My name is Phoenix Fang. I’d say an old alumni, Francis, really inspired my creative writing journey. He goes to Berkeley now, and his writing has a lot of specific diction and creative phrasing. I try to emulate that in my own work, especially how he splits lines during his poems.

I enjoy poetry the most, specifically haikus. They’re short, beginner-friendly, and feel like little pictures. One work that really stands out to me is Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. It’s fantastical, and unlike most poems, which are rooted in reality. Reading it is like diving into a fantasy world that contradicts nonfiction.

If people read my poetry, I hope they feel its authenticity. Writing is a way to express your voice to other people, which is something no one else can do for you. That’s why creative writing is valuable to me.

I first discovered my passion for writing from reading. I started by writing stories inspired by media that I liked, and then moved on to poetry because I enjoy a more artistic style.

I deal with writer’s block every day, but when it happens, I write down sparse random ideas, concepts, words, or rhyme schemes; literally anything I can think of, and find a way to connect them. That usually turns into a poem. Sometimes I just focus on one dream or concept, and they usually comes together in the end.

Writing is how I express my own opinions and romanticize my own life. Real life at face value can be boring, but mixing imagination with reality makes it interesting. I also continue writing out of spite, because I don’t like AI and I think it’s killing creativity. The more creative I am, the less I feel I’ll need to depend on AI.