LONE TREE

A crisp walk.

An inward talk.

File an idea.

Scribble it down.

Repeat.

This has been Nancy Braun’s dedicated walking/writing hybrid system for over 20 years, every single day. A new observation, a new descriptor for a new body ache, a new poetic flow as the 70-year-old continues to walk wherever she is.

“There’s sort of an energy, rhythm of walking,” Braun said. “It felt like therapy.”

This unorthodox pattern of walking and writing turned into a rhythm for the self-described “introverted walker,” helping Braun see the world with a new reverence.

“I started being way more observant of nature, outdoors and stuff happening. I used to hate winter and I started embracing it; instead of [being] judgmental, I just accepted and noticed it,” Braun said.

It’s taken Braun many years to develop her writing ability, but over that time, her love of poetry has not wavered.

“For some strange reason that I can’t totally explain, I am drawn to poetry. I like having to push against limitations as opposed to having the whole giant canvas,” Braun said.  “I mostly write what’s called ‘free bursts’ because I don’t write a lot of rhyming poetry. I don’t write a lot of really structured poetry. I like it to be sparse.”

“At some point, you realize, it’s less about what somebody’s going to think, and it starts being more authentic,” Braun added.

As Braun has developed a unique writing style, she’s found ways to stay in print, having her work included in publications such as Aquifer: Florida Review Online; The Aurorean; Barbaric Yawp; Big Muddy; The Briar Cliff Review; Iowa City: Poetry in Public; Persimmon Tree; Poetalk; Small Brushes and TSR: The Southampton Review. 

But perhaps her most cherished poetry achievements are “Heading Out” and “Fasting Slowly,” Braun’s two poetry collections printed by Finishing Line Press.

“You write and you have a desire to share that,” Braun said. “When you begin to try to get published, I think at first, you’re looking for validation; you get a lot of rejection and very little validation. I have gone through periods where I haven’t even tried to get published. It’s a lot of work. I’d rather write than work on that.”

Braun approached the publication process by first entering a poetry contest. Although she joked she did not win, her works were still published.

First came “Heading Out,” a compilation of Braun’s walking poems and observations, accepted in 2022 and released in January 2024.

But walking and writing aren’t all that make up Braun.

Her second work, titled “Fasting Slowly,” is another themed collection of poems highlighting Braun’s spirituality, published in February 2024.

“I am a member of the Bahá’í faith. Every spring, we fast from sunrise to sunset for 19 days. It’s a physical thing, but it’s really about spirituality,” Braun said. “Looking at making sacrifices and just being more mindful, more prayerful for a period of time in preparation for the new year, which is the first day of spring. I started writing all these little poems about fasting and trying to do the same thing [as walking by] embracing it.”

Braun was drawn to the Bahá’í faith at 21.

“The two things that most immediately drew me to look at [the Bahá’í faith] more closely was [first], the idea that all humanity is one human family. From God’s view, we’re not different from each other at all and we need to learn to operate that way,” Braun said. “The other thing is that it views religion as being progressively revealed through the major religions that are really all part of a thread of God educating humanity. They’re not separate and conflicting things. Those two teachings resonated with me.”

These two books that Braun has published have provided Braun much feedback, feedback she’s enjoyed hearing.

“It’s when I hear back from people that are either enjoying the poetry itself, or like tons of people said to me, ‘It makes me walk differently. It makes me want to get out and walk.’ That is so awesome,” Braun said.

Braun’s two books are available through Amazon or through direct contact with the author and publishing agency – Finishing Line Press.