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Holding the 21st Century Emily Dickinson Award for my book Daffodils & Other Poems feels like a quiet sunrise moment — warm, bright, and deeply personal. This recognition is special not just because it carries the name of Emily Dickinson, a poet who mastered the art of saying galaxies through whispers, but because it reflects what poetry means to me: the ability to touch hearts in stillness.

Daffodils & Other Poems was born from small observations, gentle emotions, and the belief that the simplest moments often hold the deepest meaning. To see this collection honored is a reminder that poetry doesn’t need to shout; it just needs to speak truly.

I am grateful to BookLeaf Publishing for this recognition, and to every reader who paused a moment in their day to step into the world of these poems. Your support has given my words a home beyond the page.

This award inspires me to continue writing with honesty, tenderness, and wonder — just as Dickinson once said, “If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.” May we continue to write and read in ways that lift the mind and stir the heart.

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