Lighthouse’s Hard Times free writing workshops in Denver metro public libraries have brought many talented writers together and enriched the Lighthouse community. Some writers in this program become New Voices Fellows to get support in attending more writing workshops at Lighthouse. Meet our 2025 New Voices Fellow, Sydney Solis, to learn more about what she did during the fellowship and where she is now.
What workshops did you take during your fellowship, and what did you learn?
I took two workshops during my fellowship for which I am deeply grateful. The first was an eight-week prose poetry workshop with Marisa Tirado. After taking Buenos Aires Writer Javier Sinay’s online Crónica class during Lit Fest last summer, I got the idea to rewrite as prose poetry some newspaper articles I had written thirty years ago when I was a stringer for The Bakersfield Californian. The result is the start of a new chapbook called California Stringer.
I then enrolled in Andrea Rexilus’s eight-week chapbook class. I rewrote portions of a novel in poetry manuscript that I had written and professionally workshopped thirteen years ago called Broken Venus and turned it into a chapbook called Little Piece of Paradise. It’s now in the Lighthouse Chapbook Library!
How have you grown during this fellowship?
This fellowship helped me grow as a writer by editing and finishing writing projects, like the chapbook or reworking the published newspaper articles. I have no problem writing– I have a storage unit full of finished manuscripts. I like to write to express myself or grieve, then I am ready to move on to the next writing project. This fellowship has helped me take my work to the next level by doing the final editing and publishing, and getting my work out there to the world instead of it staying hidden. It’s helped me to continue the writing journey with the support of a great community and not remain in isolation.
What project are you working on now?
After clearing my plate of a backlog of poetry, I’m returning to my roots in nonfiction through Helen Thorpe’s eight-week intermediate class. I’m revisiting old memoir drafts from my childhood and travels in Europe and Japan, and using the course to begin shaping a larger, cohesive book. This spring, I plan to apply to Lighthouse Writer’s the Book Project so I can finally finish what I’ve been carrying for years.
How did this fellowship help you achieve your writerly goals?
This fellowship has helped me achieve my writerly goals by providing the structure and support I need. I have been a digital nomad for several years– another term for homeless—and in recovery also. Things are coming together again to complete projects, thanks to Lighthouse Writers and the fellowship. I hope my life, words, and works can inspire and help others who have experienced the same things.
Meet the Author
Boulder native Sydney Solis is an award-winning multidisciplinary, hybrid artist working in photography, paper collage, book arts, and the written and spoken word. Some of her published work has appeared in Kyoto Journal, The Haibun Journal, The Orlando Sentinel, and Depth Psychology Insights. She has performed on stage everything from poetry to folklore and stand-up comedy to embodied storytelling from Kyoto to Madrid and Denver to Buenos Aires. She is a certified Soul-Centered Coach and the founder of Storytime Yoga® and The Mythic Yoga Studio. www.SydneySolis.com
