Evanescent Creature: Poems & Meditations explores the wisdom & life cycle of women through the archetypes of the wounded/magical/gifted child, the maiden, the mother, and the crone (Divine Feminine). These poems explore birth, sickness, old age, death, and rebirth. In them, Berry unpacks a myriad of experiences that affect and transform all women as they move through their lives.
Berry examines the evanescent creature she’s contained since birth, the one who is empathic and sensitive, and fragile in a world that often makes her terrified and exhausted. She reveals the shattered beauty of the young woman she was, a woman as muse, catalyst, & traveler in search of all the errant & lost parts of her most secret self.
She remembers her experience as a daughter, unraveling her longing for more in the face of the pressures of a society that has long wanted women to remain small & stuck living amputated lives. She examines her current role as a caregiver - as her mother’s mother – watching as her mother’s essence disappears and she descends into full-blown dementia.
And finally, she ruminates on her sense of the furious, incandescent, numinous strength of women. She raises her voice in defense of the Divine Feminine nature of life itself, of this earth, and its oceans, forests, and luminous wild animals. Evanescent Creature is a book of searing poems and meditations seeking to offer solace and nourishment to women as they search for answers to the grief and beauty of life.
Shavawn M. Berry is a writer of poetry, prose, essays, & stories, an empath, an elephant lover, a dendrophile, and a stargazer. She considers herself a curator and creator of beauty. The core themes of her writing are human connection, empathy, and healing [spiritually and physically].
She published her first collection of poetry, Evanescent Creature via Golden Dragonfly Press in March 2023.
Her writing has appeared in or is forthcoming in Golden Dragonfly Press’s, Goddess; Sable Books’ anthology, Red Sky – Poetry on the Global Epidemic of Violence Against Women; The Urban Howl; Trickster Literary Journal; The Huffington Post (HuffPo 50); elephant journal; The Good Men Project; Rebelle Society; Be You Media Group; Olentangy Review; Journey of Heart: Women’s Spiritual Poetry; Black Fox Literary Magazine; The Cancer Poetry Project 2; Kinema Poetics; Kalliope; Poet Lore; California Quarterly; Westview – A Journal of Western Oklahoma; Meridian Anthology of Contemporary Poetry; North Atlantic Review; Concho River Review; Synapse; Living Buddhism; Blue Mountain Arts/SPS; and Poetry Seattle, to name just a few.
She’s been writing about spirituality & healing & the divine feminine for more than forty years and has been a practicing Buddhist for the past 38 years.
In 1998, she received her Master of Professional Writing (MPW) from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles where she specialized in Creative Nonfiction and Memoir.
In addition to her work as a writer, she is an award-winning teacher, teaching writing courses full-time at a university in the desert Southwest. She lives in Albuquerque, NM with six cats and one lovely old dog as her constant companions.
My first book, Evanescent Creature, is now on sale on Amazon.com and on goldendragonflypress.com.
My work has also appeared in or is forthcoming in The Huffington Post, Sable Books' Anthology - Red Sky: Poetry on the Global Epidemic of Violence Against Women, Trickster Literary Magazine, The Urban Howl, elephant journal, The Temple of Anjana, The Good Men Project, Rebelle Society, Be You Media Group, Olentangy Review, Journey of Heart: Women’s Spiritual Poetry, Black Fox Literary Magazine, Vagina – The Zine, The Cancer Poetry Project 2, Kinema Poetics, Kalliope, Poet Lore, California Quarterly, Westview – A Journal of Western Oklahoma, Meridian Anthology of Contemporary Poetry, North Atlantic Review, Concho River Review, Synapse, Living Buddhism, The World Tribune, Blue Mountain Arts/SPS, Poetry Seattle, and buddhajones.com, to name just a few.
In addition to my blog, The Wonderland Files, I am a regular contributor to various online magazines and print publications. You can sign up for my Substack to subscribe to my regular posts there as well.
My next book, Next Stop, Wonderland: Tiny Stories to Comfort Your Mind & Soothe Your Soul, a collection of personal essays, will be available early in 2024.
Praise for Evanescent Creature
Shavawn M. Berry’s verse in Evanescent Creature: Poems & Meditations, forges nuanced pathways into ancient themes surrounding both the ubiquitous and hidden nature of the feminine. Her masterfully poised hymns to the cyclical nature of life overflow with possibilities. We witness Berry step into the prophetic role imparted upon her by a Grandmother Spider in one of her poems, and powerfully spin evocative personal narratives, at times laced with delightful didactic panache.
