In the Spotlight: Tene Edwards
Tene Edwards is on a mission to bring healing to all who need it. With 37, 000 Instagram followers, Tene’s words have impacted so many with her message of self-love, hope and freedom. Now, fans can have her words on their bookshelves, with the release of her poetry collection, Walk With Wings.
I spoke with Tene about how poetry has impacted her life, her journey to self-love, the self publishing process, and the importance of butterflies.
What drew you to poetry? What sets this genre apart for you?
I remember reading some of Najwa Zebian's work before I started to play around with words and her poetry delved deep into my soul and arouse my imagination. I then decided that I wanted my writing to have that type of depth as the poetry for me added more power to the messages Nazjwa Zebian was putting across. I think what sets poetry apart from the other genres is its complexity and magical way of generating emotions. The act of writing poetry helped me to tap into my inner thoughts and feelings that often didn't make sense until it was down on paper.
How long have you been writing? Did you always want to be a writer?
I started journalling at a very young age. I cant remember the age precisely, but I would say that I was about 10 years old. I really loved pretty pink journals that came with a lock and key and had glitter or gems on them. I would start with "Dear Diary" and just wrote casually about my day. I stopped journalling around the beginning of high school and picked up the pen again in 2016 to vent my pain through heartbreak. I had no plans whatsoever on becoming an established writer, but looking back it was the best decision I ever made with my life.
In your collection, "Walk with Wings," you speak a lot about self-love and your journey to embrace it. Can you speak more about this? Why is this such an important topic for you to explore through poetry?
I learnt the power of words when I began writing to empower myself. I had no idea what impact this was going to have on me but I noticed a shift in my energy when I did, and it was through this journey that I discovered the importance of the words we speak over our lives. I speak a lot about self-love in Walk With Wings as positive self-talk is what has helped me to overcome the many challenges I have faced since I started writing again. I truly believe that self-love is the foundation for health, happiness and ultimate fulfillment and I really wanted that to come across in Walk With Wings.
image from @writeordietribe
I'd love to know the significance behind the title of this collection...
I had a butterfly in mind when I was thinking about the title of the book. I have a love for butterflies. I admire their deep and powerful representations of life; Hope. Soul. Growth. Vulnerability. Transition. Freedom. Expression. It didn’t take me long to come up with the title, Walk With Wings. I wanted the title to reflect life of a butterfly as they show us how adversity is a part of life; when caterpillars find themselves trapped in cocoons, the struggle to escape is necessary for them to have the strength to fly and reinvent themselves. In Walk With Wings I express myself openly and reflect my true colours into the world. I ordered the chapters in line with the life cycle of a butterfly to take readers through my journey from a caterpillar to a butterfly in hopes that it would encourage readers to take responsibility for their future and walk a life of freedom, despite the challenges that will attempt to defeat them along the journey through life.
Can you talk about your self-publishing experience? How did you go about this? How did you know this was the right choice for your collection?
I originally self published Walk With Wings, February 17 2018 on Createspace (now KDP). I never really knew what I was doing at the time. I found my editor on Facebook in a group and the designer for the book cover and interior on Instagram. I then just googled the process and followed the research I conducted. I guess I am quite an impatient person and just wanted to get the collection out there. However, I am glad that I self-published to begin with as this taught me so much in terms of how a book is marketed, the importance of reviews and so much more.
The book was republished with The Good Quote on 1st of July 2018 and that came about by me just emailing them to ask if they could repost some of my poetry pieces. They asked me if i'd be willing to write a book for them, I said that I had already written a book and would be willing to republish the book with their agency and the rest was history. One year later, and over 5,000 books have been sold.
What do you hope readers take away from your work?
Six reasons why I wrote Walk With Wings:
1. To heal.
2. To empower those suffering in silence.
3. To deliver comfort and hope to those feeling lost and alone.
4. To encourage those who struggle with fear.
5. To help others cultivate a more supportive and loving relationship with themselves.
6. To inspire freedom.
What's next for you?
I am working really hard on organising more tours across the world. I love my readers so much and really want to meet more of them. This has been very challenging, but I will not give up and will keep working at it. India is next on my list so fingers crossed I will get the chance to do something there. Also, I have just completed a Children's book which is now in the hands of my dream publishers. I aim to get this published sometime next year. I am also working on a few other goodies but will keep this a surprise. I will start to facilitate more self-love workshops and events, and will of course keep writing.
Tene Edwards is a writer, author, and self-love advocate. Tene is known for her raw and visceral poetry online. Her writing journey began in 2016 during heartbreak; as an introvert, a notepad became her therapist and she found peace in writing down her thoughts. By maintaining a brand based solely around self-love, healing and resilience, Tene has grown a large following on social media of a variety of people who support her art with celebrities such as Khloe Kardashian, Wesley Snipes, Kandi Buruss and Dascha Polanco sharing her words on Instagram. Tene Edwards also runs self-love events and workshops to empower others to recognise and trust their own inner voice.
