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Kelsi Folsom

@kelsifolsom

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Poet/Author(x4). Opera/Jazz Singer. Theopoetics @bethanyseminary Wife/Mama to 4. Ephesians 3. "Beauty Still Lives Here: Poems" available now 👇🏻

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2 years ago

I am joining @lost_women_pilgrimages in Ireland for the next week!!!! So excited to journey alongside of women who are listening deeply to the call of threshold, reflection, and healing in the gorgeous landscapes and history of Ireland. We leave for the women we will become on the other side of this journey—women formed by the kindness, care, and delight of Jesus, even in foreign lands. We practice the way of being strangers, and even so, reaching for love and understanding.

I will be mostly analog on this trip, but will have plenty to share when I return. Please pray for me and the other women on this trip—for safe travels and God’s grace to meet us at every step.

#pilgrimage #takecourage #theopoetics #takeoff #suitcasegoals by @kelsifolsom

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a month ago

New poem! Many artists keep a practice of morning pages, where you start the day free-writing a total of 3 pages (or more if you are inspired). Every thought is welcome, the goal is to keep moving the pen.

A few years ago I was reading “The Soul of a Writer” by Vinita Hampton Wright (one of my favorite books of all time, truly a writer’s classic) and this quote stopped me in my tracks! I could not continue my day until I grabbed my pen and followed the trail of inspiration it laid for me, ultimately leading to this poem.

The quote captures how I feel when I am wrestling with an idea, feeling shame that something more interesting or excellent isn’t spilling from my pen, feeling frustrated that all the words are falling flat and maybe I should put the pen down for good. But then “grace shows up huge and bright and blinds you tears” and all that panic piling at the corners of my mind gets blown away by the gentle breeze of the Spirit.

I am reminded I am a vessel, and my job is to be awake and ready for whatever God wants to share through/with me. And sometimes it’s merely silence, and that is good and necessary work too.

#morningpages #writingpractice #realthoughts #poemstoliveby #godsvessel by @kelsifolsom

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a month ago

In memoriam of all who lost their lives on the September 11th attacks in 2001. A day we will never forget ❤️

This old hymn written by Robert Lowry in 1864 captures a kind of mournful longing for reunion and healing. We ache for days when peace, unity, and human flourishing are the norms, when evil no longer has any kind of hold on the human heart or the world we live in.

Until then, we light candles, say prayers, and keep singing 💕

#neverforget911 #ukulelesongs #hymns #goodsongs by @kelsifolsom

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a month ago

Jumping into this week like a cenote in Tulum!!!

It took me about 30 minutes of hemming and hawing to work up the courage to jump into this tiny hole—it is technically one of the “eyes” of the cenote that makes it look like a skull from above. Cenote Calavera is nicknamed the “Temple of Doom” and I’m trying to carry that fearless energy into the creative projects I am currently working on. I can be easily overwhelmed by the mountain of work ahead of me, the dreaming and revising and waiting and crafting and pure hours in a chair putting pen to paper, but I am practicing belief that if God has called me to it, the strength and grace to persevere will be there.

May your Labor Day kick you off into embracing your fears and venturing into the uncharted 💕

#tulum #cenotecalavera #lifeofawriter #jumpin by @kelsifolsom

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a month ago

First letter from the re-launch of my monthly newsletter is here! Subscribe at the link in my bio (on instagram) or in the comments (on Facebook).

Today' s letter gives the background inspiration to the title and content, as well as an original poem, a mini sermon, a book review, and some other fun recs I've been enjoying lately.

Have a lovely holiday weekend :) by @kelsifolsom

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a month ago

Consider this your formal invite to my digital kitchen/living room, where we grab coffee or tea (or mimosas) and wrestle with all the beautiful and terrible that comprises our daily lives. I will share more about the why behind the title of this newsletter (it's from a Ranier Maria Rilke letter) and what to expect in the first missive which will go out on Friday.

Sign up for free, or buy me coffee via paid subscription, and I will see you in your inbox ❤️

#poetryandtheology #theopoetics #goodday #goodnews by @kelsifolsom

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a month ago

Summer was so full!!!!! Had the best time with Wes in Tulum (even though it was sweltering and the sargassum seaweed made the beaches stinky and unswimmable) exploring cenotes, tasting the incredible food and experiencing stunning architecture @azulikuhmay and of course relaxing at our gorgeous accommodations at @miamortulum I highly recommend staying with them!

