You open your Tumblr blog and you start to peruse a variety of the tags. You view the newest memes but you also look for writing of all types. You stumble upon the #nosebleedclub tag and you are immediately intrigued by what you see. The Nosebleed Club was originally an exclusive writing collective that has been up and running for more than 5 or so years and had writers who soon found great online notoriety. Now, it is a writing support group where anyone's work can be seen and can be enjoyed. One such poet and writer is Raquel Isabelle de Alderete, a 20-something year old who is a full time student. If this description of an online browsing session sounds anything like you, welcome to 15-year-old me's world - one of a poetry obsessed teenager. After reading Raquel's and her contemporary poetry, I was rather inspired to start posting my own attempts at the writing style online. Today, I seldom publish my work however, Raquel is still going strong and is someone I can safely call a friend and colleague in the online writing community.

Because I have always been interested to learn about her more as a writer, I contacted Raquel in order to converse with her about all things writing and inspirations. After a few days, I was delighted to find out I was given the okay on her end to go forth with our interview.

E.T.: Hey, Raquel! It's so great to talk with you again. It's been such a long time!

R.I.D.: Hi there! The pleasure is mine. What an honor!

E.T.: I guess first things first - for those people who are not familiar with your work, could you introduce yourself and give a sort of marketing pitch about what exactly you do?

R.I.D.: I run a writing blog that was started specifically as a way for me to practice my poetry. While I began with minimalist poetry, over the course of 6,000 posts I’ve slowly worked my way through quite a few styles. Currently I’m exploring more long-format prose poetry pieces. I am most known for the “secret series,” which was a series of poems written based on anonymously-submitted secrets.

E.T.: Very cool! I've really just found your variety of styles to be so inspired. I suppose since you've been at the poetry game for awhile, what would you say is the earliest recollection you have of the pique of your interest and passion for poetry?

R.I.D.: I grew up hating poetry! It’s a fact that most people are really shocked when they hear about. I’m a lover of books and short stories, and I’ve always resented poetry - so much of what was being taught to me felt annoyingly opaque, purposefully confusing for the sake of “art”. I liked narrative voice and a clear purpose. I started this blog not because my passion was too great: it was actually a way to get better at prose. I figured if I expanded my interests and abilities, it could help me when I was writing my true passion. Over time, I learned that poetry can be so much more than what’s taught to us in schoolbooks, and while I still prefer poems that tell a story (slam poetry in particular), I have to say that my love and appreciation of the art grows more every day. I’m still very much in love with prose - it’s my true talent - but I love the challenge that goes into my work, and I love exploring the boundaries of what this art can do.

E.T.: So, I too was surprised when you said you weren't too keen on poetry as a young person. You had to have gained some inspiration along the way to get so enthused and skillful at this craft. Who would you say are your biggest writing inspirations?

R.I.D.: I’m not sure! I was always a reader, and I have to say that reading is essential to anyone looking to be inspired. Even if you read something bad, just thinking about how you might have tackled the same themes can help un-stick your brain. I’m always coming up with new favorites and inspirations. Right now I do love Buddy Wakefield and Richard Siken, but I’m sure by this time in two months I’ll have found someone else I’ll love just as much.

E.T.: You've been on Tumblr as a writer and poet for a significant amount of time, inspiring many, including me, to publish their work on the website as well. How exactly did you get involved with the Tumblr poetry community?

R.I.D.: As I talked about above, I just… started writing! I noticed there was a tag that most people followed, so I used that. I tried to look at other people’s work and comment on it so I could get a feel for the site. For the first year I was on Tumblr, I had about 300 followers, all of whom were these amazing poets and writers. It was so cool being surrounded by such talented people, and I still talk to some of them! The community is really warm and welcoming and I really think they got involved with me, not the other way around!

E.T.: In the same vein of online writing, who are your favorite writing people/groups to read/indulge in?

R.I.D.: I love the Nosebleed Club, and I’m obsessed with Button Poetry. I’m always on the lookout for the next person to read, so I don’t have a favorite! When people share their work online, it’s such a brave thing to do - I love everyone who does it, and I’m always willing to take a second to read something someone sends me. Heck, maybe you’re my next favorite, and you don’t even know it!

E.T.: I admire how you are willing to read the work of writers who are just starting out. That's very admirable! I guess what I would ask next is if you have any advice to give a budding writing who is trying to break into the Tumblr poetry scene?

R.I.D.: Be honest. Write for yourself and never for notes [or reblogs]. Know that it gets tiring, so always write because you don’t know how to exist when you’re not writing. Be brave, be experimental, and have fun. Yes, I used to also dream “this will be the poem that will make me famous” but the truth is - who cares. Some of the things I wrote that I love are completely unpopular, but they’re… what defines me. Be confident in your work. And be careful! Watermark any poem in a picture, and make sure you keep some kind of signature on the rest. There’s absolutely been times I’ve been plagiarized, so watch out.

E.T.: Thank you for that very insightful advice! In the long run, what is the goal that's at the top of your list (in life, love, writing, etc.)?

R.I.D.: I’d love to get my book professionally published! Also I’d like to learn how to catch birds with my bare hands without hurting them.

E.T.: I'm sure you'll achieve both in due time, Raquel. I guess to close off this enlightening interview, do you have any writing tips that you'd like to offer up?

R.I.D.: I’ll say this: when I was in middle school, my parents were called in by my English teacher. He said that I was writing poetry that looked too much like prose and prose that looked too much like poetry. While he “applauded” my creativity, he explained that this kind of creativity wasn’t what they were looking for in the assignments given to me in creative writing. I remember comparing my work to the work of people I knew were better. I’ve always been too shy to enter writing competitions, so I’d read up on the winners and think about how I’d never amount to anything because I had the wrong style and a million other problems. But I kept writing. Even when I was sure it wasn’t going to work out - I wrote because not writing felt like drowning. I wrote because it was natural and real and the only way to work stuff out. The truth is I never outgrew that shyness. I still won’t enter into competitions. But there are people out there now who love what I do, with the style that got me in trouble all the way from middle to high school. The truth is, I know that I belong to writing. It will always be a part of me. And it might be messy and ugly and not the right type of “creativity.” It might make it hard to write essays without being too flowery or make you the person who texts entire paragraphs when you could have used a smiley.

Honestly, who cares what anyone thinks. Write and write and write, write six thousand poems or nine hundred thousand. Write books nobody will read. Just be a writer because it’s right. Be a writer particularly when it feels wrong. Love writing because if you do, she’ll eventually give things back to you. And of course - of course - read.

E.T.: Thank you again for talking to me again, Raquel! It's truly been a pleasure.

R.I.D.: Thank you so much for the opportunity! It's been such an honor.

You can find Raquel where she can be seen most of the time, hard at work on more pieces and poetry at: http://inkskinned.com/