About Me — Xandra Winters
Queer Artist Turned Poet & Story-Weaver
Hi, friends! I’m Xandra Winters, welcome to my cozy, little spot on Medium!
Biography
I was born in the early 90’s during a full moon in the strange space of time between incredibly late, and horrendously early — this, I’m sure, contributes to my affinity for staying up — pen in hand — into the wee hours of the evening.
Growing up in a small, Canadian town taught me early on that life wasn’t nearly as fun unless you had a robust imagination, and a penchant for daydreaming. It was with learning this life lesson that I truly took on the role of ‘storyteller’.
For as long as I can remember I was weaving stories, crafting tales, and although I didn’t truly begin writing until my preteens rolled around, I was still very much creating worlds in my mind.
If you asked me what my first poem was about, or what inspired it, I couldn’t tell you — but, if you asked me how it made me feel, I could quickly, and easily say that it made me feel as though I was finally experiencing myself, and my life, in real, vivid colour. Writing makes me feel more alive, and more powerful than anything else in the world, and that is the true gift of writing — of being a storyteller.
As I grew older, and “real life” took up most of my time, my writing slipped away from me. I went to university, started my career as a graphic designer, fell in love, and found myself in a static state of routine: wake up, go to work, spend time with my girlfriend, go to sleep, repeat.
It wasn’t until the pandemic plagued my country, and I found myself laid off for the first time (I am currently laid off now, a second time, due to the rampant third wave of Covid-19) that I actually began writing again.
As a creative, queer woman, with an unshakable voice, I think I owe it to myself, and to my spirit, to dedicate time to my first love: writing. Which is how I found myself on Medium. Because, the only thing I love more than writing (aside from my wonderful girlfriend, of course) is reading!
I hope this new journey will help me to hone my skills, to raise my voice, and to connect and share with likeminded people. I cannot wait to meet, support, and befriend all of you!
My Writing & Style
In terms of what I write, what types of pieces spill forth from my soul and out through my hand — well, in the simplest of terms what you will find, most often, on my Medium profile will be: poetry, short fiction, and creative non-fiction. Themes will include: the queer/lesbian experience, feminism, love, loss, life lessons, and growth. Although, I am more than willing to spread my wings, and try my hand at other forms of writing, and other themes, for right now this is mainly what I will be focusing on.
When it comes to my writing from a stylistic standpoint, if you were to ask my favourite English professor he would tell you that my style is aesthetic, and flowery. To which I cannot argue. I am a lover of words, of details, of expression. Perhaps it’s because I am a visual artist first, and a writer second, but for whatever the reason may be, I love writing, and reading material that is bursting with wordiness.
Fun Facts
- Astrology: I am a Cancer sun, Capricorn moon, and Gemini rising.
- My MBTI personality type is INFP
- My wonderful, supportive girlfriend is my absolute favourite person in the whole wide world.
- I am the mama to 3 perfectly precious furbabies: 2 dogs (Bruno, and Sasha), and 1 cat (Marley)
- My favourite genre of music is metal and it’s insane amount of sub-genres.
- I am an out and proud lesbian who is incredibly devoted to the LGBT+ community.
- My favourite poet is Emily Dickinson.
Thank you all for taking the time to read my incredibly long-winded about me section. It means a lot that any of you would be even remotely interested!
Like I said above, I am beyond excited to begin my journey with Medium, and I cannot wait to connect with, and meet all of you!
