Owning Your Voice

Kate Strauss is a self-published poet whose book DASH-Y can be found on Amazon for purchase. Her work delves into learning self-love through overcoming body struggles, addiction and misplaced ideas of our own worth. We discuss these topics as well as the process Kate went through publishing her own work and using social media as a public journal to reach and connect with the artistic community and beyond. Find her book at: https://www.amazon.com/DASH-Y-Kate-Strauss-ebook/dp/B079TYQHS7 Instagram: @katestrausspoetry Pieces shared from DASH-Y: #30 : Kate talks about the themes in this piece, including not allowing ourselves to be used, which is a difficult lesson to learn. “We’re meant to cherish our bodies” is an untitled piece on her Instagram page that deals with loving our imperfections- something we're often taught the opposite of in life and society. #23: Needing more intimately is more easily understood when it comes from a man, but as women we need these things just as intensely. “Pain is the touchstone to recovery.” Kate went on to describe her experience getting sober: “It’s really freeing to do a lot of the things that I thought I couldn’t do sober. It’s freeing to dance sober. It’s freeing to have deep conversations sober, and you remember them. And it’s really freeing to do all this stuff, stand up in front of crowds, do stupid things and think that you could never do those things because you had to have a drink to do them, and you don’t have to.” -Kate Strauss Original music by artist RJ Wayne, AKA Philasifer, featuring his track "That Magic." Poet's Return is available on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @PoetsReturn