Creative Stillness: An Anthology of Poetry and Essays by the Creative Writing Hour

Creative Stillness is a collective anthology of poetry and essays that honors the spaces where creativity is shaped, restored, and reclaimed. Organized into four sections-The Weaving, The Centering, The Offering, and The Surrendering-the collection moves through the natural rhythms of the creative life, exploring cultural memory, identity, grief and joy, mental health, healing, and artistic devotion. Interwoven journaling prompts that invite readers to pause, reflect, and reconnect with their own creative voice. Intimate yet expansive, this anthology serves as both a literary offering and a companion, reminding readers that rest can be generative, stillness can be transformative, and meaning can take root when we slow down enough to listen.

Author: Dhayana Alejandrina,Alina Moore,Aurelia Luciano
Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
Published: 05/11/2026
Pages: 172
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.47d
ISBN: 9781662972195

About the Author
Alejandrina, Dhayana: -

Dhayana Alejandrina is an author, creative mentor, and founder of The Creative Writing Hour, a global writing community centered on intentional writing and creative stillness. Her work explores healing, culture, identity, and creative wellness, and has been featured in outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Penguin Publishing, and WeAllGrow Latina. Through workshops and mentorship, she supports writers in reclaiming voice and creative confidence.

Moore, Alina: - Alina Moore is a Black lesbian writer from Chicago whose work centers BIPOC identity, LGBTQ+ experience, and feminist thought. Her poetry has appeared in Wildscape Literary Journal, Homesick Zine, and JLRB Press. A librarian by profession, she brings themes of justice, intimacy, and reflection into her literary work.Luciano, Aurelia: - Aurelia Luciano, also known as Golden Light Poetry, is a Dominican American poet and storyteller whose work explores millennial life, Black and Latinx identity, and personal transformation. Based in northern New Jersey, she is also a community curator, doula, and caregiver. Her writing has appeared in The Jersey Journal, Spoken Black Girl Magazine, and other literary outlets.
Chantelle Bacigalupo is a storyteller and birthworker guided by ancestral roots in Bolivia's Amazon and Andes regions. Her work explores embodiment, decolonial healing, and narrative reclamation. Her earlier writing on language and resistance has appeared in outlets including PRI The World and Remezcla.
Christian Andres Alfaro De La Rosa is a multidisciplinary artist, community archivist, and poet from Chicago. Deeply connected to Chicano identity and Mexican heritage, his work documents resistance art and radical community expression. He curated the digital exhibition Graffiti Rap and Resistance Art in the Year 2020.
Desiree Wright is a biracial millennial writer whose work explores everyday transformation, memory, and emotional presence. Writing in creative nonfiction and personal essays, she reflects on love, loss, and authenticity through poetic language and reflective inquiry.
Eunice Louis-Jacques, writing under the pen name E. Dantoré's Lapiz, explores human and spiritual experience through raw and healing language. Her work traces the movement from suffering to peace, examining truth, surrender, and inner restoration.
Goldn.Light is a poet and creator dedicated to self-expression and personal growth. Her work draws from lifelong journaling practice and focuses on inner wisdom, creative alignment, and emotional clarity. She leads journal workshops and writing challenges that support mindful creative exploration.
Maleyah "Lee" Peterson is a poet, scholar, and multidisciplinary artist working at the intersection of Caribbean diasporic identity, anti-colonial imagination, and community care. She is co-founder of (W)Ratchet Studies, a queer Black feminist education project grounded in liberation and collective storytelling.
Mars Santi is a writer and visual artist whose work centers spirituality, liberation, and collective healing. Through reflections on identity and communication, she explores how imagination and awareness shape personal and communal futures.
MK J.T. Anderson, known artistically as MK, is a Caribbean American poet and holistic wellness practitioner. Founder of Our Inner Root, she creates wellness spaces rooted in healing, transition, and non-Western approaches to self-discovery through poetry and movement.
Ms. Jenn is a poet and photographer based in New Jersey whose work explores memory, renewal, and survival. A mental health advocate and graduate student, her writing has appeared in Chill Mag, Dreamworldgirl Zine, and Jambus Press anthologies.
Nadine Alaloul is a Palestinian Canadian poet and spoken word artist whose work addresses mental health, resilience, and self-expression. Author of Pain to Poetry, she also facilitates workshops and healing-centered creative spaces.
Najah Amatullah Hylton is a writer and educator whose work blends history, poetry, and cultural preservation. She is the author of multiple poetry collections and co-author of children's literature and curriculum projects centered on Black diasporic storytelling.
Nana T. Baffour-Awuah is a Ghanaian writer and editor based in New York. His poetry, fiction, and essays have appeared in HuffPost, African Voices, and Arcana Poetry Press. His work explores memory, migration, and identity.
Nikki Avila is a writer, educator, and performance poet whose work explores identity, healing, and resistance. She writes about motherhood, resilience, and social awareness, and performs in community and literary spaces.