Gypsie-Ami Offenbacher-Ferris received this message from International Impact Book Awards about her win!
Following a thorough review of your work against our Standard of Excellence, our panel has selected you as a Distinguished Author of the International Impact Book Awards for your book, Reflections of a Woman’s Life.
This distinction is conferred upon a limited number of authors, leaders, and voices whose work demonstrates genuine, measurable impact on the readers and communities they serve. Your work reflected precisely the caliber this honor was created to recognize.
To be recognized as a Distinguished Author is to be positioned among a global community of authors whose words carry weight and whose ideas leave a lasting mark. This recognition is not given lightly. It is earned on the strength of what you created and it now belongs to you. It is a mark of distinction you carry into every room, every stage, and every conversation that follows.
Please join us as we honor this esteemed poet for this recognition!
Additionally… We received notifications that Peter Mladinic’s richly written review of Reflections of a Woman’s Life has been published by the esteemed Compulsive Reader journal.
Poet Chyrel J. Jackson Wins 2026 POTY Book Award for Unsung Canaan Ballads
Chicago-area poet and bestselling author Chyrel J. Jackson has been named the 2026 POTY Book Awards Winner in the Non-Fiction–Poetry category for Unsung Canaan Ballads: A Collection of Poems, the first solo release in her Sisters Roc ’N’ Rhyme series.
Poet Chyrel J. Jackson has been selected as a Winner in the 2026 POTY Book Awards, presented by PersonsOfTheYear.com. Her collection,Unsung Canaan Ballads: A Collection of Poems – Sisters Roc ’N’ Rhyme Solos, Part One, took top honors in the Non-Fiction–Poetry category.
The POTY Book Awards recognize outstanding work among each year’s field of entries, honoring books for their quality and accomplishment. In announcing the award, organizers congratulated Jackson on the achievement and encouraged her to celebrate the honor with her readers, publisher, and supporters.
Unsung Canaan Ballads marks Jackson’s first solo collection under the Sisters Roc ’N’ Rhyme banner, the creative partnership she shares with her sister, poet Lyris D. Wallace. Published by Prolific Pulse Press LLC, the book gathers poems rooted in the African American literary tradition that has shaped Jackson’s voice since childhood.
“I’m deeply grateful to the POTY Book Awards for this recognition. These poems carry the voices of people whose stories too often go unsung, and I’m honored that they’ve found their audience.” said Jackson.
Raised in the South Suburbs of Chicago, Jackson writes in the spirit of the literary ancestors she admires. She earned her first literary nomination in 2021, when her poem “Love Unspoken,” published in the Heart Beats Anthology, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. In 2022 she contributed to the #1 bestselling anthology Not Just Anybody Can Be Dad. With Wallace, she has co-authored SistersRoc’N’Rhyme Presents Poems in the Key of Life, Mirrored Images, and Different Sides of the Same Coin, and the duo’s work appears in numerous anthologies, literary journals, and international magazines. Jackson is also a 2025 poet laureate of the Garden of Neuro and a #1-ranked Amazon bestselling author.
“We could not be more pleased with this outcome. Chyrel J. Jackson is an excellent poet and writer, and we are thrilled for her success. Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld, Prolific Pulse Press LLC.”
Chyrel J. Jackson is an award-winning poet, Pushcart Prize nominee, and #1 bestselling Amazon author from the South Suburbs of Chicago. Together with her sister Lyris D. Wallace, she writes as part of Sisters Roc ’N’ Rhyme, creating written legacies one book at a time. Learn more at sistersrocnrhyme.blogspot.com and linktr.ee/ChyrelJ_Jackson66.
About Prolific Pulse Press LLC
Prolific Pulse Press LLC is an independent publisher of poetry and literary works. Visit www.prolificpulse.com.
We had a lovely talk about so many things. Poetry, therapy work, art, baby love, and more. Check out this interview on YouTube or Spotify or anywhere podcasts are offered.
TGIF and Happy TTOT time! It’s been a spell since I’ve done a TTOT post, but here I am!
As the days of winter creep in and then surprise us or not, we in North Carolina experience just about every season, sometimes in one day. This week has been pleasantly mild. Next week, it’s supposed to get cold again, like last week. See what I mean? It’s all good, though. I am grateful for the fact that I have a warm winter coat and a lightweight seasonal jacket. Do you suppose the flowers I bought before Christmas and are still like new have become acclimated to North Carolina weather? I don’t know, but I am thankful to see my happy purple and white bouquet.
My sweetheart’s birthday was this week. I overestimated how much prime rib (a favorite indulgence) I would need for Christmas, so we had a smaller one for his birthday. I am grateful for this bonus treat and that it was on sale, which probably inspired my over buying. Birthdays, for us older family members, are celebrated with cards and a special meal. We don’t need things as much as when we were younger. As a child, we had a cake, ice cream, and two presents from our parents. Each of us was given our choice of one birthday party, so I chose mine at age six. We lived on a military base, so most of the guests were the neighborhood children. There were several people at the party, held outside. Dad and his friend built a bar and that was the centerpoint backdrop for the event. Hans did receive birthday money so it’s Chinese food this weekend!
Me at about age 6
The poems that I submitted to The Short of It were accepted. I am excited to purchase the anthology. The poems are: Release the Grip, Her Grief, Simply the Best, and Sandcastles. The anthology will be released this year. Thank you to Susi Bocks of IWriterHer for accepting these poems.
That Angel Card Project was another big hit! So many people received cards and expressed such appreciation for the care of others. There’s going to be something for Valentine’s Day. I don’t have the details, yet. Jodi has been our card maker and then she’s prepared the envelopes, Hans addresses the cards, and I do a bit of this and that with them. It’s our Thanksgiving project and truly gives us something else for gratitude.
One of my favorite places to find and post books is Library Thing. I am grateful for this resource and when others post reviews for our posted books. It’s a real blessing. I am grateful for LindaAnn LoSchiavo telling me about this resource.
Our anthology Unhoused – Yearning for Home, is coming along nicely. I am grateful for the many responses. Right now, I am setting up the files for editing. It’s a great feeling to read so much meaningful work and this demonstrates to me even more about the value of heartfelt expressions. The subject matter is meaningful to us and this collection stands to benefit those in need. Editors Candice Louisa Daquin and Carrie Yang have been a true blessing. Zaneta V Johns will be proofreader, for which I am grateful.
I noticed the birds are already scoping out our porch shelf for nesting. I love to hear them chirping. It fills my heart to hear them.
Here’s to another great week! May your cup run over with thankfuls!
As a teacher, I will always remain a student. In the classroom of life, l wish to work with and educate others. Whether you’re a teacher, student, or just your average person, here are a few of my "TEACHERble" moments.
