MSU student balances school, love of poetry

January 26, 2013

By MATT CRANE
life@starkvilledailynews.com

For Jasmine Morgan, under the exterior of a working, Mississippi State University marketing student lies the heart of a writer.

Morgan, originally from Chicago, Ill. now living in Atlanta, Ga., said she felt the need to study out-of-state when it came time to apply for college.

"My mom is originally from Canton, so I wanted to visit MSU and I fell in love with the campus," she said. "It was such a different feeling from other schools and I loved the environment."

While she enjoys the people-oriented atmosphere of her current marketing major, Morgan said she has been writing poems from an early age and was published in "The Silent Journey" by the International Library of Poetry in 2004.

"I was first published when I was 12 years old," she said. "Writing has always been a way to express my feelings and express pain as well, because I went through a lot of things when I was growing up."

Morgan said writing helped her get through a time in her childhood when her father lost his job after an injury.

"I just wanted to channel all of my feelings somewhere," she said. "It made me feel better."

Morgan said the format of poetry comes naturally to her, allowing her feelings to flow freely onto the page.

"I write down my feelings and it comes out as a poem," she said. "It's a type of writing where I don't fell confined."

Using her past experiences, Morgan said she has learned about the difficulties of life and how to overcome certain obstacles through her writing.

"I don't' want to get angry and hold it in, so I just write it down to get it all out," she said. "I want to try and help others letting them know they are not the only ones going through hard times."

Morgan said on her biggest inspirations is one of the poetry world's most acclaimed individuals.

"I really look up to Maya Angelou," she said. "I love her because she writes from a place of pain and her own situations as well."

Although she dreams of working her way to become a CEO of a company some day, Morgan said her passion for writing is something she looks forward to pursuing professionally as well.

"I still want to be published again," she said. "I am working on a compilation of poems to be printed, but with school going on, it's taken a back seat. It's exciting to have that in the background though because it gives me hope to continuing expressing my artistic talents."

For a look into Morgan's work, check out her featured poems "Love…" and "Secrets," the poem she had published in 2004.