reach and for her artistic journey. Some kind of awakening. An artist’s ability to feel is his or her rooted trigger to dismantle or to create everyday scenarios in their creative sphere. Gina, from handing small papers of goodness and grief, continued on to her teenage years to win her first-ever literary award. A deeper appreciation aroused within her when the wonders of poetry embraced her back, a consequence of seeking literature as means of expression.

“When I was sixteen, I attended my first poetry slam and learned that poetry was bigger than letter-writing and rhyming. It was loud, funny, image-rich and rhythmic. Slam poetry is written to be read aloud, so from my years of competing locally and nationally, I learned how to write for sound.” “When I sit down to write, it can feel like my brain is working against me, reminding me— often in the middle of a draft— that I don’t have an MFA or a book deal and live in a state other poets might struggle to put on a map. Who could care about my stories?”

It can be daunting when—just as rich as the world of creativity—being a writer means being compared and competing with those who have made their mark and who are about to be.

Poetry, being one of the freest forms of writing, allows one to play around with it. On the contrary, what sets a poet apart from being just a writer for a hobby is when he or she sees a poem as a complicated and dedicated composition of words. Putting these capabilities of poetry at heart, Gina distinguished herself from just being an aspiring writer at the time. Her preference and development in writing show how much dedication she has to poetry.

Confidently, Gina diffuses these fearful thoughts by going on to gratifyingly transformative exercises such as powerlifting, running, and hiking. Doubt on competition over her capability speaks much about her. Relatively, confidence is one attribute that must be natural for someone as talented and dedicated as Gina.

“I remind myself that I am possible, and then I return to the page because my spirit constantly pulls me back. I think that’s what being a writer is—a constant and determined return to the page.”

Maintaining, Gina healthily and successfully returns to her writing with constant positive energy. It helps to know that behind her approach to writing is her trust in her eye for perceiving reality as unique. As if with an internal creative machine, Gina continues to put a unique perspective of reality with a tinge of her imagination.

Gina wasn’t always this passionate about writing, even though the endeavor rewarded her during her teenage years. She studied Biology in college and ultimately thought she was going to live a quiet life and become a dentist. A noble profession, still. Rewardingly, her continuous dedication to writing allowed her to be recognized during her 2nd year.

“When I received my first literary publication during my second year of college as a Biology major, a good friend filmed my reaction. Somewhere on the internet, there is a video of me asking, “Are they sure?” and wondering whether or not the literary magazine had gotten in touch with the right girl. Because my aspirations for an artistic life were non-existent, everything about this journey has been a beautiful surprise.”

“A beautiful surprise”, as she would have it, is such an adorable phrase to describe her first dip into the poetry scene. Doubt and not being able to aspire should not be in the same breath with a teenage Gina as poetry seemed to be embedded deep within her. Talent combined with enthusiasm dictated her path toward a more expressive form of profession. Rest assured, her video about her asking and being adorably surprised from being chosen is going to circle the internet still.

On In the Kitchen, After Dyeing My Mother’s Hair

Appreciative, Gina tries to capture moments with her mother whom she deeply cares about. In the Kitchen, After Dyeing My Mother’s Hair is a “snapshot”—as she would call it—of a greater, personal pleasant activity she had with other women friends and family. To leave it to another woman to fondle your hair and swap its color with another is just one of the many mundane activities that writers like Gina can depict in words that encapsulate a much larger emotion and importance.

“It’s a snapshot of one of the most trusting, intimate moments you can share with another girl—kitchen hair dyeing.”

Having her mother as a subject in her poetry shows her strength in capturing familial and personal moments. Thankfully, she still has her mother to share more memories with. Her writing about these topics is just Gina’s way of etching their memories in a poem in which no time, nor death holds firm; only to be relived while being read.

“When people die, we have a tendency to make them perfect. As a writer, I’m now on a mission to accurately capture my mother’s complications, her quirks, her

imperfections. I don’t want to paint her death with a broad brush. When she passes, I want to be left holding a bouquet of poems that reminds me of her gray hairs, her unparalleled love of Lester Holt, and the whisper of her hot Italian temper when, on very rare occasions, she burned turkey piccata. It’s important to me that her legacy—flaws and all—outlives us both.”

