Before coming to Boston University, Valeria Eden had never shown her poetry to anyone. Now, she’s sharing her poetry with the world in her recently published book, i used to be the sun.
“My heart and soul is in a published poetry book,” Val writes in a post on her Instagram page. “This is so surreal.” i used to be the sun shows Val’s personal progression to finding self-love.
The book is divided into two parts: the sunset and sunrise. It follows her progression from being in a dark place (the sunset) to discovering self-love (the sunrise).
“It’s wild to see the progression,” says Val. “The poems span a lot of things that happened throughout my life.” Val’s favorite poem is one entitled “letters to the lost,” which she wrote when she was 15. She says, “It’s gone through a lot of edits, but it has maintained the same meaning over time.”
“There are a few poems in the rising that I particularly like,” says Val. “They show my transition from darker things to moving on to self-love and self-care. I’m starting a new chapter of my life, and telling people to respect themselves makes me hold myself to a new standard and uphold the practice of self-care.” The sunrise shares Val’s journey to finding the good parts in life again after enduring heartache, breakups, and death.
Val started writing poetry at age 14, but it wasn’t until college that she decided to slowly start sharing her work. She joined the poetry club at Boston University called Speak for Yourself also known as Speak. Speak has played a significant role in Val’s poetry evolution, providing a supportive environment for her to share her work.
“Speak was the start of everything,” she says. “It’s a safe place for people to share their stories without judgment. It was the first place I shared my writing and got feedback.”
During Val’s freshman year at Boston University, she read at a few of the Speak meetings but never in their shows.
“Last year was the first time I spoke at a show, and it was really profound for me,” she says. “I realized that people actually like the things I write. Plus, everyone is open, and no one will judge you. It inspired me to keep writing and sharing my work.”
Speak for Yourself meets once a week on Mondays. The meetings start with a writing prompt, and everyone writes what they can in five to ten minutes. Then, people are invited to share what they’ve come up with if they want to. After that, members can share anything that they’ve written or another person’s writing that they took interest in. People who share decide if they want feedback or if they’d just like to read and move on. In addition to the weekly club meetings, there are spoken word shows once a month.
Speak gave Val the motivation and support she needed to take the next step with her poetry, as well as encouragement from her friends. Last spring, she entertained the idea of reaching out to a publisher.
“That’s when it quickly got more real,” she says. “It was a blessing in disguise that my summer internship fell through. I had a lot of free time, and took that opportunity to finish my book.”
After facing the fear of sharing her work, Val wants people to know that it’s important and healthy to share your thoughts.
“There’s always someone who will benefit from hearing what you have to say,” says Val. “Someone is always listening. If you can impact just one person, that’s all that matters. And regardless, it’s important to do for yourself too.”
i used to be the sun is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Xlibris.
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