Dear all,

The summer has been fantastic in many aspects.

It has also put a huge strain on me, emotionnally speaking, (family in a large scale and  parents, you know?),  leading to more and a new  form of self-empowerment, expanding self-knowledge and compassion (self-healing, see?).

A wedding (lil’ bro), visas renewal process gone stressful, family (upper story) with an hidden agenda. I won’t develop. Let’s say it’ sbeen a loong hot summer with long stressful days transforming into long insomnias and very little restful sleep.

And now, it’s over, let’s focus on positive energy!!

It was a time to seek and find closure and in some way, I did.

I was also a time to ENJOY life as it came, while I stayed 12 days in London, doing some research for my solitary and poorly redeeimng work (being a writer! now, really, how wants to be a writer?), and guiltlessly slipping into delicious “me-time” (an expression I had never heard and therefore never practised before moving in the USA).

The weather was fantastic, I had a great time, chatted with various people, made some friends, wrote a lot, soaked in the beauty and the incredible energetic city, step into an advertsing event in Victoria station  with Rowntree new fruity Chews (Chewsday, that’s brilliant!), stumbled upon various film set, went to the theater, drank incredible cocktails and champagne, enjoyed Hampstead, savoured the most palatable Benedict Eggs, among other delicious things…

A bartender even invented a cocktail bearing my name : Florence. Yep. I’m so proud of it! 

I treated myself with lovely coaktails and afternoon teas in amazing venues. And I loved it.

As the quote says : I wish to “go to London and stay there forever” (I’m working on it).

Then, some time on a lake in South Carolina (near a city called Florence!) here in the States, to cure the jetlag (no internetaccess, it felt awkward and liberating, it’s like frustrating and freeing in the same time, weird). So when I came back and checked my mail, I was over the moon to see that I have received the 1st Prize of the david Burland International Poetry Contest, category French!

The David Burland team is based in the UK, my poem has been published on their website, and £200 is attached to this award. To say that I am happy is largely below how I felt then and still am feeling.

It’s a encouraging, it’s empowering, it’s what I wanted to achieve, it’s the goal I had set personnally to reach. It’s a major step!

From now on, I am a published author, I am and award-winner aauthor, and my peers have recognised my talent (ok, I’be said it, I take full responsability) and thought it was worth  chosing my writing to bear this award.

Please visit : http://www.davidburlandpoetryprize.com/winners.html

The poem is in French, I’ll post a translation in English soon.

It’s called “Rose de Matink” (Rose of Martinique Island)

It’s about how the slaves deported from Africa to the French Carribean islands to work (drudge) in the cane sugar fields. The name of the ship would become  their new names. This poem was inspired by a friend’s ancestor’s story. It was moving to write it and (apparently) moving to read it, anyway it’s a very inspirationnal story. I am supremely grateful to have been awarded teh 1st Prize for this poem. We celebrated of course, with this dear friend of mine and other friends too. I received many congrats from friends and they liked thh poem as well, some were so moved they wrote me a beautiful message to tell me how much they liked it. I only put my heart in this poem and my emotion (my guts?) as my friend had told me this powerful story.

 

 

Now you know why I love the Brits. They’re the first to give me an award, and I intend to win many more! This boosts me so greatly!

And 2nd good news : my publisher is only eager to have my book being out in Fall (and so am I!!!)

Keep you posted, folks!

For all my fellow oddjobbers : produce, produce, write , bleed and get your guts into your work, let it out in the world, participate into contests, and get those awards too!

Wishing you best of luck and looking forward to hearing your success stories!

Florence (aka Floreva)