The gentleness and nostalgic elements of her writing also give way not just to her adored mother. To preserve what remains of their relationship, Gina has now started writing more about her father. Struggle with mental illness may cause her to feel she is losing her father, but her writing translates differently on her hold to the person. In poetry, the text and sound combine to form a different embrace where memories create warmth.

“More recently, I’ve also begun writing about the complexities of my relationship with my father and his chronic, debilitating mental illnesses. For more than a decade, I have been too ashamed to write about the ways my father’s diagnoses, including Bipolar Disorder and Depression, have disappeared him from me. I am writing to preserve what’s left of our relationship.” With her writing ability to draw out emotion from readers, Gina is no stranger to speaking about impartiality.

“I feel incredibly called to write about violence—both perceived and real—perpetrated against women. I write about the ways whiteness affords women who look like me billboards and press conferences when so many BIPOC and transgender women go missing from the world without search teams and hotlines. I want the absence of every girl to elicit ferocious and identical screams from the world’s throat.”

It comes naturally for writers to feel a sense of responsibility to address topical issues. In Gina’s case, continued neglect or awareness of their well-being is a concern everyone should give notice about. Many would agree that such concern is true and it is only right that writers like her continue to write about such topics. It is bothering and bleak if society is without writers who not only shape ideas, but also evoke courage to speak against injustice. A channel for creativity, Gina successfully turns her writing to be with a purpose.

Her Artistic Journey and Nebraska Writers Collective

For writers and other artists, creating is a very special quality they can gift to themselves and eventually to their audiences. To extract pieces of reality, digest them internally and expel them in a different and evocative way is such a beautiful thing to witness in how artists work. As much as it is special, the mood to create is a vital thing to propel them into tinkering with the world around them. For Gina, enjoying a drink by the bar got her into the mood for creating.

“This year, I decided to build myself a Bar Residency. Each Sunday, I took myself to a nearly-empty dive bar for two hours. I would order a single, raspberry seltzer and write poems…I have spent an enormous amount of my life operating at what I would call pressure-cooker-capacity: relishing being busy, sprinting to the next goal line, even rushing to be more expedient in my relationships. I am finally slowing down, and removing the pressure from poetry completely.”

Settling into bars to drink a little and write poems soon translated into her appreciating fleeting experiences with random people as a great inspiration for writing. Sitting by the bar seems to be a good place for banking her ideas to write about. To “bottle” these moments where a stranger’s life meets hers allows for her to not give in to the pressure of coming up with something to write.

Eventually, opportunities came upon Gina for which she was totally pleased and grateful.

“Every acceptance, every invitation to interview, every offer to facilitate a writing workshop is humbling, a total delight. I hope to never lose that spirit. In Spring 2021, I was accepted into two MFA programs and thought that meant I had “made it” as a writer. It was a devastating financial reality to realize that, even with full funding, I could not afford to give up my nonprofit job and move across the country without amassing thousands of dollars in debt. I’m enormously proud of myself for every line of poetry I’ve written since having to decline those MFA offers.”

Reality, oftentimes, comes crashing with a weight we ought to upsettingly accept. Thoughts of debt and giving up one’s job are not easy to deal with or even consider a choice. Gina, even after declining MFA programs, is a writer nonetheless. It is to her joy that the discipline of writing is not bound to one’s academic credibilities. Rather, to continue creating and appreciating the art of writing precedes becoming a writer.

It comes as a truth for her that to be a writer is to be impactful, within or beyond academia. Today, Gina serves as a Program Director at NWC or Nebraska Writers Collective, an Omahabased 501(c)3 nonprofit.

“As the Program Director, I supervise a team of more than 40 paid Teaching Artists who lead writing workshops and creative programs across the state. We run the secondlargest youth poetry festival in the country each spring.”

With a noble course, she anchors now on reaching out to others who aspire to be writers. It is a beautiful narrative of how from declining offers for MFA eventually translated into a career in arts with the purpose of connecting with others. Hers is an inspiring story of how dedication and talent alone will pave the way for one to be an instrument of transforming people—to be a writer which she thought was a profession ideally made for those with MFA.