We spent time with our Texas cousins and grandparents (grandma’s pool continues to be the coolest place to play in San Antonio) and also celebrated 10 years for our miracle twin boys at a friend’s lakehouse in Kansas. We hosted dear friends, ate a lot of good food, had so many friend sleepovers, laughed until we cried, saw the Mucha exhibit at the Nelson-Atkins, and sweat so much…did I mention the sweating? Lol

It’s a good life (even while the world is crazy) 💕😱🙌🏻 by @kelsifolsom

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a month ago

Today’s office is @chambrecoffee 📚 working on a new poetry workshop I’m teaching this Sunday in KC centered on making a home in our stories. We will use poetry to engage three common human experiences: the loss of a dream, the practice of prayer/crying out, the disorientation of starting over.

Two of my favorite resources to work with are Gregory Orr’s A Primer for Poets and Readers of Poetry as well as Your Brain on Art by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross. We were created to engage the world and each other through narrative, rhythm, symbolism, and imagination. It is incredible the multiple layers of meaning our brains are primed to perceive simultaneously. Reading and writing poetry trains our attention to slow down, get low, and listen.

Here is where the telling becomes the transformation, where our God-infused world becomes a quiet grace to be lived.

#poetrysaveslives #theopoetics #write #godsplan taken in Kansas City, Missouri by @kelsifolsom

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3 months ago

I have longed for this day! I am officially a Master of Arts in Theopoetics and Writing 🎉Could not feel more grateful for the careful and passionate investment of the faculty and staff at Bethany Theological Seminary (@bethanyseminary ). Could not feel more grateful for a spouse who saw these burgeoning passions, curiosities, and gifts and said “yes” to a seminary education for me even though he was beginning his medical residency and our fourth kid was only 1 year old at the time I began! For my kids who regularly prayed for “Mom to finish her homework on time” lol and jumped up and down with cheers when I turned in my final assignment. For the prayers and support of my big family and friends networks. Grateful for the incredible relationships that were built in the classroom and beyond—so excited for all that’s ahead. The times are challenging, but hope still abounds.

Soli Deo Gloria

(also happy Mother’s Day everyone!) by @kelsifolsom

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5 months ago

Life lately, after a loooong break…I am in the final weeks of my Master’s program, working hard on final projects centered around the themes of art, bearing witness, live performance, practicing surrender and loving attention to your life, God, and the people in it…May 9th I walk the stage at Bethany Theological Seminary with my whole crew in tow 💕🎉

We have celebrated birthdays attending a world premier of an original musical at @mththeater titled “Moby Dick: A Sea Shanty.” It was powerful, creative, moving, inspiring, my whole family loved it! Mad props to the cast and crew.

Made a whirlwind trip to NYC to see “The Last Five Years: 25th Anniversary” at Radio City Music Hall with my beloved bonus sister @mrsj1211 and had a lovely time walking Times Square and exploring the Museum of Broadway @museumofbroadway, and the Museum of Modern Art @themuseumofmodernart. 10/10 recommend a trip like this.

Preparing for the shift in my time and responsibilities post graduation, discipling my kids, writing lots of poems and beginning to outline future book projects, playing tourist with my husband @wesley.folsom, double dates with friends, exploring @rabbit_hole_kc with Daniel, getting back into singing opera and hopefully performing again, digging deeper into neighborhood and church relationships, trying to be a good neighbor and live from a place of love and hospitality. Thanking God for gentler days ❤️ taken in PH Coffee by @kelsifolsom

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6 months ago

Feeling grateful for the generosity of touch and healing that massage therapists can offer—particularly during times of stress and recovery, whether physical and/or emotional, taking some time to minister to your body (who is working so hard for you), can go a long way towards restoration. Our world feels pretty crazy right now—might be time to get on the books of your local massage therapist (and maybe share this poem with them).

Thankful to Part-Time Poets @ptpoets , a wonderful poetry substack, for featuring my poem in their latest Issue 💕💕

#massagetherapy #healingwords #dailypoetry #newpoems by @kelsifolsom

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7 months ago