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Qynshela Sanders

When most people claim that they’ve been working on their craft for forever, they tend to be exaggerating a bit. That’s not the case with Qyn. “My aunt bought my first notebook when I was about four or five because she was tired of me writing on all of her papers,” Qyn recalls. That notebook was indeed a catalyst for the Qyn era that we’re currently witnessing.

Though she says it took a while for her to share her gift and her passion with the world, the 25-year-old is not only blossoming into a fantastic writer but encouraging many women to step into their purpose as well. Today, Quin is currently working on her second chapbook and planning her next series of writing workshops.

Some of Qyn’s earliest and fondest memories are of books that her mom and aunts read to her as a child. Books that inspired her, even then, to write her own stories,  creating her own fictional characters and plots. “I loved the way the pictures in books looked but I couldn’t draw. So I decided that I would write words that felt like pictures.”

In 2009, the Canton native moved to Columbus for undergrad, attending The Ohio State University for psychology. During her time at OSU, Qyn says she stopped writing completely. But as indicative of true love, her passions could only lay dormant for so long.  It wasn’t until 2013 when she became pregnant with her two-year-old babyboy Tristen that she was able to make her way back to writing.

“I thought I was going to be a journalist,” laughs Qyn as she remembers changing her major from psychology to communications. Soon after, she worked briefly for OSU’s student newspaper, The Lantern, as well as the school’s fashion magazine, Scarlette, for 2 years. “It was fun; a good experience…. I realized that that wasn’t my lane.”
After graduating from OSU in 2015, Qynshela began working in finance but quickly realized that her heart just was not in it. “I wasn’t being fulfilled mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. I grew tired of constantly crunching numbers for 10 hours a day with minimal to no room for human interaction.” A year later, she now works at the Center for Balanced Living, an eating disorder clinic, as an intake specialist. As a point of contact between patients and their counselors/doctors, she helps ensure that patients are receiving the help that they need. That’s sort of what Qyn does with her writing as well: aide in the healing process.
Quartez & Qyn. IG: @__silhouetted

Quartez & Qyn. IG: @__silhouetted

“My writing is centered around promoting peace, love, self-worth, positivity, creativity, spirituality and overall wellness,” says Qyn. She’s pursuing her dream to become an author. In learning all of the avenues an aspiring author can take, she began attending workshops. She is now hosting writing workshops of her own.

Qyn says that witnessing her boyfriend Quartez host a workshop back in February where he was working with kids sparked a flame for her to create her own workshop. “I’m trying to create this brand to ultimately help others through my writing.”

“Words that Heal” was the first workshop that the dynamic duo put together back in May. The workshop is an opportunity for writers and nonwriters to come together and share. But not necessarily just for the sake of creation or art, but to use their words and their experiences to find healing. “I want to encourage others to find their peace on their own accord and aim to live a wellness balanced life.”

“We wanted to create a place for everyone to be comfortable expressing themselves.” Qyn says that both she and Quartez have clung to writing to get through whatever life has thrown their way for a long time. “We knew that writing helped us, and we wanted to present that to others.”

“Words that Heal” was not only the first workshop she hosted but doubled as an unveiling of her very first-ever chapbook, bathe. She explains that they’re kind of like mixtapes that artist put out, giving the world a taste of what they’ve been working on before they release an album.
Qyn explains that there’s no deep secret to how she found the inspiration and sense of urgency to finally put her work out there: “I always have all these ideas and all of these things that I want to do and I hardly ever do them. Not because I’m afraid, but more so that I feel that timing is everything… It just seemed like it was the perfect time to do it.”
2016-07-27 (2)

IG: @__silhouetted

Qyn’s debut chapbook, bathe is a compilation of her own original inspirational quotes that she’s written over the course of two or three years. In a nutshell, it’s about love, self-worth, finding your light; subjects that she says are hard to remember or find perspective on when you’re going through personal turmoil. “For anyone who reads it, I want them to be able to feel like ‘I can get through this.'”

Qyn has spilled just a spot of tea, sharing that she will release another chapbook sometime this year but no time soon. Her focus will be on bringing healing to the community through a series of workshops.
She wants to focus her next workshop on women. “We go through so much!” She wants “Writer’s Remorse,” her next workshop, She explained that women often feel they must be strong and never crumble, which a lot of times, can lead to depression and anxiety. “We feel like we have to be Superman… With Writer’s Remorse, you can take off the cape.”
“Writer’s Remorse” will be an opportunity for women to write through the pain of past regrets and guilts of their past to hep them “move towards a higher level of personal healing and forgiveness.” The first session of the series will be August 6 at Roosevelt Coffeehouse, from 12:30 – 2 pm. There is a $10 admission.
Moving forward, Qynshela says that she wants to keep writing, and offers this as a piece of advice for any writer and those seeking to heal: “Keep writing. When it’s your passion, you have to honor that. No matter how many doors close. Just keep writing if it’s not for anyone else it’s for you. She knows firsthand the obstacles that come with creating, being a private person herself as well as being a working mom who has to make time for her writing, but she says that the rewards of indulging in your gifts outweigh the fears. She says that the most rewarding part about sharing her work with the world is “seeing my words. Seeing it come alive. Hearing people say ‘I needed to see that.'”
Qyn hopes to be self-published one day, continuing to use her words, her experiences, especially as a black woman and a single mother, to help people reach a place that they are healed.
IG @__silhouetted

IG: @__silhouetted

 “With my writing, I want to shine a light on the issues that we consistently sweep under the rug. depression, anxiety, violence, racism and the struggle with low self-worth– issues that many of us deal with on a day to day basis! These are issues we need to face head on as we press towards our healing. I want my writing to do just that. Change the narrative of so many of our lives, use our pain to push us into finding our purpose.

For daily inspiration, to stay up to date on “Writer’s Remorse,” be the first to hear about Qyn’s next chapbook or request a copy of bathe, follow her handles below:

 IG | Twitter | Gmail

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About Author

from CLVLD w/passion. politics, awareness and soul. i just need you to know what's going on. whiskey in a teacup.

1 Comment

  1. Maggie Baxter on

    It is so good to see you not give up. You have something special, a gift. Let your gift take you and whole lot of others to a place of healing. I am proud of you.
    Love you,
    Aunt Maggie

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