UHD alumna and newly published author Taylor Enochs pours her heart out in her debut poetry memoir “i shouldn’t say this, but….”
Enochs, is a proud UHD alumna, who graduated in May 2022 as a 20-year-old with a bachelor’s degree in English with a creative writing concentration. A year later, the 21-year-old is humbled to call herself a self-published author.
Her poetry memoir of three years in the making became available for purchase on Amazon as a hard cover, paperback and e-book in July.
“The title is ‘i shouldn’t say this, but….’ because my entire life I just put all my emotions into a little box,” Enochs said.
Writing this “confessional diary” was a liberating process. She validated and processed a range of emotions from pivotal experiences from years back. From issues with her parents to friends who burned her bad, to anxious and depressed thoughts growing up to experiencing a live shooting while working at a bowling alley in Houston, she lets it all go.
“I’m releasing all this anxiety that I’ve lived with my entire life because it was becoming, physically debilitating,” Enochs said.
“This book was kind of just revisiting all those moments where I decided to just keep it to myself and not say anything.”
She confessed to The Dateline that she is working on her sequel “it’s okay to say this” affirming the importance of self-growth and validation of feelings. Enochs said her second book will also feature her own illustrations.
For those fellow Gators aspiring to publish, she boasted Houston’s supportive community for up-and-coming writers. Enochs was welcomed into Houston’s community of authors with sponsorships from local businesses such as Ugly Mugz, for one of her book signings.
“Eighteen-year-old me, who just graduated high school during a pandemic, never would have expected to have all these opportunities,” Enochs said. “She thought she would still be making pizza. “
The local author is thankful for her eighth-grade teacher Laura Hodde from Pearland Junior High East for encouraging her talent as a 13-year-old poet in-the-making. During her time at UHD, the poet drew inspiration from Houston’s first African-American Poet Laureate Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton performance at UHD of her poetry collection “Newsworthy.”
For those who anticipate reading her book, she disclosed that the last poem “an apology i wish i received” is her favorite.
