As
a mother, educator and modern poet, Michelle McCloskey-Alicea infuses
three things into her life of which she is most passionate: children,
family, and writing.
A
native of Philadelphia, she resides in the city she loves with
her husband and three children. Michelle’s passion for poetry began in
high school. It was an expressive outlet for her. Through mostly rhymed
poems, she could express ideas, feelings and worries that were often
difficult to share with others. In college, Michelle composed numerous
poems based on life experiences, interactions, and emotional struggles.
It was a passion, hobby and therapeutic release.
Yet,
as time went on, Michelle found she was writing poetry far less
frequently. Life events—births, engagements, marriages, deaths—inspired
her to write, but she did not compose poetry as consistently as she once
did. But in June of 2008, that changed, as did her life and that of her
family's. Kevin McCloskey was hit by an IED, and only courage, love
and a determined will to thrive would help them all survive.
More About Michelle
Michelle
attended Penn State University and graduated with a Bachelors of Arts
degree in Psychology and a Minor in Sociology. An educator for 10 years,
she launched her teaching career after earning a Masters degree in
Elementary Education at Temple University. Michelle truly loves
interacting with children and she finds great joy in working with youth
as a soccer coach and educator. Some of her most rewarding experiences
have involved teaching children the craft of writing, particularly
poetry. She finds it empowering to see children learn to appreciate and
understand the nuances of this genre, and exciting when students develop
a desire to write expressively, creatively, and with vivid language.
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