I Was I tracks Williams' often befuddled attempts at writing poetry in various forms across varying emotions. The poems are kept in their original chronological order and as close to their original structure so that the reader can follow the poet's development as an imperfect human from the age of fifteen to thirty.

Alexis Williams is originally from Tampa, FL. She has lived and worked abroad as a teacher for ten years. Currently, she is based in Oman with her husband (Ian), dog (Winnie) and cat (Milo).

She writes articles for MMP Associates, and she creatively writes short stories, poetry and personal narratives. Her work has been published online with The Journal of Undiscovered Poets and The Innovation on Medium.com. Recently, one of her poems has been picked up for publication for an anthology with Constellation. Currently, Alexis is working on her second book of poetry (Working Title: Back to Birth) which explores her life and relationship with her deceased mother.

So Alexis, can you tell us a bit more about your poetry collection? What were six things that went into the writing of this book?

Lots of whiskey, conversations with my husband, learning how to self-publish, overcoming self-doubt, font experimentation and a smattering of expletives.

Five things you need for a good writing day?

A good night’s sleep, the willpower to get out of bed, courage, lots of internal convincing that what I’m doing matters at the very least to me and ideas I can’t stop thinking about.

Four types of readers who will enjoy this book?

People who: (1) are curious about the internal thoughts of strangers, (2) understand the struggle of growing up, (3) battle with identity, loneliness and loss and (4) are looking for new poetry to read.

Three challenges you face as a writer?

I struggle with overthinking, self-doubt and negative self-talk. These often keep me from writing at all. But I fight through it day by day.

Two writers that have influenced your work in general?

Maya Angelou because she was so capable and talented at getting to the soul of a thing. And Sylvia Plath because she understood the ongoing battle of believing in the value of your own work.

One word to describe this collection OR One thing you hope readers will get from this book.

Vulnerable.

"I was I" is available for purchase from Amazon. You can check out Alexis' work on her website. You can also follow her on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter with the handle @exisflor.

Disclaimer: "EMC's 6 things" interview series seeks to promote the artist and their featured writing and is in no way an endorsement of any of said artist's services, opinions or other work outside of this feature.