Contributor’s Corner
Wisdom of Transformations The
Hannah Grace Greer with
By: Regie Vocales
The world is no stranger to phases and changes. Seasons change, people change. Systems and traditions shift within centuries and millennia. But even if changes are happening all around us, very few are only able to grasp and live by the wisdom behind them—and NRM has found one who did. Hannah Grace Greer, as a child, once aspired to become a singer until the challenges of adolescence overshadowed her. At fifteen, her passion took a turn towards writing poems, and poetry welcomed her with opportunities. She began joining poetry clubs in high school that led her to decide to take creative writing as her major. Hannah was in love with singing and had thought about competing, but the shift to poetry was rather easy and bound. “When I think on how I came into poetry, I know that for me it was because poetry in its form is most tied to song(s)... (poetry) awakened a passion that is a lot more life-sustaining and fulfilling than the act of singing ever was for me.” Hannah’s writing is mostly influenced by Romanticism, also taking inspiration from fairytales, Greek and Celtic mythology, music, and spirituality. Although she has been pouring her creative juices into poetry, her style does not stray far away from her first love of singing. “My writing inclination can vary from poem to poem, but generally it has been referred to as bardic, which is a good way to say that I like my poems to act as stories or glimpses that you would find in larger stories.”
28
|
NEW READER MAGAZINE
When the pandemic hit the globe and plagued the streets, Hannah’s time for writing became more constricted since staying at home and multiple house chores also required her attention, which can be draining at times. As a student, Hannah has already been juggling her time between schoolwork and self-expression, and the lockdown has made it more of a stretch. Added to it is having to heal from a car accident and the occasional migraine and fatigue. But given the setbacks and time constraints of quarantine, Hannah is not one to back down, and she has incredible advice for those who are experiencing creative blocks: “My biggest advice would be to go somewhere you don’t spend most of your time in/at or maybe even somewhere you’ve never been. I find that if I ever get stuck, I can go outside, and that can immensely help the writing process.” She also recommends using other media such as Fine Art America, Google Images, YouTube, and many others to revitalize creative flow. Three of Hannah’s most valued works are featured here in NRM: Angel’s Outpost, The Creation of the Sea, and Riddle #1. For Hannah, Angel’s Outpost has likely the most interesting origin.
