Promoting honesty and empathy through poetry

Poetry has been part of Nicole Zwolinski’s life since she was a child, sitting in class and writing poems in her head to pass the time.

“In poetry there’s freedom. You don’t have to necessarily follow the rules of grammar,” she said. “I think that's what got me started on the poetry path, and over the years it's just been whatever topic has come to me and I'll sit and write and focus on a poem.”

Originally planning to be a teacher while writing on the side, Zwolinski transferred to St. Cloud State University when she found the creative writing offerings at her previous university to be lacking.

“SCSU had a creative writing program and I'm like, ‘That's perfect. I'm going to transfer there,’” she said.

While she enjoyed working in the Lindgren Early Learning Center during her time on campus, it was when she did high school class observations that Zwolinski realized the teaching profession wasn’t for her.

“I didn’t really want to be a teacher. I just wanted to write,” she said. “I love reading and writing, and I don't want to teach that to rowdy kids that are forced to be there or who don't care. That's not for me.”

She moved to majoring in creative writing with a focus on poetry, earning her degree from St. Cloud State in 2003. While Zwolinski said she received plenty of comments from others about how she would support herself with a poetry degree; she had a plan. She set out to work a full-time job in order to support her writing.

Through the years she has worked in childcare and law firms, worked as an office administrator for a real estate office while producing the company’s newsletter, and has been working for a title company in the corporate communications department. Throughout it all, she has always produced poetry.

“I love getting stuff done. I love supporting and helping people in my company, but when I'm writing poetry, that is where I'm feeling the fulfillment and the joy of what I'm doing,” she said. “Work should be something that supports you and enables you to do what matters most.”

Zwolinski took courses through The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and attended the Mississippi River Creative Writing Workshop at SCSU. She’s had poems and short stories published, won awards for her work and has been a reader for a number of poetry festivals and events. She has published two poetry chapbooks and has signed a contract with a publisher to publish a full-length book of poetry.

“I developed a career so that I could support my family and my poetry,” Zwolinski said. “Writing is a form of expression, but also a way to connect with others. In a world where we are inundated with information and news 24/7, it is therapeutic to produce original writing.”

Through her work, Zwolinski has dealt with different kinds of subjects. From eating disorders and body image issues, to relationships, motherhood and beyond, no subject is off limits.

“I want to speak to women and young girls, especially. I feel like growing up, there's so much pressure to get married, have kids, do this and not that,” she said. “My family was like, ‘Go to college. Yes, of course, get your degree. Focus on that.’ But I think getting married was just always such a prevalent thing that was the ultimate goal. I just want to tell people, ‘Don't date till you're 30.’ Just focus on you — do all the things you want, learn about yourself, learn all the things that you like to do.”

Zwolinski hopes to break down barriers and help others to feel connected.

“With poetry like this, we can destigmatize a lot of the pressure that is put on women — with motherhood, in particular. I feel like, as a new mom, I had no idea how hard it was. And everyone's just like, ‘Yeah, you’re a mom. That's what moms do. And you always wanted to be a mom.’ Yes, I did always want to be a mom. And I do love being a mom, but nobody talks about how absolutely hard it is.

“Pretending strife and hardness don’t exist isn't an acceptable way to move through life, so I hope that I can bring a more honest perspective of being a woman to women, whether they're interested in reading or whether they're interested in writing. I want people to know what it's like and to have humanity and grace for women and what they're going through. That's where I hope to bring inspiration and light to folks, whether it's men or women. I hope I could give them empathy.”