Welcome to Inquire Within with me, IN-Q, a poetry podcast that brings you on a journey to the center of your soul through the lens of myself and some of the greatest poets and artists of our time.

In this episode, I’m joined by a dear friend of mine, Yesika Salgado. Together we chat about how poetry flows through us, finding our place in the world, and Yesika’s beautiful and unique outlook on both life and poetry.

Yesika is willing to be seen and willing to speak her truth to the world, and after listening to this conversation, I know you’ll be inspired to do the same.

But wait, who is Yesika? She is a Los Angeles-based Salvadoran poet who is a two-time National Poetry Slam finalist and the recipient of the 2020 International Latino Book Award in Poetry. She’s also the author of the best-sellers Corazón, Tesoro, and Hermosa, and is an internationally recognized body-positive activist, where she often refers to herself as the fat, fly poet. Her work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, Univision, CNN, NPR, TEDx, and many digital platforms.

Welcome to the first solo episode of Inquire Within with me, IN-Q. My solo episodes are a place for me to share unspoken poems, my current inspirations, and life lessons I've learned. Be sure to stay tuned until the end, as I share a journal prompt with you to encourage you to inquire within.

In this episode, I share two poems, with one being a poem I've never shared before. My intention with both is to challenge you to consider who you are pretending to be. The birds aren't singing to win a grammy, they're just singing. So who would you be if you were being your most authentic self and not trying to be something other than you're not?

In this episode, I'm joined by the amazing poet, Atticus, who shares his very deep and interesting story as to how he became a poet, insights into his creative process, and the why behind his mask. Throughout our conversation together, Atticus continues to remind us of the importance of our “why”. He challenges us to re-asses our intentions behind what we are doing and ensure it aligns with what really matters. Towards to end of our conversation, he also shares one of the most moving stories I’ve heard.

Atticus is a Canadian poet, and author of Love Her Wild, The Dark Between Stars, and the Truth About Magic. He writes all of his poetry pseudonymously, and when appearing publicly, he always wears a mask to hide his true identity. He says he wears the mask as a symbol to “remind himself to always write what he feels instead of what he thinks he should feel.”

With every episode, I will be sharing a journaling question inspired by the conversation to encourage and inspire you to inquire within, so be sure to listen to the full episode to not miss out.

Before you dive into this episode, it would mean the world to me if you took two seconds to subscribe to the podcast. This will not only ensure you never miss an episode, but it truly does help the growth of the show. With each episode, it’s my goal to bring you my heart and soul and your support means more than you know.

Find more from Atticus: @atticus 

Get your copy of Magic Whispers here.