Featured Boss: Jenai Charles / Unfolding
Jenai Charles is a twenty-one-year-old student from Antigua and Barbuda, studying Communications at Florida Gulf Coast University. She is the author of ‘unfolding’, a book of poetry, prose, and stories that highlight the struggles of self-love through the languages of flowers. It’s about breaking and coming together again and unfolding into your best self.
So, tell us more about ‘Unfolding’?
unfolding is a book of poetry dedicated to self care and growth. It’s for both women and men but I did write this with mostly women in mind since I am one. Many of the poems use flowers as a metaphor. Each chapter represents a different stage in the growth process. Not every poem has a flower metaphor. Some of the pages contain stories and notes I wrote to myself when going through difficulties in my life. I do think that every person can benefit from this book. We have all been through times when it was difficult to love ourselves. We have been in situations where we stayed in toxicity due to comfort. This book talks about all of these things. But it also talks about the importance of letting go of things and people that are not aligned with your highest good.
Why did you decide to write ‘Unfolding’?
I decided to write this book because I know that my experiences in life are not isolated. Millions of people have gone through what I have. Whether it be toxic relationships or learning to love yourself, there are things that we go through in life that connects us all.
What was the hardest part about writing ‘Unfolding’?
The hardest part was believing in myself. I second guessed myself so many times. I second guessed each poem with thoughts like “What if no one likes it?” or “Is this good enough?”. I had to quiet the chatter and just speak positive words and affirmations to myself. Putting your work out there for scrutiny isn’t easy and I am just proud of myself for that alone.
How long did it take you to write and what was that process like?
It took me two years to write this book. It was a very long process. I had about three hundred poems that didn’t make it. Not because they weren’t good, but because they did not represent the message of this book.
Who/what inspires you most?
That’s a tricky question because there is no singular thing where I get my inspiration from. I can walk down the street and get inspiration. However, the authors that inspired me to publish this book were Alex Elle, Nayyirah Waheed, Rupi Kaur and K.Y. Robinson. I thought my poems were too short to be considered real poetry until I saw these authors. Their success really propelled me forward.
You recently interned with takingtravelblack.com What did you learn from the internship that you think you can apply to your writing and future career?
Blog writing is COMPLETELY different to book writing. I really had to learn to navigate between the two. What would work for a book, wouldn’t necessarily work for a blog post. With blog posts, you have to write in a way that really captures the audience’s attention in as little words as possible. There are just so many things to learn when it comes to running your own blogging website, from planning to writing to editing and so much more. Interning with Taking Travel Black has really given me a head start for when I start my own website, which will be later on this year.
Chapter 1: the planting Chapter 2: the watering Chapter 3: the growing Chapter 4: the flowering
‘where do I find self-love?’ you dig dig until you find the gold -from ‘unfolding’
Social Media: Instagram: dear.jenai Twitter: dear_jenai Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/unfolding-Jenai-Charles/dp/1548376671/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501950742&sr=8-1&keywords=unfolding+jenai+charles CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/7290817
