Guido Gonzalez/Contributing Writer
An FIU senior majoring in English and business is diving into the literary world with his first published book, “33 Truths.”
Bernensky Pierre wrote a collection of 33 individual poems that was published with the help of Xlibris, a self-publishing site for up-and-coming writers.
Pierre’s interest in poetry was sparked in middle school when he was introduced to the work of Maya Angelou, one of his biggest inspirations.
“I read her poem ‘Touched by an Angel’ and it triggered me to write poetry,” he said. “I was like ‘Ok, I wanna do this.’”
Pierre’s other inspirations include Edgar Allen Poe, the Old Testament of the Bible and rap lyricists Eminem and Lil Wayne.
“Every line that they speak is a punchline; it makes you think about the words more deeply,” he said.
Valentine’s Day in eighth grade marked another moment in his life where he dove further into poetry.
As a prank, Pierre would write poems and have the recipients think they came from someone else.
As someone who grew up being shy, Pierre said that writing poetry allowed him to find his own voice.
“I was shy and I was very restricted,” he said. “I didn’t know how to speak to women when I was face-to-face with them.”
Pierre believes that poetry provides people with a much needed emotional outlet by allowing them to express their own feelings in both a healthy and creative way.
When Pierre was 19 his father passed away. It was writing poetry that allowed him to properly grieve and achieve catharsis.
“It puts some bandages over the wound but some scars will never be healed,” he said.
Pierre has been writing every day since July 1, 2019. It’s a method he uses to combat writer’s block, which he admits he experiences often.
“I’ll be writing about a topic and then I reach a certain point where I have nothing left to say,” he said.
He also overcomes writer’s block by reading books, spending time outdoors and focusing on other projects he is working on.
“The art of being a writer is being true to yourself,” Pierre said, “Go out for a walk, renew your mind, come back and you’ll find something to write about.”
With love being a central theme in many of his poems and short stories, Pierre considers himself a romantic.
One of his short stories, “Best Date Ever,” focuses on a special date he had with someone back in December 2011. The short story is available on Vocal.com, a platform for supporting creators.
Pierre also has his poetry published in P’an Ku, the Broward College student literary and arts Magazine.
Pierre’s book 33 Truths is available for purchase on Amazon, Google ebooks, and Xlibris.com. You can also view more of his work on his blog, burinsky.wordpress.com.
About Post Author
