Meet Adrienne Carrington | Self-published poet

We had the good fortune of connecting with Adrienne Carrington and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adrienne, how do you think about risk?
Risk is something that is terrifying, but gratifying. I’ve written poetry my whole life, but if I had never took a risk to share my work with peers and teachers, I would’ve never gotten the encouragement to share my poetry to all. If I had never taken the risk to create a book of poetry, I wouldn’t have found the ability to self-publish. If I had never taken the risk to self-publish my books, I would have never known there were people who wanted and needed to read my poems.

If I had never taken the risk of taking that next step and perform at open mics, I would have never known the power of using your voice, instead of paper, to read your soul out loud.

So to me, risk is everything. It is not easy, and anything can happen, but all you have to do is take the first step. You may not see the top of the ladder, but just put your foot on the first bar. Standing still will never move you forward!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started writing poetry when I was 10. It originally started as a coping mechanism for my emotions because I had a difficult time opening up and trusting people. Over the years, poetry became my form of a diary or journal, and eventually I started letting others read it.

Only when I finally opened up and started sharing my thoughts and feelings with others, was when I realized I wasn’t as alone as I felt. There are many people who are struggling with depression, anxiety, stress, grief, and heartbreak.

I’ve reached a point in my life where I want to share my words with as many people as possible; I want to continue the love I felt for poetry, the feeling of not being alone even in your darkest days. I truly believe that my poetry can help people, so I am extremely grateful to be given this opportunity.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When it comes to breakfast, I’d take my friend to Toasted Yolk or First Watch, because they have amazing coffee, pancakes, and eggs. For lunch, I’d probably bring them to Sakura or Shogun Japanese grill for sushi and hibachi 😋. Finally for dinner, we HAVE to get some Mikki’s Soul Food! Mikki’s is THE best spot on Houston for oxtail, greens, potatoes, gravy, pork chops, macaroni, yams, cake, pie, koolaid, the list goes on!

For entertainment, we’d visit the House of Blues, painting with a twist, Discovery Green, Dave and Busters, the Galleria or Memorial City Mall, open mic with WAN poetry, AMC movies (they have the best popcorn), and maybe an escape room.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shout out Write About Now Poetry (WAN). They are a Houston based poetry group that has open mics every week, along with writing sessions, resources, competitions, and an amazing community of people who love and appreciate poetry. One night with the WAN community can change your entire outlook on life.

Website: linktr.ee/Carringtonpoetry

Instagram: @carringtonpoetry