Meet a Staff Member: Raychelle Heath

Yellow Arrow Publishing would like to (re)introduce Raychelle Heath, our workshop programming & curriculum manager. Raychelle has been part of the Yellow Arrow community for quite some time as an author and a guest editor for Yellow Arrow Journal and a workshop instructor. She is a poet, artist, teacher, coach, yoga and meditation instructor, podcaster, and traveler. Raychelle holds a BA in languages and an MFA in poetry. She uses her writing and podcast to tell the multifaceted stories of black women in the world. She also explores her experiences with the culturally rich communities that she has encountered in her travels. She has been published by Travel Noire, Yellow Arrow Journal, The Brazen Collective, Locked Horn Press, Community Building Art Works, and others. She also holds yoga certifications for Kripalu Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and Mind Body Meditation. She is currently director of curriculum and coaching for the Unicorn Authors Club.

Raychelle says, “My experience working with the Yellow Arrow team as a writer, guest editor, and workshop facilitator has been great. This next chapter just feels like a beautiful next step in our ever-growing relationship. I am looking forward to getting to know the team and working toward getting our workshops out there for more people to be able to experience. I am also looking forward to supporting our facilitators to be able to offer the best workshops they can. And lastly, I’m looking forward to expanding the catalogue of workshop offerings so that we can reach even more writers. It’s going to be a great year.”

Tell us a little something about yourself:

I’m excited to be presenting on my first panel at AWP. I am also really jazzed about my garden; I made three sweet potato pies this holiday season from sweet potatoes that I grew.

What do you love most about where you live?

I live in Ocotal, Costa Rica. I love that I am near the beach, that I can walk everywhere I need to go, and all the beautiful hikes near my house.

How did you get involved with Yellow Arrow and what do you do for us? Why did you want to join the Yellow Arrow team?

I initially became involved with Yellow Arrow as a writer. I then submitted a workshop proposal for a restorative writing workshop. The workshop went well, and I’ve taught the series twice now. I’ll be teaching it again in the summer of 2024. I was also asked to guest edit an edition of the journal, and my issue PEREGRINE came out in fall of 2022. This year, Annie [Marhefka, executive director] approached me about how I could be more involved. We had a wonderful conversation, and my passion for workshops is what was most present. I’ll be coming on as workshop programming & curriculum manager [this year]. I am excited to deepen my work with Yellow Arrow because I’ve really enjoyed working with the team so far and I believe in the work they are doing.

What are you working on currently?

My full-time job is with the Unicorn Authors Club, and I’m currently working on a programming revamp with our team, our second coach training, and getting ready to onboard our first bilingual cohort of writers. I’m also gearing up for a new year of meditation workshops that I’ll be guiding (this is my third year) and, hopefully, finishing up my 500-hour yoga certification. I also have a poetry manuscript that I hope to have ready to send out soon.

What genre do you write (or read if you don’t write) the most and why?

I am a poet though I also write my fair share of prose. Poetry speaks to me because of its musicality, the way it creates tapestries, and the play of language that is possible.

What book is on the top of your to-be-read pile?

I’m currently finishing Nervous by one of our unicorn writers, Jen Soriano. And the book I want to pick up is Michael Harriot’s Black AF History.

Who is your favorite writer and why?

I don’t have a favorite writer at the moment though I have always deeply appreciated the works of Pablo Neruda, Toni Morrison, Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, and Edwige Danticat. I recently read Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu and am so looking forward to reading more of his work. In general, I love writers who challenge what words can do on the page.

Who has inspired and/or supported you most in your writing journey?

I have been supported and held by so many amazing writing communities. I am grateful to them all.

What do you love most about writing?

I love that writing meets me where I am. It doesn’t have to be perfect or pretty. It doesn’t have to be shared or even last. It can hold my heart and be what I need in the moment.

What advice do you have for new writers?

Read widely. It’s awesome to read writers that you love, but it is just as valuable to read other writers that you may love, may learn from, or may see what you want to avoid. And read for form and structure as well as content. Notice how other writers use words on the page. Also, look for other things you can create. Making informs making. In moments when I have felt blocked on the page, I could go to my garden or prepare a new dish and have something be revealed.

What’s the most important thing you always keep near your computer (or wherever/however you work)?

I always keep a pen and paper. As much as I appreciate how technology has offered amazing tools for writing, there is nothing that compares to pen and paper. I use it to take notes, jot lines, record quotes, draw, etc. I have notebooks and pens in a variety of sizes and colors so I can meet every occasion.

What’s your vision for Yellow Arrow in 2024?

When I think about AMPLIFY, as it pertains to the workshops, I’m really excited about amplifying the amazing offerings that Yellow Arrow has and also amplifying the workshop space to bring in new ideas and new facilitators. There is so much potential for the growth and making a beautiful connection with our ever-expanding community.

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Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women-identifying writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we AMPLIFY women-identifying creatives this year by purchasing one of our publications or a workshop from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, for yourself or as a gift, joining our newsletter, following us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or subscribing to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.