about me (alyssa):
I am a writer, actor, teaching artist, and storyteller.
I love words, songs, stories, food, people, and Jesus.
I am twenty-eight, and an Idaho girl through and through, born and raised in Boise. I love the mountains, the wide open sky, the clouds, the river, the colors, the way the air feels in the morning, and sure, I love potatoes. But not anymore than the next girl.
I’ve lived in Chicago (where I studied music and theater at Wheaton College), San Jose (where I worked with AmeriCorps tutoring in the East Side), Pittsburgh (where I taught music and theater to little humans with big feelings), and have made my way back (perhaps more permanently this time) to Boise, where I teach theater at Boise Contemporary Theater, am a copywriter for Solidcreative.media and Redemption Hill church, and write!
Click here to see the other places I’m writing and telling stories, and here to subscribe and get all the latest writings straight to your inbox.
some things that fill my soul:
God. being outside in the sunshine. my boyfriend Casey. writing poetry & essays. riding bikes. going to the market. acting. playing piano. writing songs. teaching theater. being with people I love. teaching middle schoolers. the ocean. traveling. reading books. coffee shops. cooking delicious food. journaling. my family. camping. dancing. singing (loudly). poetry. swimming in the river. baths. candles. hikes in the mountains. ice cream. chai tea. bagels. a good jacket. oatmeal.
about the blog, specifically regarding it’s title
bird songs
Birds are one of the most physical ways that I believe God speaks to me. In a number of different ways- physical and mystical encounters through theater ensemble work in college, work on a beloved play called The Sparrow, and the appearance and sounds of birds singing each time I desperately need to hear from God (hiding in bushes, along rooftops, surrounding second story apartments, patterns on shirts, earrings from a London flea market), birds have become for me, tiny angels, tiny reminders of God's presence in my life.
saints
When we graduate from the theater program at Wheaton college, our professor gives us medals with St. Genesius on them, the patron saint of artists and actors. The medal reminds me that being an artist is inside me, not something that comes out of my environment. I am inspired by the ordinary lives of the saints we revere, of the way that they sought Jesus every day, every where, and found him there, waiting to be noticed.
want to be involved?
subscribe to receive poems, writings and musings straight to your inbox!
contact me
Have ideas? Want to collaborate? Looking to have a conversation about things you’ve read? Reach out! I love hearing from you.