Keelia Clarkson

2 weeks ago | wallflowerjournal.com | Keelia Clarkson

It was mid-November when I moved to the city. Dark by 4pm, gray and dreary most days, and bitterly cold. And there were months of even worse weather ahead of me, at least four months until I could even dream of a mere whisper of warmth and sun and color. Weeks were spent dashing from my apartment to the interior safety of another, donning three sweaters just to make it through the day, taking extra, extra hot showers to thaw out. My southern California soul had been shaken to its core.

1 month ago | wallflowerjournal.com | Keelia Clarkson

Chances are, if you’re a regular Wallflower reader, you’re a lover of words, stories, and books. I’m also willing to bet that a good amount of you have dreamed of writing a book yourselves, with your unique thoughts printed on every page, with your name across the cover. But (and this will hardly come as a surprise to anyone) getting a book published isn’t easy. It’s a long, arduous process that often involves getting other people to believe in you, take a chance on you, pay attention to you.

Oct 30, 2024 | eviemagazine.com | Keelia Clarkson

There is one thing that every person who’s ever been in a relationship that didn’t work out can attest to: breakups are hard. Even the ones you yourself initiated. Even the ones you know are for the best. The end of a relationship is the termination of a future that you could’ve had with this person, the death of a romance that you had allowed to take root in your heart. It doesn’t matter if you cognitively know the relationship couldn’t have lasted; it’s still rough.

Oct 24, 2024 | eviemagazine.com | Keelia Clarkson

The talking stage — the phase of a relationship that doesn’t yet have a label on it but is definitely of the romantic variety — tends to get a pretty bad rap. “‘Talking stage’ is literally the worst concept to ever exist,” writes an X user. “What’s the point of the talking stage? We are adults, we already know what we want,” writes another. The mere words “the talking stage” will elicit a tired sigh from many a single woman and groans of Can we just…skip to the part where we’re official?

Oct 24, 2024 | wallflowerjournal.com | Keelia Clarkson

When it comes to my greatest passions in life, the things I dedicate my mind, energy, and heart to, two things come to mind. First, my faith, which gives my reality shape and definition, gives my life purpose, and gives me a lens through which to see the world. And second is story — the art and beauty that color in the world that God made, convey truth, and tell meaningful tales of human experience.