GREENWOOD — A young author in Johnson County is creating content that speaks to many middle schoolers.
Her poems cover topics like having your first crush, friendships falling apart and even dealing with things like depression or anxiety.
“I want to be an author for the rest of my life," Makenzie Anness, a seventh grader at Clark-Pleasant Middle School said.
Anness has already published three books.
You gave me a heart-shaped box of chocolates today. I didn’t really want it as much as I had made it seem to be. All I ever wanted from you was some real love.
That’s an excerpt from Text Me Back, her first published collection of poems.
“Poetry is a lot like music. Music has had a big impact on me. I can’t sing but this is the way I express myself through rhyming," she said.
Anness is dealing with issues like a lot of other kids her age — love, friendship and mental health struggles.
One big difference? She expresses her thoughts with a pen and paper.
If I’m not perfect, what am I? Life has always been a competition. I try to win but I never do. I try to be better, but I never do.
Anness credits her elementary school writing teacher Stacey Walton for her love of writing.
“She’s been telling people about my poetry and I have her to thank for getting me this far. She started my love for poetry and she’s helping me grow it," Anness said.
She says music is also a big inspiration.
“There’s songs I relate to. A lot of them come from this one artist that has inspired me for a long time, Phoebe Bridgers, I listen to a lot of her music," she said.
Her first two books were released in 2023. A third called “Guilty” came out this summer.
The young author has made a few hundred dollars in online sales, but she says the purpose of these books isn’t money.
She says she wants to expand her audience and create content other kids can relate to.
