The Light Within

The Light Within

Beginnings: Rejection Collection, Volume 3

Laura Catanzano's avatar
Eric Roseberry's avatar
Kelly Trost's avatar
Bear Sage's avatar
+18
Laura Catanzano
,
Eric Roseberry
,
Kelly Trost
, and 19 others
Sep 28, 2025
∙ Paid
58
38
37
Share

For our third collection, I wanted to focus on beginnings. Each contribution is from the beginning of a writing journey, a beginning on Substack or was written by a beginning writer. Many of us here are trying to gain traction, find our footing, and we all must start somewhere. These poems are infused with raw and beautiful talent, and I hope you’ll rea…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to The Light Within to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
Eric Roseberry's avatar
A guest post by
Eric Roseberry
Poet | Pastor | Kentucky 'Til I Die
Subscribe to Eric
Kelly Trost's avatar
A guest post by
Kelly Trost
I was a composer of music who one day found that a time had come to express my music, no longer in notes and phrases, but in line breaks and stanzas. Poetry is the truest music of my heart. Come and listen to what my spirit needs to say.
Subscribe to Kelly
Bear Sage's avatar
A guest post by
Bear Sage
Poet. Writer.... Occasionally deep thinker.
Subscribe to Bear
Amy's avatar
A guest post by
Amy
Sojourning with my husband and seven children. Loving. Writing, editing, and living our story. Having fun. Doodling. Thankful and hopeful.
Subscribe to Amy
Kelly Schultz's avatar
A guest post by
Kelly Schultz
Subscribe to Kelly
Lesley Taranto's avatar
A guest post by
Lesley Taranto
I am a retired psychotherapist, with an unretired interest in Jungian ideas - past, present, and into the future. I like to write …
Subscribe to Lesley
Sara Joy Tiberio's avatar
A guest post by
Sara Joy Tiberio
Photographer + poet based in North Carolina. I capture beautiful details of nature with my lens, and write about my experiences navigating through life as a human, and then often combine those two things together.
Subscribe to Sara
Daniel Hettenbach's avatar
A guest post by
Daniel Hettenbach
I am a Poet and a Short Fiction Writer. I live on the NW Oregon Coast. I am am also a Photographer and Director. I am slowly losing my sight. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danielhettenbach
Subscribe to Daniel
Ral Joseph's avatar
A guest post by
Ral Joseph
In my world of Medicine, Health & Statistics — I'm also chosing Art, Community & Connection
Subscribe to Ral
Devo/Murphy Carpenter's avatar
A guest post by
Devo/Murphy Carpenter
Puppeteer voice actor mom of 5 yaya of 6 happily married to my bff for 38 years I use poetry to heal and kids books to lift. I’m a bipolar Bettie. devomurphycarpenter.com
Subscribe to Devo/Murphy
Sacred Rebelle's avatar
A guest post by
Sacred Rebelle
I am a stress management and historical trauma specialist, Yoga-Informed Addiction Recovery Coach, ancestral clearing practitioner, and best-selling author, focused on the Light.
Subscribe to Sacred
Meditations On Permafrost's avatar
A guest post by
Meditations On Permafrost
History is written by those who read it. I tell the stories of people history forgot. I give voices back to the erased.
Subscribe to Meditations
Cael Lawenu's avatar
A guest post by
Cael Lawenu
He/Him. "Kale Lah-way-new". Mythic sci-fi and journeys through the Void. Exploring storytelling, idealism, and consciousness. Follow for worldbuilding, lore, and glimpses of the ineffable. Author, Neurodivergent Dad of 4, Data Engineer.
Subscribe to Cael
Monoreena A Majumdar(Mocra)'s avatar
A guest post by
Monoreena A Majumdar(Mocra)
Autoimmune Warrior. Poetry. Art.Photography (genre blur) Bending towards life's philosophy and putting my imagination to work.
Subscribe to Monoreena
Holly Schaal's avatar
A guest post by
Holly Schaal
a curious, quiet observer. deeply feeling + pondering my way. lover of poetry, not of small talk.
Subscribe to Holly
Kabir's avatar
A guest post by
Kabir
Besides poems, I like gravity, evening, time when nothing's happening, life left in me untroubled and the light left in the day all settled.
Subscribe to Kabir
Vision2Verse's avatar
A guest post by
Vision2Verse
Through Vision 2 Verse, D. A. “Napalmjax” Springer delivers lines that sting, heal, and stay, poetry as both wound and remedy. This is Ink To Impact ✍🏾
Subscribe to Vision2Verse
Andy Smith's avatar
A guest post by
Andy Smith
I didn’t know anything was looking for me, but by some unearned grace, poetry found me.
Subscribe to Andy
January River's avatar
A guest post by
January River
Writer, artist, potato chip aficionado | short stories | poetry | photography | music | art | creative-type stuff | https://january-river.net/
Subscribe to January
Tangled Words's avatar
A guest post by
Tangled Words
Crazy cat lady. Only alive because of caffeine and poetry. My writing focuses on grief although once in awhile an upbeat squirrel sneaks in. ko-fi.com/tangle79
Subscribe to Tangled
The Monday to Friday Poet's avatar
A guest post by
The Monday to Friday Poet
We are echoes of time. I happen to like writing about that.
Subscribe to The Monday to Friday Poet
© 2025 Laura Catanzano
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture