GeoClan is always trying to bring you fresh, new and talented people and we have another multi-talented person to expose to the World Family. Her name is Markisha Bunn and feel free to be inspired to do make change for yourself!

GC: Where are you from and where you trying to go?

MB: I am born and raised in Philadelphia. I grew up in the projects in North Philly. My goal is to see the rest of the world. I am not sure where I want to live later in life because of the natural disasters hitting all parts of the country, it might be safer to stay here.

GC: What made you get into poetry?

MB: I began writing poetry when I was in school. It was my way of saying what I wanted to say to my mother without the consequences. It blossomed after I gave birth to my twins in 2002. I wrote more frequently to battle postpartum depression. From 2002 to 2006 I wrote over 400 poems and from those I selected a handful of them to go into my first collection of poetry, Entangled Hearts.

GC: How would you describe your poetry?

MB: My poetry is love poetry, emotional poetry. I write from the different perspectives of a relationship to help me understand my own relationships with various people in my life. My poetry is about being observant of the things happening to you and around you and being honest with yourself about how you feel.

GC: How and where did you get your start?

MB: When I began writing more poetry after the birth of my twins I only posted some of them to a couple of poetry websites like www.poetry.com, www.creative-poems.com, and on the poetry forum on www.blackplanet.com.

Initially I had no intentions of publishing my poems because they were for me.A family friend happened to read some of my poems one day and decided to coerce me into going to an open mic night with her at the Bubblehouse Tea and Restaurant in University City. After I performed one of my poems that night I decided to continue going on a weekly basis. That lasted two years before the venue was closed.

I was still posting some of my work on creative-poems.com and I saw an announcement one day congratulating one of the poets on becoming published by a company called PPublish America I contacted them, sending them a couple of my poems, and they responded with an offer to publish my work. Entangled Hearts was published in 2006.

GC: Tell me about your two books? How did you and your co-author meet?

MB: When Entangled Hearts came out I had shown it to a crossing guard I had gotten to know at my sons' school. My co-author was coming from dropping his daughter off, at the same school, when the crossing guard grabbed his arm and showed him my book. He asked me if I was a writer and I replied yes. Excited, he asked me if I could help him flush out this story idea he had and several weeks later we began writing SIPS, our first novel.

SIPS is a story of the world as it used to be - one large land mass, a Pangaea There were three kingdoms: Asia, Africa, and Europe. These kingdoms worked together in harmony until tragedy occurred which caused a rift in the relationship between the three. As a result of the rift an entity was created that caused the splitting of the world and the creation of the continents.

GC: How was the publishing process for both?

MB: Entangled Hearts was published traditionally through an outside publisher. My co-author and I agreed to step outside of the box and self-publish SIPS, which gave us complete creative control over our work. I enjoy the ability to control all aspects of our work versus being under contract with another company.

GC: How is the Philadelphia scene when it comes to poetry?

MB: I believe the Philadelphia scene is not as receptive to poetry as other places. I have met quite a few talented poets since I began going to open mic's, such as the group Quiet Rage, Lyrispect, Najee... but many of them perform in D.C., Baltimore, New York, Chicago - most places outside of Philadelphia, in order to be recognized for their talents.

GC: What was the last year like and what's planned for the upcoming year and onward?

MB: The last year has been a transition for us as far as promoting both books as well as working on independent projects of our own. For the upcoming year we are working on two other books and debating on a third and we are looking to venture into other areas of informing and entertaining also.

GC: How important is the arts education in school? What does it mean when that education is cut?

MB: Arts education is very important in school. I believe the arts and music is crucial to bringing balance to a child's education. It brings a balance to the science and math that children learn. When arts and music is cut from the curriculum you get just what you have now, children acting out but not really understanding why they are acting out.

The arts and music is an outlet for these children to express themselves in ways they feel safe. To be able to express feelings and emotions that you can't always speak is a necessity that the school district has stripped away from these children. The end result, look at how many schools have metal detectors at their front doors.

GC: What are you most proud of professionally and personally?

MB: Personally I am most proud that I give honor and praise to my mother by the way I live my life everyday and pray that I can teach my children what my mother taught me. Professionally I am proud of the affect my poems have had on people. I didn't think many people would be able to relate to my poems until my son's pre-k teacher pulled me aside one day and told me that she loved my book. She told me that her relationship was fine but she was dealing with a separation because her mate was incarcerated for something he had done years prior and the poems in my book helped her handle how she felt. She hugged me and thanked me for writing my poems and I felt my purpose for publishing the book was fulfilled. As long as my words can help one person then I have done my job.

GC: Why do you think so much creativity came out of a Carver HSES?

MB: So much creativity came out of Carver HSES because we were told by so many people in our lives and from some of the teaching staff back then that we wouldn't amount to anything because we were silly and immature. We were told that life would pass us by and we would waste away. To prove them wrong and to prove to ourselves that we can make a difference, many of us have expanded on our talents to help others, this site here is proof of it.

GC: What's been you biggest disappointment thus far?

MB: My biggest disappointment thus far has to be my fear of failure. Sometimes that fear cripples me and I refuse to take any action, which slows down a lot of my progress, but each day I work through it.

GC: How therapeutic has poetry been for you?

MB: Very. Poetry has allowed me the freedom to say what I need to say to all of those who hurt me accidentally or intentionally. Should I choose not to say what needs to be said verbally then I write it down and move on with my life. Poetry offers me an emotional balance.

GC: How can people find out more about you and your work?

MB: People can check out the website: www.thebombteam.com to find out more.