Rising Stars: Meet Morgan Liphart

Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Liphart. 

Hi Morgan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a poet and attorney living in Broomfield. Before moving to Colorado seven years ago, I lived in a small town in Northern Illinois named Byron. The move to Colorado has heavily influenced my work because it allowed me to gain perspective on my life and use that perspective to create meaningful poems. Through the move, I also discovered the healing power of the natural world that beautifully surrounds us in Colorado. The mountains, the trees, and the wildlife here all have something valuable to teach us about letting go, accepting life as it comes, and appreciating the small joys of life. 

I’ve been writing since I was a little girl, but in the past few years, my work has really taken off and found a larger audience. My first poetry book, Barefoot and Running, was released in March of 2021. The book was fortunate to receive a wonderful response from readers in the Colorado community. My story is one of passion, hard work, and so much gratitude! 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The biggest challenge of being a writer is accepting and embracing the vulnerable act of sharing my writing. When I publish a poem, I’m essentially letting strangers read my innermost thoughts and feelings. That is scary! But all good art is about vulnerability. When you write something that makes you feel vulnerable, that means you created something real and true. You are letting a part of yourself be known by the world. This is always going to be scary, but this also creates so much beauty. When other people read your work, they can relate and they feel like they are not alone in their experiences. It brings comfort and a sense of being understood. And that’s what art is all about. 

Another challenge of being a writer is facing rejection. Rejection is an inevitable part of every writing career, so it’s important to learn to accept it and not let it deter you from sharing your work. James Patterson, the internationally best-selling sensation, was rejected 31 times by publishers when seeking to publish his first book. And now he’s one of the most successful writers in the world! So, every writer, no matter how amazing, will have to deal with hearing “no” from publishers. That’s just part of our world. The biggest way to deal with rejection is to get comfortable with it and realize that rejection is not a verdict on the merit of your work. It’s just a numbers game. Tenacity is key. You need to keep trying in order to finally hear that “yes.” 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I write poetry that gives fresh perspective to the everyday world around us. My work has more of a contemporary style and it has been placed in literary journals and magazines all over the United States and England. The connecting thread in all of my poems is that I pull the reader fully into the experience of the narrator of the poem. I want the reader to taste, smell, hear, and feel what it’s like to be in the narrator’s world. Also, the theme of nature often runs through my poems. I pull most of my imagery and metaphors from the natural world around us in Colorado. My poetry uses these natural elements to show the deep healing found in wild spaces and the tenacity of the human heart. 

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Publishing my first book of poetry, Barefoot and Running, was the biggest risk I have ever taken. Most of the poems in the book are about healing the past and creating hope for the future, so that’s a very tender subject matter. And so many of my real experiences were included in the book. Even though these experiences were altered and the details were changed through the filter of creating art, there was a lot of real emotion included in the poems. It was risky! The act of creating art and putting your heart out there is always a big risk. I had no idea how it was going to be received. I had no idea whether anyone would even want to read the book. But the risk is always worth it if you believe in your work. And the positive response I received from the Colorado community and from readers all over the world made the risk pay off. 

Occasionally a reader will post a video on social media with tears in their eyes. They hold up a copy of Barefoot and Running and point to a specific poem saying, “I’m not alone in this, I guess. I thought I was the only one who felt this way.” In moments like those, when I watch the video and see how much comfort you can give someone from the other side of the world, how much they can feel understood and seen, then everything is worth it. The risk was worth it. 

Pricing:

• $12.00 – Barefoot and Running – Paperback
• $9.99 – Barefoot and Running – Kindle or Nook Ebook

Contact Info:

• Email: morganliphart@gmail.com
• Website: morganliphart.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/mliphart
• Other: tiktok.com/@mliphart

Image Credits:
Blueprint Society