Seedlings Poetry Collection by Tatum Lawn

Seedlings Poetry Collection by Tatum Lawn

Illustrated by Shannon Wauchope

Foreword by Tess Guinery

Guest Author Post by Tatum Lawn

‘Seedlings Poetry Collection’ is a ‘collection of poems for the creatives and dreamers – artists, wordsmiths, designers and makers.’ 🌱 The book is exquisite – and easy to dip in and out of.

‘It is full of courage, vulnerability, grace, hope and the wonderful image of growth from soil to rich tasty fruit.’ (Craig Lawn) 🌱🍊

‘… from dirt to vase, blossoms to oranges to marmalade.’ (From ‘Dirt to Vase’ in Part V: Marmalade Melody in ‘Seedlings’) 🌱🍊📙🧡

Thank you for speaking to Joy in Books at PaperbarkWords blog about your debut book Seedlings Poetry Collection, Tatum. 

Seedlings Poetry Collection was written as much for my heart as it was for its readers. Its poems explore the creative process for artists: from the seed of an idea, to fruitful work, to tangible creation. And just like fruit contain seeds that can be replanted, my hope is that this book will produce seeds for another creative.

For Seedlings, its creative seed was planted a few years ago when a friend appeared at my door with an illustration. In her hands she held an A4 cream-coloured sheet of paper. In the centre of the page, four oranges sat with purpose on the end of golden stems. We had recently shared in a conversation about oranges and lemons, and the metaphors they were currently representing in my life. In an act of kindness and encouragement, she had created a piece of art for me—a tangible reminder that sweet moments, and healing, can be found in winter seasons. While these darker seasons contain proverbial sour lemons, that’s not the only citrus produced.

At the time, poetry—let alone writing a book—was not (even in the slightest) on my radar. I’d just resigned from a position as a private-practice, musculoskeletal physiotherapist, where I had specialised in assessing and treating dancers. I grew up in the world of dance, with a mother as a classical ballet teacher. Marrying an interest in health and a love for artistic movement seemed a logical decision as a high-school graduate.

The poems found in this book seemed to almost form themselves, and were collected in the margins and doings of life. They found their way onto the page in the most mysterious, but marvellous, of ways. During this ‘winter’ season, words would appear in my mind. And then would settle in phrases ordered with rhythm and rhyme. Much like a dance is choreographed in counts of eight, stanzas were grouped to form titled poetic pages. And from here the poems began to tell a story of sorts: soil to seedling to growth to harvest to creation. As I started to notice this narrative arc, I began arranging the poems into five parts: Soil and Soul, Seedling Song, Growth in Grace, Harvest Harmony, and Marmalade Melody.

This was not my first experience with poetry. At nine years old I wrote my first poem and submitted it to the children’s lift-out of my local Australian newspaper. To my delight, it was published soon after. I also grew up taking speech and drama lessons, which involved reading, studying, memorising, and reciting poems for exams and stage.

My high-school self, however, would be very surprised to learn that, as a 30-something, I was no longer pursuing a professional career in health, but was following the uncertain path of writing.

Once the manuscript for Seedlings was complete, I worked with poetry editor, Nicole Melanson. She provided expert editorial guidance, assisting in making the collection cohesive. I reached out to professional graphic designer, Shannon Wauchope, to design the cover for the book. Shannon was also the friend who gifted me the original ‘oranges’ artwork described above. We met for coffee, and, little did I know, she had long been a lover of poetry and words. She immediately saw the vision. And had brought some inspiration along to our meeting—Tess Guinery poetry books. One of those books was The Apricot Memoirs—an Andrews McMeel publication that continues to influence readers worldwide.

In what seemed a heaven orchestrated event, I met with Tess in March 2024. After reading the manuscript, Tess agreed to write the book’s foreword. Tess’ lyrical prose for this book was crafted and delivered with deep understanding, beauty, and care. And I’ll forever be grateful for her heartfelt words.

A gardener sows seeds in faith, and waters seedlings with hope. And this poetry collection was no different: words sown in faith; pages watered with tears and prayer; fruit produced in anticipation for poem-seeds to be replanted; marmalade created for other creatives.

This is a book for dreamer-hearts and visionary friends.

These are pages for seasoned creators or those just beginning.

It is poetry to sow, water, and cultivate as readers grow from the dirt, make, and create.

It’s an encouragement to start simple and start small because seeds do, after all.

Seedlings Poetry Collection can be purchased in Australia on Amazon or ordered through your local bookshop. For US orders, purchase online at Barnes & Noble or Amazon. For UK orders, purchase online at Waterstones or Amazon.

Thank you to Joy Lawn for the opportunity to write a guest author post for PaperbarkWords.

You can follow my writing journey on Instagram via @wordsbytatum. For long-form content, subscribe to my Substack ‘Words By Tatum’.

Disclaimer: Joy Lawn is my mother-in-law.