Ironically, there is nothing ephemeral about the effect of reading Berry’s poetry collection, which lingers with the reader long after its ingestion, like scents inhabiting ether on a midsummer night.
An unmistakably dazzling debut!
Catherine L. Schweig, Founder and Director of Journey of the Heart: Women’s Spiritual Poetry Project, Chief Editor, Goddess: When She Rules (Golden Dragonfly Press, 2018)
Berry's voice is savage and mystical and achingly deep. Her words will cut you deep, but then become the very balm to heal your wounds. She is an extraordinary talent and a remarkable poet.
Mitch Smith
In Evanescent Creature, we are invited to share Berry's invocations to memory, reflection, and awareness. Berry's words draw in the senses and nature to give us gentle snapshots of insight. Her verse is delicate, circling the archetypal journey of women, and we feel the relationship with souls that persist, appear, and ponder.
Sarah Amira de la Garza - Southwest Borderlands Scholar at Arizona State University and author of María Speaks Through the Mysteries of the Mother in My Life as a Chicana
Leap without looking. Evanescent Creature is a collection of shiver-inducing poems and meditations that will leave you to ponder, wonder, and marvel as you wander through the almost synesthesia-inducing warm embrace of words. -
Darragha Foster, Author of Love's Second Sight
Praise for The Wonderland Files
“When I first stumbled upon Shavawn's work, I had to take my pulse. I was transported to a world where detail, magic, dreams, and realism played equal, often indistinguishable parts. I knew I was among the great, but I had no idea yet, how great until I got the chance to periodically collaborate with Shavawn and enjoy her writings on Rebelle Society. She has a way of capturing your imagination and turning you from a mere reader or spectator into a lively character or sometimes, even a co-author of her stories -- a way of waking you up and stirring your soul and building a home of words and hope inside it I have rarely experienced. If words were music (and they are) Shavawn would be a genius Word Orchestra Conductor. She writes the symphony and then goes on to play as well as direct all the instruments. I couldn't be more honored and grateful for such an inspiring artistic collaboration and I can only hope that many other artists, dreamers, thinkers, and change-makers get a chance to taste and enjoy Shavawn's work and art."
Andréa Balt, Co-Founder / Editor-in-Chief Rebelle Society & Creative Rehab
"Shavawn's writing is a fusion of poetic word choice and cutting insights. We always look forward to her new pieces on Be You Media, as they resonate with a wide variety of readers, from those interested in spirituality to fellow writers to those looking for a new direction. Her articles are a continual source of inspiration, and we are thrilled to have her as a regular columnist."
Kate Bartolotta, Editor-in-Chief, Be You Media Group
"Falling Into Wonderland advocates for a life built out of grace and love in Shavawn M. Berry's unwavering and passionate voice. Always honest, and sometimes gritty, Shavawn is on a search for the authentic and brings us with her as she explores why this is important and how it’s done. When it’s messy, she unflinchingly reports back. "Let’s stop assuming that the status quo is worth preserving,” she says. And if your life isn’t an authentic construct of love and gratitude, she whispers, get it there, and invites us to drink deeply of the heart's sweet waters. We may be Falling Into Wonderland, but our guide is wise and kind; she never lets us drop."
Melissa I. Hassard, Poet, Writer, Activist, Mother, and Director of Marketing & Partner at Sable Books
"Poignant, often heart-wrenching, Berry's writing draws you in and comforts you, all the while remaining refreshingly raw and 100% authentic."
Lisa Pollman, Art Journalist, Borders, and Bridges
Teaching Awards
Exemplary Professional E-Portfolio - Celebrating Writing in Digital Spaces, Arizona State University, Department of English - May 2014
Lincoln Ethics Teaching Fellow, 2013, Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, Arizona State University
Best Pedagogical Practices Writing Programs' Teaching Award, 2009, Arizona State University Writing Programs
Best Pedagogical Practices Writing Programs' Teaching Award, 2008, Arizona State University Writing Programs
Extensive examples of my work are available through my contently.com Writing Portfolio.
What I See, my examination of my aging body, is an example of my published poetry. It can be seen in the Featured Fifty Poetry section of The Huffington Post.
Audio readings of What I See, This Way, Ephemera and Starlings are also available here.
Feast of Losses, my essay mourning the loss of my father, was originally published in North Atlantic Review and Concho River Review (First rights). Writing it was a gut-wrenching experience. In fact, I worked on it for three years prior to publishing it.
Breadcrumbs in Dark Times: Any Minute Now, Everything Will Change is my most popular published essay, having been published on my blog, Rebelle Society, and The Good Men Project. To date, it has been shared over 20,000 times.
