Finding faith in poetry

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Kendra Albert has always had a talent for poetry. Recently, she was able to release a compilation of her poems in a book titled, “But I Say...,” which came out on April 29.

“It’s 11 years of my heart,” Albert said. “I’ve always been able to write poetry and it had always come from this dark, depressing place. I asked the Lord to change that so I could write for him. So he started giving me poetry for friends/co-workers who are hard situations.”

Eleven years ago, Albert wrote her first spiritually up-lifting poem for a co-worker and from then on, her words have been nothing but encouraging.

“He still let me write from pain, but he redeemed it into something hopeful,” Albert said. “Everyone that had received a poem like that over the last few years had been asking me to put it in a book. I was always a little to fearful, but He kind of arranged my steps to get me in exactly the right place at the right time.”

Albert began working with a publisher, Victory Vision, in December.

The first half of the book is a compilation of poetry of hope.

“With everything the country has been going through, we need a lot more hope,” Albert said. “There’s different things that kind of speak to the atmosphere of what’s going on. There’s some stuff about diversity, purpose, identity.”

The second half of the book is poetry related to encouragement.

“My hope is it will help people when bad things happen,” Albert said. “When hard things happen we always think it’ll lead to different things. But the Lord is usually saying something different. He always talks through the lens of love, hope and understanding.”

Albert said as an introvert she was shy about putting her poetry out there for co-workers. But after learning how much it impacted their lives and how the Lord works through her words, that alone was enough encouragement for her.

It was at that moment, the words came to her at a faster pace.

“He started arranging all of these pieces so I couldn’t say ‘No’ anymore,” Albert said. “But when I finally said ‘Yes’ I started getting poetry a lot faster and so I definitely knew I was moving in the direction he wanted me to go.”

The book is available on Amazon, but will be available for expanded distribution in six to eight weeks.

Albert will get her bulk order in a couple of weeks and then distribute it to local shops such as Sparrow’s Nest, Trash-n-Treasure and a gift store in Claude.

“I just want to get it available to as many people as I can so they can feel that encouragement and hope,” Albert said. “It’s been a rough couple of years.”

Albert added it’s humbling for her to see her name next to C.S. Lewis on Amazon as he is her favorite author.

Albert has a page called “The Keeper of the Words” and it has links to her website: www.kendra-albert.com