“About Me” — Tekoa Manning
Before I became a writer, I was a storyteller. As a child, I spent hours in my bedroom weaving imaginative tales for an invisible audience. My siblings or parents would walk in, and embarrassed, I’d pretend I hadn’t just recited an entire play of my own making.
I was an awkward child who loathed school. Teachers and principals often dragged me down hallways to get me to my classroom. I was the girl hiding in the corner or under the bed when company came—the child with huge eyes, a massive forehead, pigeon toes, and a vivid make-believe world that felt far safer than real life.
In fifth grade, something awakened in me.
I was assigned to write a poem about spring, and I had never been so excited about homework. My aunt Sophia, a poet who wrote a weekly column for her local paper in Ann Arbor, often shared her work during visits to our home in Kentucky. Many of my mother’s family members were poets and songwriters who could captivate listeners for hours. Inspired by them, I took notepaper outside, studied the awakening earth, and wrote my poem beneath a tree.
The next afternoon, I was called to the principal’s office. My English teacher and my mother were waiting. The teacher questioned where I had “gotten” the poem, wondering aloud if Emily Dickinson had written it. I insisted it was mine, but she repeatedly accused me of plagiarism—a word far too sophisticated for a little girl. Finally, she looked at my mother and said, “We know Bonnie didn’t write this, and we will find out who did.”
The joy I’d felt while writing evaporated, replaced by shame.
I stopped writing.
But soon after, I began devouring books. Anything I could get my hands on—S.E. Hinton, Mary Norton, Harper Lee, Paul Zindel, Judy Blume, Steinbeck, Dickens, Stephen King. I scoured thrift stores for novels. I loved biographies, the classics, and I had read the Bible since I first learned to read. Stories became my refuge and quiet education.
Years later, in 2006, my life unraveled. I became severely ill, had to drop out of college, quit my job, cash in my 401(k), and eventually became homeless for a year. While in college, however, I had met an English professor with a Ph.D. in literature who told me I had a gift. Although still wounded from childhood rejection, she persuaded me to enter a campus writing contest—and to my surprise, I won. Jo still encourages me to this day.
Through her belief in me, I realized I didn’t need a degree to be a writer.
I had been born one.
I wrote my first novel, Polishing Jade, as a high school dropout with an abusive past and a longing to tell a story. In the late 1980s, using only a spiral notebook and an ink pen, the bones of Jade were birthed. My book Walter the Homeless Man began the same way—the first 100 pages written long before I ever experienced homelessness myself. By 2008, I, like Walter, had lost everything.
During that time, while couch surfing with a borrowed laptop, I kept writing. I researched. I journaled. I created worlds. And I have never stopped.
Each genre carries its own unique flavor.
Words—wondrous words—became my lifeline.
Whatever you find that you love doing, do it with all your might: your sewing machine, your garden dirt, your recipes, your jewelry, your paintbrush—your uniquely personal gifts.
Blessings,
Tekoa Manning
Special Invitation: “Jumping for Joy” selected for an Underground Spotlight
Hi Tekoa,
I’m James Morcan, founder of the Underground Knowledge global discussion group. I’m reaching out to you from Tauranga, New Zealand.
I recently spent some time with the message of Jumping for Joy in the Midst of Sorrow, and I felt compelled to reach out. Within our community of 23,000+ “Undergrounders,” we have a deep fascination with narratives that explore the “grit” of the human condition, specifically how joy and sorrow coexist without one canceling the other out.
The way you’ve woven the stories of figures like Harriet Tubman and Joni Eareckson Tada alongside your own insights into “resurrection hope” is exactly the kind of grounded, purposeful exploration our members thrive on. We don’t just look for inspiration; we seek out “high-IQ” spiritual truth that acknowledges the reality of pain. Your background as an award-winning poet and your history with Hebrew Nation Radio brings a level of “vetted” authority to your voice that our international audience deeply respects.
Even though your book has been a staple since 2021, we believe it is a perfect candidate for our April Archive spotlight. We specialize in bringing “evergreen” wisdom back to the forefront for a new generation of thinkers who value substance over “launch noise.”
Why this is a strategic home for your message:
Targeted Exposure: Your work will be showcased directly to 23,000+ active members who specifically seek out literature focused on spiritual maturity, psychological resilience, and theological depth.
Vetted Authority: Being featured as an “Underground Spotlight” tells our community that your work has been curated for its narrative weight and original voice, distinguishing it from standard market titles.
Permanent Discovery: Your feature remains in our permanent digital archives, ensuring that as our community grows, new “Undergrounders” will continue to discover your bibliography and the “Manning the Gate” mission for years to come.
To move forward, we just need the following:
Spotlight Synopsis: A compelling summary focusing on the “transformation of sorrow” and the keys to unlocking joy during great trials.
Purchase Links: Your preferred links (Amazon, your website, etc.) so our members can support your work directly.
Creative Production Assets: Please let me know if you already have a Premium Author Banner or Cinematic Book Trailer. If not, don’t worry; once we lock in your slot, my creative team can look into developing high-impact visuals that capture the “beauty in brokenness” aesthetic of your story.
Reservation Fee: To trigger this process, we require a one-time production fee to secure your slot. This is a production subsidy that covers the manual labor of my creative and technical teams, paying the human writers and designers who craft your bespoke editorial and manage the global distribution to our 23,000 members.
How to secure your spot: To claim a slot in our April Archive calendar, please reply to this email with “SECURE” and I will send over the final details regarding the reservation and the materials needed.
We only offer a very limited number of these curated slots per month to ensure each voice gets the dedicated attention its world-building deserves. I’d love to introduce our community to the “resurrection hope” found in your vision.
Warmly,
James Morcan
GROUP FOUNDER, Underground Knowledge
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/142309-underground-knowledge-a-discussion-group
https://underground-knowledge-club.lovable.app/
http://morcanbooksandfilms.com/
undergroundknowledgeclub@gmail.com
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