Meet Aleisha Dubose | Author & Poet

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

Hi Aleisha, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I would say in the beginning I had very little balance. Work took up the majority of my time. There were days when I tried to insert some fun or relaxation, but for the most part I only worked. When I became a teacher I was able to balance things a little more due to only working weekdays, which gave me the weekends to decompress. Having kids also shifted things a bit. When my first son was born, I started do-nothing Mondays. On these days I don’t wash clothes or clean anything up. It’s just a day for me to relax and reflect. Over the past few years I have been more intentional with making time and creating space for me to just be.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
So, I am a writer. I guess what sets me apart from some, but also connects me to others is that I don’t just write in one genre. Currently, the majority of what I’ve put out has been poetry. That’s where it all sort of started for me. I also have other books out there and quite a few in the works. I am most proud of just the fact that I’ve been able to successfully achieve the goal I set for myself. Initially, my only plan was to publish the poems I already had written, (which was a lot). It took me three years, but when I finally did it, I was really proud of myself. This journey is definitely not easy. Self publishing can be a tedious thing and is not for the faint of heart. Overcoming the different challenges, for me, is really about my determination to get my books out to the world. A lesson I have learned is to give myself grace. I think sometimes we all can be our own worst critic, but dwelling on our mistakes or downfalls will get us nowhere. I’ve learned to be gentle with myself and to press forward in positivity. So, Passion Reads is the brand. Currently I am still writing, but I also offer writing and editing services as well. The hope is to get to a place where I can do this, (create) full time.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Okay, we’d definitely go to the mall because you can shop, eat, and catch a movie all in one place. There is also a coffee shop I just found out about that serves sugar free options, so I’d definitely take her there since we both love coffee! Our city has festivals downtown all the time , so I’m definitely taking bestie to that as well. We might do some Top Golf or go carting at Andretti’s. Then we’d end the week by going to a Silent Book Club in the area.
So, for me, I like to check out other artsy and creative people, whether that’s painters, pottery makers , jewelry makers, dancers, music artists, other authors…All of those things are interesting and exciting to me. Because we just took a family trip there, right now I’m going to say that Chattanooga, Tennessee is a very exciting place to be. So much culture and so many things to do there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Without hesitation, I have to say husband. He cheers me on when I release new books and he is constantly reaffirming me as a wife and mom. I am forever grateful for him being apart of my life. Secondly, I have to shoutout my cousins Jamie & Chanel. Seeing them write and put out their books gave me the courage and extra push I needed to go ahead with my own.

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