Meet Peyton Elise & Katie Galloway | Poets | Becoming // Poetry

We had the good fortune of connecting with Peyton Elise & Katie Galloway and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Peyton Elise, what role has risk played in your life or career?
We both believe firmly that in life there are risks worth taking. (Peyton even has a train tattoo about taking the risk for love.) Honestly, Becoming // Poetry is founded on risk. We didn’t know how we would do in a room full of young writers looking for direction–or if we would be successful at writing spontaneously in front of a crowd.

However, we did know that community was going to be important for our development as poets, but we struggled to find an existing community of like-minded writers who were willing to bring their rough drafts to the table and champion each other in their growth.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Katie: “For me, writing poetry is a labor of honesty. It can definitely be a challenge to distill the truth of my experience into just a few lines of verse. And it can be equally as challenging to fill a page when I need to, not to mention find the courage to share what I’ve written when ink finally meets paper. But I believe art allows humans to connect like nothing else, and I’ve learned along the way that that connection is worth the hard work.”

Peyton: “From the beginning, I have written over heartbreak. I remember the first time I shared my first blog, ‘The Beautiful Heartbreak,’ and the world loved it — I was surprised that my soul could sing like that.

I kept going, my heart kept breaking, and I said yes to the next spill of heart-blood onto my paper. And it all came down to one thing — taking time to write in those raw moments. I didn’t stop, even when I felt a lag, and here I am today — in the midst of completing my first poetry collection, longing still, to inspire those who need to know they are not alone in their journey of love and loss.”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Let’s say a friend came to COS for a writing weekend. Here’s what we’d recommend they don’t miss out on between their writing sessions.

Morning: The Lincoln Center
A coffee from Building Three Coffee & a snack from Nightingale Bakery is the perfect fuel for a morning writing sesh.

Afternoon:
Head downtown to check out the new Homa Cafe at Kinship Landing. If you’re ready for coffee #2, try the vanilla oat latte they have on draft. (Ps. the Bargain Box next door is a great stop for a quick thrift.)

Evening:
Take a mini hike up Pulpit Rock to watch the sunset and journal. Once you’ve let the words flow out, stop by Shuga’s on Cascade for just the right balance of eclectic meets moody meets bohemian. The coconut shrimp soup and almond cake are absolute musts. Don’t leave town without trying those delights.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There’s a whole crew of people who deserve some credit in helping Becoming // Poetry form into what it is today. If not our volunteer set up crew or those to made it possible for us to spend weekends in the mountains pouring over our favorite muses, Becoming // Poetry would still be a dream locked in the “maybe someday” pages of our journals.

Website: peyton-elise.squarespace.com

Instagram: @becoming_poetry @k.galloway_ @peyyyyyyy