The Ripple Effect

What can we do to cope with losing someone, whether through death or heartbreak? Where can we draw on inspiration or comfort when we're at our lowest? How can we express ourselves in moments of difficulty? And what can we do to pay our privileges and blessings forward?

The Ripple Effect suggests the power of poetry as an answer to all of these questions. Author Indiana Rotondo's tight collection of sweet, free-verse, stylistically diverse poems includes odes to lost love and meditations on the joys of faith. Many of these poems are broad expressions of desire, gratitude, regret, and appreciation, making it both a compelling introduction to poetry as a genre and an inspiring and comforting collection to which anyone can relate. It is sure to inspire those who pick it up to follow what moves them, and to share in the joy that comes from pursuing their path with those around them. This is The Ripple Effect.

Indiana "Indy" Rotondo is a writer, athlete, and youth mentor. Inspired by his experience writing poetry in university, where he achieved the highest honors in his English degree, Rotondo was motivated by his professor to pursue the craft further. This would lead him to enter and win the BSA poetry slams for both 2020-21 and 2021-22, have his poetry featured in both high school and university curriculum, and have his poem "I Just" published and awarded one of the top poems in the Asheville cadenza. In hopes of motivating others, perhaps, this inspired him to pursue publishing his own poetry on his Instagram account "SoulWorx," and to begin hosting his own poetry slams.

In addition to his writing, Indy has pursued basketball for a number of years-a previous NCAA athlete, he has been mentoring players of the sport since he was seventeen, and has gone on to create his own "SoulWorx" basketball team. Indy takes an active interest in basketball-related activities, and his writing is inspired, in part, by his experiences.

Indiana lives with his family in Concord, Ontario. Interested in getting in touch? He can be found on all social media platforms at either @soul.worx or under his name, Indiana Rotondo.