Community Spotlights

Delane, whose real name is Erica Delane, is a poet and author who has written three books. Her poetry focuses on mental health and healing, exploring depression, anxiety, and trauma through lived experiences. The poem she has submitted reflects on the realities of what is happening in the world today, calling for unity and awareness. Inspired by childhood memories of her mother singing to her and calling her “my Miss America,” this piece blends personal history with social re

The poem reads (stylized as per Poets.org): "i want back my rocking chairs, solipsist sunsets, & coastal jungle sounds that are tercets from cicadas and pentameter from the hairy legs of cockroaches. i’ve donated bibles to thrift stores (mashed them in plastic trash bags with an acidic himalayan salt lamp— the post-baptism bibles, the ones plucked from street corners from the meaty hands of zealots, the dumbed-down, easy-to-read, parasitic kind): remember more the slick rubbe

“To Be Human” is a powerful and intimate exploration of identity, gender, and self-discovery. Through the lens of childhood memories, societal expectations, and personal experiences, Rin Bromagen reflects on what it means to be a girl, a woman, and ultimately, a human. The poem celebrates the complexity of being, the rejection of rigid labels, and the freedom found in embracing one’s authentic self.