Amy Jones

Maya Angelou once said, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”

I grew up in the small village of St. Cloud with my parents, my brother and my sister. I attended the St. Andrew’s Methodist School, the St. Joseph’s Convent (Grenville) and went on to further my studies at the T.A. Marryshow Community College.
I grew up pretty conservative; I was shy but I had big dreams.
I was around the age of 9 when I began writing. I had a love for writing short stories and poetry. I was always encouraged by my parents who were supportive of almost everything I did. I wrote my first “big” piece entitled “Mr. AIDS” and it was published in the newspaper. At that age, it was a big deal to me. I was encouraged to never stop writing and I never did. At the age of 17, I had a new found passion for spoken word, and although I was afraid of public speaking I faced my fears and began using forums to share my poetry which helped me to boost my self confidence. I was then invited to join the Writers’ Association of Grenada (WAG) by Cemal Copland and the group groomed me and encouraged my writing. There were so many opportunities that arose for me being a member of WAG. I am eternally grateful.

In 2010, I was encouraged by others to start compiling my pieces. I took up the challenge but I never imagined it actually coming through. As much as I loved poetry, what I really had my mind on was furthering my education. On top of my love for poetry, I had a burning desire to help young people through Guidance Counselling. In 2013, I applied to further my studies at the Caribbean Nazarene College(CNC). I was accepted but I was unable to pursue my degree at that time. I began feeling depressed; I had a timeline all planned out for my life but the truth is, God had other plans. It was in my lowest moment I focused my attention again on my writing and continued my compilation. During that time, I began believing the opinions of others who thought that I did not have the finances nor the potential to do it. I started wondering if I really could’ve done it. However, I pushed past my fear of failure and the opinions of others and in that year, I was able to complete what I started and published my first anthology “Beyond Fables: Poetry.” During that time, I made another application to CNC and a few months after, I was accepted….again! In May 2014 I launched my first book and in August of that same year I was on my way to CNC to pursue my degree.

It’s been 2 years since my publication and book launch and I’m grateful for the experience. I was able to push past the obstacles and do what many thought were impossible. My book has had the opportunity to cross the shores of my beautiful homeland and get to places I would have never imagined. It’s still being promoted even as I pursue my degree in Trinidad. I stand proud as a young woman- an author and an aspiring Child Guidance Counselor. I have had the opportunity to meet young people with big dreams who sometimes, too, feel discouraged. They feel like nothing seems to be going as planned. What I say to anyone in this position is that God’s timing is perfect. It may seem like it’s never going to happen or that it’s too hard but you should never give up. Don’t let anyone fool you – no dream is too big to achieve. I’m a living example that as long as you put your mind to it, you can achieve ANYTHING! – I am Amy Jones from St. Cloud, St. Andrew – Author of Beyond Fables Poetry, aspiring counselor, pursuing a BA in Psychology and Counselling with a minor in Primary Education & a proud Grenadian!

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