Welcome to Late Boomers! We’re your hosts, Cathy and Merry, and this episode is one we’re especially excited to share with you. Today, we dive into the quiet yet powerful world of poetry, exploring how it can help us process life’s biggest challenges and find hope—even in the midst of chronic illness.Our conversation features Autumn Williams, poet and author of the deeply moving book Clouds on the Ground. Autumn’s journey with myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic illness) led her to poetry as an outlet, a form of escape, and a way to help others process their own struggles. Her perspective and her work remind us that beauty and resilience can flourish against the toughest odds.We start by reflecting on how poetry slows us down, encourages introspection, and gives voice to experiences that are hard to explain. Autumn shares how being bedbound sparked her love for free verse poetry, a style that felt liberating when her life was so restricted. She talks about writing poems that, while inspired by personal pain, are universal enough for anyone to find themselves in.Autumn reads several poems from Clouds on the Ground, and we discuss the remarkable imagery, the art on her book’s cover, and the role of nature in her healing. She describes her creative process, balancing writing with being a parent to six children, and how she reclaimed agency and meaning through writing. We also touch on the self-publishing process, building a creative team, and how responses from readers have truly touched her.Key Takeaways:Poetry can be a powerful tool to process emotions, loss, illness, and dreams.Free verse opened up creative freedom for Autumn, and helped her escape the confines of chronic illness.Her poems are intentionally written to be universal, allowing readers to insert their own stories and struggles, and find comfort and hope.The journey of self-publishing involves building the right team, taking your time, and honoring your voice and vision.Autumn’s experience reminds us to honor pain, sit with it, and recognize value in ourselves even when life doesn’t go as planned.The feedback Autumn received shows the transformative power of sharing our stories, and how art can truly move others.If you’re seeking inspiration or healing, we encourage you to explore Autumn’s poetry. You can sign up for her newsletter to receive her chapbook Waves for free, and check out Clouds on the Ground for her full collection of poems.Subscribe to Late Boomers wherever you listen to podcasts, share this episode with a friend who could use some encouragement, and visit our website at lateboomers.us for more episodes and updates. Until next time, keep learning, creating, and making bold moves at every age!— Cathy & MerryMentioned in this episode:Late Boomers is part of the eWomenPodcastNetwork. eWomenPodcastNetwork