Tiffany Sunday

Best-Selling Author | Poet | TEDx Presenter

Blog

Updates to Proper Grey Areas by Tiffany Sunday

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On Thursday, August 26, 2021, Tilton House Press released an updated version of Proper Grey Areas. Back in April during a promo, a couple of readers noticed a couple of pesky typos that only show up after the book has gone to print.

My editing team, review again and made the corrections. I also tweak some of the administrative copy in the book as well. The beauty of print on demand is that we can make these updates almost effortlessly.

Proper Grey Areas Book Review

For poetry fans, Proper Grey Areas is a modern accessible collection of poetry.

A recent review from Lone Star Literary Life, reviewer – Melissa A. Bartell.

“Sunday’s work isn’t fussy or flowery. Most of her pieces are blank verse, written in clean, clear phrases full of truth and honesty, but that doesn’t mean her work isn’t vivid. “Darken veins/cross the sky,/various shapes reaching upward/from the earth,” she writes in a poem called “Winter Trees” and the picture is clear: the spindly leaf-bare branches stretching toward a sun that provides too little warmth.

While many of these poems are on the lighter side, or at least neutral, a few are visceral. “Hidden Truth” looks at the aftermath of domestic violence and hints at repeated patterns, for example, while “Pawn Store,” which has also been adapted into a song gives us the picture of a single mother in need.

Overall, this is a really satisfying poetry collection, capturing the many moods of pandemic lockdown, but going beyond that to look at life in general.”

Proper Grey Areas is available from independent bookstores, Barnes & Noble, and online retailers.

Tiffany Sunday, Guest Appearance on Thought Leader Path

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In June, I was a guest on The Thought Leader podcast is hosted by Kent Gustavson, PhD and Randy Baker. We had an amazing time discussing multiple topics that ranged from the impact of technology on the younger generation, which has been a topic of recent articles and books.

The conversation then drifted to being mindful about what we are training our brains to do by constantly scrolling on social media. I explain my reason for obtaining my real estate license – don’t worry I am still writing! My interest in houses dates back to my childhood as I was always drawing floor plans. I believe all houses have a story and a soul. The conversation concluded with a brief discussion about dyslexia.

I am thankful for the opportunity to visit with Dr. Gustavson and Randy as our conversation reminded me of how much I miss speaking and doing interviews.

National Women’s History Month – Poem I Am Woman

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Musicians and songwriters influence my work and poetry. The melodies and lyrics form a creative foundation.

A couple of months ago, I wrote this poem after watching a show about Helen Ready and her famous song, I Am Women.

My mother played the album, and as a child, I remember hearing Helen sing – I Am Women. To celebrate National Women History month – here’s my poem, inspired by Helen Reddy, I Am Women.

Frozen – A Poem About the Texas Winter Storm Disaster by Tiffany Sunday

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Frozen 
Frozen to the bone 
Burn all that's around to survive
A freeze that shouldn't of shut us down 
Frozen darkness 
Hours on end 
Freezing cold 
Freezing cold
Tapping a person's soul 
Searching for strength 
Hours upon hours 
Digging for courage 
Freezing in the dark 
Electricity, water, food, everything of need evaporates 
Never knowning when relief will arrive 
Despair grows 
Deepens into memories of tomorrow 
Cold, brittle bones break into 
Pilling up, alongside the ill planning of others, 
who, 
beyond the shallow halls watch from afar 
While families toss childhood dreams into the flames 
to melt away the ice 
The loss is immeasurable  
The cost is astronomical 
Frozen

Frozen by Tiffany Sunday © Copyright 2021

All Rights Reserved.

From Concept to Market – What Dyslexic Entrepreneurs Really Need to Be Successful

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Today, with a greater awareness of the link between dyslexia and entrepreneurship, organizations are thinking of ways to help dyslexic founders develop their ideas into concepts and launch sustainable businesses.  

As a result of recent conversations, I am once again sharing my dyslexia startup wish list.

First – do not water down anything or hyper-focus on fixing our weaknesses.  Instead, share a list of apps or software, or strategies to mitigate and outsource. 

Over the years, the one thing that has pissed me off the most is the misguided perception of providing resource room accommodations instead of professional business advisement.

The best course of action is to ask neurodiverse entrepreneurs what they need to develop their ideas into viable products and services. 

Dyslexic Startup Wish List (starting point)

Access to qualified business professionals 

All startups need access to qualified business professionals and advisors such as IP attorneys, business attorneys, accountants, HR professionals (for hiring) to ask questions and discuss matters.

We need professional introductions to individuals we can trust to provide the following: nutshell required legal documents and strategic advisement for potential legal, financial, and tax business exposures, the nitty-gritty for filing patents and IP protection, and accounting matters that our dyslexic brain prefers to outsource. 

Understanding and Respecting Gut Decisions 

Dyslexic entrepreneurs need introductions to professional advisors who understand and respect us, our way of thinking, and how most of their decisions are made by a gut feel.

We’re 50 steps ahead and in our minds see the whole business, how the product will be built, target customers, marketing, everything. The entire concept is in our minds. When we make decisions, it’s based on our gut and a combination of all the actions we’ve taken to develop the idea and business. We back into concepts since we see the finished product. 

Fireside Chats with Fellow Dyslexic Entrepreneurs 

Create an incubator and group fireside chats for neurodiverse founders and entrepreneurs to share ideas, discuss lessons learned, and seek feedback. No business owner has enough time in the day to make all the mistakes while building a business.

By sharing with others, dyslexia / neurodiverse style, we can reduce the errors and accelerate the business. We need a space to share concepts as we are always thinking of ideas, solving problems, and anticipating the future.  

In 2015, I wrote Dyslexia’s Competitive Edge, which discussed the connection between dyslexia and entrepreneurship and shared strategies from fellow dyslexic business owners and professionals.   I also gave a TEDx Talk Dyslexia 2.0: The Gift of Innovation and Entrepreneurial Mind.

Birds on a Wire

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Birds on a Wire is a poem from Proper Grey Areas, my second poetry book. A previous relationship inspired the essence of this poem. During one of my morning runs, I noticed a group of birds sitting on a power line. The birds stared at each other and stared down at me as I pause to look at them.

I thought, so often in relationships, we can become distant from one another. We watch each other thinking the other person will reach out to make a connection to strengthen the relationship. Instead, inaction occurs, both parties become immobile.