“When community partners and donors see the work that we do in action, they often say that what we do changes lives. But what I can say with confidence is that our programs saved my life when I was a young, queer girl trying to navigate the world, especially in the confines of a Catholic school system. I participated in the first Louder Than a Bomb youth slam poetry festival the NWC ever hosted, and it set my life on a creative course towards community-building and empowerment through poetry.”

To reflect, this program that she once only participated in helped her break free from a restrictive institution. It speaks of how much writing, which in her case is poetry, allows for one’s freedom and being on a platform where you can have control and confidence.

“I am the only team member who has seen our organization at every level—from participant to full-time director—and take pride in that decade of affiliation with the NWC. As a Capricorn, managing a team of poets can be chaotic, but the importance of what we do for our state and the artists who live here eclipses any day-to-day stresses of my position.”

Her time with NWC continues to be a fulfilling job. Her time spent with the organization allowed her to evaluate it completely. Until this time, appreciation for what they do is what sets her to shrug off any stress that comes with fulfilling her role. We’re sure that the “chaotic” word she refers to could only be a result of handling creative people which brings about great dynamics as their uniqueness collide and coincide.

“Working with the folks in our Writers’ Block program has been the most influential and rewarding part of my creative career thus far. I’ve spent my life reluctant to

reveal that my family has been touched by the criminal justice system. My personal connection to incarceration only strengthens my belief that none of us should be defined by the worst decision we’ve ever made.”

Not just for people like Gina was in her teenage years, NWC also offers relief and creative opportunities for the incarcerated. Feelings of injustice in the criminal justice system only fuel her to put in more work on their Writers’ Block Program. A writer by heart, she is sure to see to it that no four walls of incarceration shall restrict one’s artistic touch.

Of which she proudly shares,

“Our Writers’ Block participants are some of the sharpest writers in our state. Full stop. When they analyze poetry, when they share their own drafts, when they offer one another feedback, I take notes. Their talent and relentless work ethic demands that I be a better listener, educator, and writer.”

Contrary to a one-sided outreach, it is amazing how these people who are often overlooked are some of the most talented whom she cares to learn and grow with. It is of poetic reach how conventions of their separation from society do not constrict them from touching and affecting people outside, still. All these are the unusual wonders that writing can bring about to people.

“Nebraska’s prison system is grossly overcrowded and operates at something like 115 percent of its design capacity (2019). We disappear people—sometimes for decades—do not provide them with effective rehabilitative services, and then expect them to return to our community and establish themselves as tax-paying members of society when we have burdened them with barriers to finding housing, education, employment, and voting opportunities.”

As perceived by her and the obvious neglect of the system, it is alarming and saddening how these people are stuffed together—no remorse for their quality of being human as if livestock. It is easy to relate to how Gina feels for them.

“There is no poetic way to say the system is broken. The work that our nonprofit does through Writers’ Block will never solve systemic issues, but can provide moments of levity, relief, hope, and creativity in an otherwise oppressive and untenable environment.”

A ray of hope, writing in the form of poetry helps in expressing not just one’s concern and emotion. Poetry allures one to get lost in its rhythmical composition and assimilate each writer’s thoughts and knowledge it encapsulated in. Directly opposite to the bleak confines of prison, Gina and the NWC certainly indulge the incarcerated with the colors of the world outside. We can only wish that their efforts will aid in acclimating them back to society.

In evaluating her journey as a writer, she shares a very humble and student-like response. Gina hopes to learn more along the way, in which she shares,

“I have no doubt that I am standing at the beginning of my poetry journey, which excites me beyond measure because I want to believe that my best writing is only ever ahead of me. My late creative writing instructor, Kate Sommer, once called me a seeker, and I like to think that term is synonymous with poet. My hope for other writers is that they will remain curious, practice joyful resistance, and keep seeking, which only ever means keep writing.

Conclusion is not yet in sight for Gina’s artistic journey. Though properly established in the community, she still has plenty of people to grace with her talent. Her ever hopeful seeker attitude should come helpful in realizing all her aspirations left in the creative field. A consequence of her talent and innate dedication and passion for writing, Gina is undoubtedly a person who’s poetically pulled for a purpose.