\u201cWe were doing separate projects, and both submitted different grants, unbeknownst to each other, and we realized we\u2019re basically doing the same thing, so why not pull everything together?\u201d says Labovich of how the two connected. So they did, writing poetry and taking photos, documenting their journeys and observations while getting lost.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want it to feel that when the reader\u2019s looking at these poems and photos, they\u2019re stepping into our experience and creating an experience of their own without having to actually get onto a plane,\u201d Labovich says of her work. She says the locales, scenery, and time she devoted to the project during the summer helped her grow as a writer and as an individual.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely think it was some of the best writing I\u2019ve done. It was interesting for me, because it was a shift \u2014 a lot of my poems before [the trip] focused on things I was feeling, and while I was over there, all of the things around me started to come alive. It was a new kind of inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n
She says her travels helped make her more aware allowing her to devote time to just observe and write. \u201cWhen I\u2019m in a busy place, it can be over stimulating; in nature, there\u2019s a lot more flexibility on the focus, the quiet, the scenery, there\u2019s also a lot of mystery around it.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was also an opportunity for Labovich to travel on her own, find her own way, and solve her own problems throughout her month abroad.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy family asked, \u2018You\u2019re not going alone, are you?\u2019 and some of my extended family was concerned until I got back. But my mom\u2019s family is Irish, and they were thrilled I was there. There were times when my lack of navigation skills was a challenge; there was no Wi-Fi access. It was the first time I was traveling when I didn\u2019t have anyone else to rely on, to help find where I was. I built a lot of confidence in myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
The connection to her Irish heritage was also a special one for Labovich; she\u2019d traveled to Ireland previously with her family and grandfather, and says she knew she would be back. Labovich is a creative writing major minoring in philosophy; she grew up in Germany, and has lived in Colorado for the past six years.<\/p>\n
Her experience drafting poems for \u201cLost\u201d is something she says will have a lasting effect on her growth as a writer. \u201cThis will be something to draw from, and it\u2019s been such a good and changing experience that I think it\u2019ll influence my writing for a very long time. As a writer, the project as a whole allowed me to learn a lot about self-motivation and when I work best (which is late at night and not convenient at all) and how I work both as a writer and as a person.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, Labovich and Kirby have reconnected, going through all of the content, picking out the best and making it better, in preparation for self-publishing their book. \u201cIt\u2019s challenging but also rewarding, because we have two different minds, different ideas, and that adds a little more variation,\u201d Labovich says.<\/p>\n
The final products are in the works: a book of poems will be completed in October, and a full book with poems and photography will be published at the end of the year. Catch a preview and place your order with The Isles Project<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cAscend cliffs rising through the clouds. Wander the back alleys of Dublin. Skip moss-covered stones across a river tumbling from the frigid North Sea.\u201d Sound like the summer vacation for you? With the intention of engaging in a creative experiment, Tara Labovich \u201919 and fellow student Bryce Kirby \u201919, spent the summer exploring those … <\/p>\n![\"Ireland](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/atb\/files\/2016\/08\/IrelandPoetry-300x200.jpeg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1\")
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