It is in those moments of deep emotion that we often discover our truth. Anne Marie Wells was in the midst of configuring how she felt about her father having stage four lung cancer when poetry fell upon her like a spotlight from heaven. Before he passed, she was able to share with him her excitement over being newly published in various literary journals. Poetry, easily received and instantly critiqued, felt better to her than those forms of writing that take longer to achieve the same feats. Such as stage play, novel, and memoir writing. Success was more easily achieved in poetry and soon her coping mechanism became an obsession. Anne Marie took steps to further embrace this newfound passion by taking and then teaching classes of poetry as a member of the Community Literature Initiative organization. In front of an audience, she found the affirmation of friends and strangers as the push she needed to accept herself as a poet. Grief, anger, love. The complexity of human connection gifted in succinct lines of meaningful words. With rhythm that shapes the reading with the same feel as a performance piece, Anne Marie brings an audience into the intricacies of her life. It’s as though she is there reading each piece to you, unleashing truth as tears from behind closed eyes. The expression feels natural and relatable to one’s own experience. Her most recent collection, “Survived By,” is a culmination of life during her poetic awakening.  It is a memento to the loss of her father. A raw revealing of the anger and grief she felt during that time. Emotion on par with what is felt at a stumped toe or bumped elbow. There is anguish in the pain and understanding in the frustration. Anne Marie’s poetry speaks to those who feel outcast, providing a space for them to commune with themselves and others who have felt as they do. Anne Marrie’s own community is filled with a variety of individuals who have been drawn to her over the years. Choosing to live and experience the extravagance of each adventure she carries with her. She is an artist who places her truth in words, encouraging others to embrace her sentiment of crying or screaming with honest fervor.