Galina Nelson

✍️ A Writer’s Commute: Poetry, Pennies, and a Public Transit Predicament

Galina Nelson

In collaboration with Gemini Ai

As a writer, I’m always looking for a story—and sometimes, the story finds me. Recently, I struck up a conversation with a woman on a bus who was deeply engrossed in her notebook. She confessed she was enrolled in a haiku poetry course and was battling a tough assignment. I, of course, took that as my cue to pull out my own books.
My secret mission that day was a modest one: to fundraise $100 by selling a few copies to cover some expenses. I showed her my work, and she read one of my poems, “Letter U,” declaring that she genuinely liked it. Mission status: Promising.
Then, the universe decided to intervene.
Later that very day, I managed to forget all five copies of my book, “Letter Y,” on a different bus. These were the very copies I was going to sell to help pay my tuition! I had traveled all the way to Seattle, hoping to find an audience eager to purchase my poetry. Instead, I had to return to Ferndale without making a single sale and with an empty wallet.
But you know what? It didn’t sadden me. In fact, when I told my friends, I framed it as a stroke of genius. “It’s all part of my revolutionary marketing plan,” I joked. “I’ve achieved my goal: the books will finally get to their readers! No tedious sales pitch—just a guaranteed, accidental distribution network.”
Reflecting on the woman from the bus, the one who actually liked my poem, I realized I should have just given her the book for free and exchanged numbers. The truth is, people who are genuinely interested in my writing—the true readers—are far more valuable than any money I could make.
Now, I don’t have printed copies anymore, and I can’t currently afford to purchase more. So, here’s my new, digital “marketing plan”: I’d be happy to send you a free digital copy of “Letter Y.” All I ask in return is that you be my friend, read the poetry, tell me about your favorite things to do, and, if you’re a writer, I’d love to read some of your work, too.
Key Changes Made:

• Grammar: Corrected minor issues, such as the punctuation around the list of things you want in exchange and the structure of compound sentences.

Purchase books Letter U and Letter Y at “Barnes & Noble”

Contact me to have the digital book Letter Y.

Sincerely,

Galina Nelson