Better Know An Author – Crystal Bowden

Our weekly spotlight series on authors from around the world. This week we sat down with Crystal Bowden!

Please give a brief introduction, including your name and where you are based

I’m Crystal Bowden, a poet, mixed media collage artist, and kid’s writing coach living outside Atlanta. I split my time between my student magazine, The Clothed Mole Rat, working as a Creative Associate for Humankind Zine, and creating art and poetry, all while hiding away in the woods.

What book or books have you published or are working on at the moment?

I’ve published work in a number of print and online literary magazines, including Dreamers Creative Writing Magazine, Unlost Journal, Tiny Spoon Literary Magazine, The Raven Review, Refresh Magazine, and more. Additionally, my collection Being-Mother, is featured at The Brooklyn Art Library as part of their Memoir Project, which combines mixed media collage art and poetry. In Being-Mother, I tell stories about my experiences with being a mother. The loving so much it hurts parts. The gritty, hating yourself parts. And everything in between. 

Currently, I’m working on a manuscript for my first poetry chapbook titled, Before the Exhale. The title comes from a line in my poem, Middle Spaces, about all the ways we live in between one thing and the next. Grief is one of these spaces. These show up in my work in numbered and varied ways, and you’ll see this throughout Before the Exhale. 

What drives you to write?

My poetry touches on numerous themes ranging from mental illness, identity, social justice, politics, motherhood, grief, nature, and our interconnectedness to each other and everything on this Earth. At the root, I explore how these things impact the lens through which we view the world around us and ourselves. Poetry is how I express myself and draw on connections to others. In this way, each poem I create tells a different story through interiority. I hope readers find their own stories buried within these layers.

Where can folks find you online and on social media?

My website: https://crystalbowden.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crystalbowdencreates/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrystalBowden

What is one piece of advice you would give to another author out there who might be struggling?

One of my biggest struggles as a writer is feeling bogged down by the pressure of getting to a final product rather than giving myself over to the process of writing. Stop worrying over the final product. Don’t think about whether your writing is good. It doesn’t need to be good. That can come later. For now, just release your ideas onto the page. Don’t become too married to the way they come out of you. You can always recraft them later (and you probably should).

What are some of your five-year goals with writing?

Over the next five years, I plan to finish my chapbook and my first full-length poetry collection. Then, hopefully, I’ll have started working on my second poetry collection too! Of course, an essential part of this goal is cultivating my craft and growing as a poet as I continue to create. I look forward to seeing the myriad ways my writing will change over the next five years.

Final Thoughts?

Thank you, To Tony Productions, for inviting me to participate in the Better Know an Author series! And thanks so much for reading through my interview! Please connect with me via Instagram. I’d love to make more connections there.

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