WELCOME
My name is Jody. I craft weekly short reflections and videos offering you an invitation to make friends with faith-centered poets & poetry. The word ‘poem’ comes from the Greek 'poiema' for 'a made thing,' thus the name Poetry & Made Things.
I am convinced we can grow in connection to God through opening ourselves up to expression and creation through our words. To that end, I teach people how to think poetically, making friends with poetry through accessible poems and processes, learning to read for understanding and writing poetry of their own.
Poetry can move us in two ways—speaking to us when we read it and through us when we sit down to write. If you are a novice and want to know more about the form and dip your toes into the practice of writing and reading poetry, you have come to the right place!
When you Subscribe
Every week you’ll receive an invitation or reflection from me in your Inbox. These could include either:
Inspiration—a poetic reflection based on one of the poems from my pen, prompting you with a question or to for consideration
Recommendations and Resources—Need a poem for your homeschooling gig? Want something to read for Mother’s Day or find a memoir written like a poem? I can point you in the right direction.
Quotable—a sentence or two from one of the books I’m currently reading, that speaks to the writing life or Life in General
Also, when you subscribe your welcome email includes a FREE GIFT, “Five Things that Surprised Me About Poetry” to help you on your poetic journey.
Consider a PAID Subscription
When you choose to become a paid subscriber for only $5.00 a month, you receive all of the above, plus:
Exclusive Poetic Pause videos, where I share a short reading (5-7 minutes) of one of my favorite poems, talk about the poem and why I love it, and what you might notice, too. Kind of like a micro-lesson in poetry.
Access to a Curated Poetry List with poems and poets for those just beginning their poetry journey. Coming soon!
Aso, paying for work you find meaningful makes you a patron, someone who advocates for creatives and supports their work.
You also help cover the costs of writing and sharing my work—things like website fees and workshop prep and of course, coffee. I do live in Seattle, after all.
About Me
There’s more at my website jodyleecollins dot com where I began my online writing in January 2012. There you’ll find links to previously published work, recent podcast appearances and a tab for my Making Friends with Poetry Workshop. Plus twelve years’ worth of blogposts in the Archive. Remember blogging?
I left social media in April of 2023 (sorry, not sorry) so the best way to connect is via email, which I enjoy a great deal. You can reach me at heyjode70 {at} yahoo dot com.
P.S. If you want to know more about why I left social media as a writer, you can read this post which includes a link to a podcast interview with the founders of Writing off Social.
I’m so glad you’re here!
All the best,
Jody
