Jazzy’s Top Picks

Lately I’ve been invested in going down rabbit holes of Vocal and finding amazing stories that tend to be missed on the Top Story page. Here are some I have found that just not only make me smile but deserve some more recognition then they received! As writers on here it can be hard to feel seen and recognized for the work we are putting out; and I would like to fill in that gap just a millimeter. This is not going to be an exhaustive list of all the stories I’ve liked that week, but I am trying to make sure I engage the community more and provide some value. I recommend to anyone here to do the same because in the words of Kid Rock “You get what you put in”!

My plan is to once a week chose a couple stories to share and find one that makes the Top Story of those picks and send them a little tip. Nothing crazy but something to say, “Good Job!”

Please share your links to posts you think should be featured next week, and I’ll go ahead and take a look at those! I would like to make this a weekly thing and I’m happy if you drop your own posts as well. We are our fiercest advocates for our own happiness and I would love more to read in a compact place to find them. Any newbies here on Vocal please let us know and drop some stories, we as a community will love to help support your time here on the platform.

Hope Martin

She has amazing work here on Vocal and always has a nice thing to say about what I share. I look forward to her posts and of course her interesting insights on my posts as well. We tend to have a conversation or two in the comments as well which is always interesting! Here is her addition to the “Ode to the Ordinary” challenge.

Kayleigh Fraser

Let me start off by saying I was first so excited someone has the last name Fraser, as I’m a huge “Outlander” fan. However I was more intrigued with Kayleigh’s stories. This story, is where I really felt I connected with her as a person and thought we could be friends. She is raw and open and even in the worst of times she managed to find a silver lining. Huge fan!

Suze Kay

When I say I couldn’t stop thinking about the imagery of a juicy peach, I’m not kidding. I read this and felt like it touched a part of my childhood and brought me back to being an adult. A strange feeling to be sure. Great poem, that leaves you thinking.

Kendall Defoe

So I was so excited when I saw this haiku book review because it is one of my favorite books ever. (And someone who reads Hunter S. Thompson is my kind of person) Kendall Defoe is another who comments regularly on my poems and always has something super interesting to say; and the content that Kendall puts out is always eye opening. Kendall is “to weird to live, too rare to die” you might say!

Real Poetic

Now, this writer inspires me every single day. She is on vacation and is still writing haikus, that is dedication that I can’t even fathom. She is one of the first to read my poems and always leaves a kind word. I’m grateful to her for being an advocate for my work and I’m just as invested in hers. This poem is one I think about almost once a day, her way with words is simply uncontested.