Writing as an Act of Becoming: A Conversation with Toni Young

For poet Toni Young, writing began as a childhood curiosity—a book of poems, a homework assignment, a first verse about a girl and her dog. Over time, that curiosity deepened into a lifelong dialogue with the self. Through themes of self-love, healing, and women’s empowerment, Young’s work invites readers to find the sacred in everyday moments. In this interview, she reflects on the artists who shaped her, the emotional honesty behind her process, and how writing continues to be her most trusted ally.

Q: What first led you to writing, and when did it start to feel like more than just a hobby?

A: When I was 8, I asked my Mom for a book of poems because we were studying poetry in school. She got me Joanna Cole’s A New Treasury of Children’s Poetry which was a mix of classic and contemporary poems. That book, along with homework, encouraged me to write. I think one of the first poems I wrote was about a girl and her dog. By my teenage years, writing felt like more than a hobby. That’s when I felt I could express my thoughts better in poems. I wasn’t writing just for fun anymore; I was writing to understand myself better. Writing became my ally.

Q: Which writers, artists, or even artworks have shaped the way you think about language?

A: Louisa May Alcott shaped the way I saw storytelling. Little Women was my escape as a child, and I loved how each March sister was characterized. It taught me how powerful language can be in creating narratives of people and the connections between them. Vincent Van Gogh’s Irises moved me as a teen. It was the first painting ever that I connected with. It made me realize how art can articulate emotions you never imagined could coexist. For that painting, and at that time in my life, it was loneliness and calmness. More recently, it’s Megan Falley who’s helped me sharpen my writing. I took her writing class Poems That Don’t Suck, and her lessons, techniques, and wholehearted, empathetic way of teaching greatly shaped how I think about language when writing my poems.

Q: How do you approach form—do you let the content dictate structure, or do you experiment with constraints?

A: I have no strict rules about the form, but I’m not very experimental either. I write by intuition, preferring to flow with the words and the story, then edit later on if there’s a structure that will get my message across more clearly.

 Q: Are there recurring themes or questions you find yourself returning to, consciously or not?

A: Self-love. Healing. Women’s empowerment. Finding the sacred in everyday moments. I keep going back to these themes because they’re what I need at the moment. Writing about them is my way of processing my emotions and thoughts.

Q: Do you have a particular writing routine or ritual that grounds your work?

A: I enjoy writing by hand. I love pens and notebooks, so I make use of them a lot! It’s not a routine or a ritual, but writing on paper always grounds me. I edit on paper as well, then compose it digitally for posting. There’s something freeing about putting ink on paper. For me, it feels more vulnerable and honest, and I need that reflected in my poetry.

Q: What’s the hardest part of writing for you—and conversely, the most rewarding?

A: The hardest part of writing is when I can’t find the words to articulate exactly what I want to say. Sometimes the emotions or the grief can be overwhelming and I need to pour it out on paper, but I don’t want to use metaphors, nor do I want to just write it as is. It can be frustrating and overwhelming. So, conversely, it’s rewarding when the words spill out in ways that honor what I truly want to convey. It’s the ultimate relief.

Q: What kinds of stories or projects are calling to you right now?

A: I’ve been submitting to journals and literary magazines to expand how I write. But I’ve also been writing just for myself—poems in a notebook I’d like to publish sometime. There’s Instagram as well, which I enjoy posting to. Plus, I’ve met so many kindred souls there—community is important to me.  

Q: Why are art and its history important?

A: They’re stories. Art and its history carry stories we can be entertained by, stories we can learn from, stories we can be inspired by, and these stories make us lovingly human.

Social media link: https://www.instagram.com/toniyoungpoems/