Why Not Me? The Story Behind Creating and Publishing An Eclipse and a Butcher

Humphries wrote extensively during her career, but as her career progressed, so did retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disorder causing loss of peripheral vision. In 2012, she learned to write poetry in community classes, then graduate poetry classes at UofSC, studying under poets such as Nikky Finney and Ed Madden, who would later become the editor of her book. After being selected to publish her first book, Humphries experienced the unique crafting of a collection—word by word, line by line, space by space, Humphries watched singular poems stretch tendrils out to one another to build a narrative with its own heartbeat. In sharing the stories behind her debut collection and the process of creating it, Humphries intends to engage the audience emotionally and inspire them to write, asking the questions, “why not me?”; “why not you?”