Soul Work 101: Lancing Our Wounds, Loving Our Scars is, perhaps, my most raw and personal essay (of the hundreds I've published). It appeared, first on my blog, and then as a featured article on The Temple of Anjana.
Book Proposal Assistance
Need assistance in shaping your book proposal? Want help with sample chapters, query letters, market research, or the basic formatting and presentation involved with a professional book proposal? I can help. Use the contact page to inquire about scheduling and costs.
Social Media Guidance & Brand Building
Do you realize you must have a social media presence as a writer, but have no idea what that involves? Do you believe you have something valuable to say and want to effectively get it out into the world? Whether you need help setting up an author website, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, or an author page on Facebook, I can assist you in finding and polishing your message and building your brand. As a professor teaching professionals to brand themselves for the past ten years, I have a wealth of knowledge to share. Use the contact page to inquire about scheduling and costs. Online workshops or in person intensives are available.
Basic Editing/Comprehensive Editing/Proofreading
With more than 40 years of editing experience -- I was a child prodigy, what can I say? -- and three years' teaching experience helping college students hone and polish their editing and proofreading skills, I can assist you in making your prose shine. Whether you need basic editing (grammar, formatting), comprehensive editing (a holistic approach that includes everything from grammar, punctuation, and spelling to formatting, set up, font choice and visuals), or proofreading (a simple, once over for typos just prior to publication), I can help make your writing the best it can possibly be. Use the contact page to inquire about scheduling and costs.
Manuscript Review & Feedback
Having trouble working the kinks out of your story? Getting lost in unrelated details that derail your narrative? Weighing your prose down with enough detritus to sink the Titanic? I can help you 'kill your darlings' and clean up the mess afterward. Every writer needs someone who can help find the diamonds in 'coal chute' and polish them up. If you want honest (but not harsh) criticism and assistance with creating your best work, contact me about helping you to doctor your manuscript and get it to sing. Use the contact page to inquire about scheduling and costs.
Building a Room of Your Own as a Writer
Want a writer's life? Want to find a way to effectively make a living doing something that makes your soul soar? Want to wake up every day excited about the work you are doing? I can help you to find your way into creative and deeply satisfying work, just like I did. I left the corporate grind and built a room of my own. It wasn't easy. It wasn't always pretty, but I found my way into a life of teaching and writing. Whether you want to set up a home writing business, work as an editor, build your own publishing empire, or simply write a memoir to leave as a legacy to your family, I can show you how it's done. Use the contact page to inquire about scheduling and costs.
The typical hourly rate for most intensive editing and review projects can be done on an hourly basis or by page/length of the project. Editing costs run between $50 - 75 an hour or $3 - 5 per typewritten page.
Writing mentoring is done on a project basis and depends on the time commitment and the number of writing and review sessions we schedule.
Please use the contact me page to reach out to me if you are interested in these services. Once we discuss pricing and details, you can pay via the Products and Services page.
If you are interested in working with me, taking an online writing workshop with me through my Teachable site, taking a live writing workshop if you are local (New Mexico only) or you would like to work with me one-on-one, send me the details via the Contact page on this site.
Online Writing Workshops:
The Healing Balm of Words - Using writing to heal what has hurt you.
Letting Spirit Drive the Car: Spiritual Writing - Opening yourself to writing that comes from the still small voice within.
Telling Stories After the Fire - A memoir & personal essay workshop focusing on shaping and building a unique story only you can tell.
Writing to Change the World. Let's pick up our pens, dust ourselves off, and head into the fray, writing to encourage and enliven our readers. The world needs hope. Raise your voice and join the conversation.
Local Writing Workshops:
Various times throughout the year. Sign up for Song Sparrow (Newsletter) or Santa Fe Poetry and Prose MeetUp to receive information on local workshops.
Creativity Coaching/One-on-one Mentoring:
I am available to work as a writing mentor or creativity coach for both short-term and long-term projects. Contact me to talk about your goals and see if we are a good fit to work together creatively.
Follow me on my Instagram page for short bursts of inspiration - marrying image and idea; or via a quick (250 words or less) sound bite from my life each week.
Consider Song Sparrow a creative shot in the arm.
It is my planned monthly newsletter containing some of my most recent published writing, writing tips, links to information about workshops, online events, products, and current news.
Sign up (we never spam our list) on the ‘Contact Me’ tab to receive it as soon as I start to publish it.
Contact me to set up coaching, writing workshops, editorial assistance, or to simply say hello.
