Loryn Brantz sure can be hilarious, as seen through her comics, but recently, the artist has also been dabbling in writing wholesome poems about parenting.
"Poems of Parenting" captures relatable joys and challenges that every parent faces. Besides some truly heartwarming words so perfectly put together, Loryn also manages to add humor here and there, bringing a lighthearted touch to the emotional journey of raising children. The artist herself shared how she manages to show both the good and tough parts of being a parent. "I often think of poems during all these experiences so they end up reflecting the reality of the incredible awe and mild torture parenting vacillates between."
If you find these poems touching your soul, make sure to check out the pre-order section for the book!
More info: Instagram | harpercollins.com | lorynbrantz.com | Facebook
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In an interview with Bored Panda, Loryn shared what made her want to switch from creating comics to writing poetry.
“Poems about parenting kind of hit me like a ton of bricks. I’ve always written poetry for children, but one night after a particularly exhausting bedtime, I was unwinding by admiring photos of my son when he cried out in the night – and that’s when I thought of “Photos of You.” After that first one, I just could not stop writing. I wrote about thirty that same night and it just continued on from there. Parenting itself is very consuming so they just kept popping up in my head at all times after that,” responded Loryn.
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Loryn’s poems have gotten quite a bit of interest from parents on Instagram. We were wondering how the online community affected how she wrote this poetry collection.
“It was kind of interesting in that the response from people online wasn’t as big as the response to my comics. But I felt so happy with the work I didn’t mind at all. It felt like I had been circling poetry for so long and finally landed. I always wanted to write funny and also meaningful things to share, but I was never quite happy with my comics. Poetry has felt much more true to myself,” wrote Loryn.
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Loryn also shared if all or if any of her personal experiences inspired some of the emotional or funny poems in her book.
“Every single poem in there was directly inspired from a personal experience. What is interesting to me is that some were inspired by my daughter, who has disabilities, and some by my son, who does not, but across the board, people seem to be able to relate to both. There’s much more common ground in all kinds of parenting experiences than we realize.”
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Parenting today is different because of technology and social media. We asked Loryn to share how these modern changes show up in her poems, and what she wants other parents to take away from them.
“In the book, there’s a poem called 'Disconnected,' which is about exactly this. It’s just part of being a modern parent trying to navigate how much or how little technology to use in your life. I would want parents to take away that whatever works best for you and your family is the right thing and not to be too hard on yourself.”
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Loryn’s work helps parents feel supported. We asked her what she hopes Poems of Parenting gives to readers who might feel stressed or alone in their parenting journey.
Loryn wrote: “I do hope it helps readers feel supported, less alone, and maybe most importantly laugh.”
Lastly, she added: “Thanks for reading my poetry! Also, Poems of Parenting will be out in the spring, but you can preorder it now.”
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