In the heat of a devastating conflict, local writers’ voices can be heard worldwide, depicting stories of unsung heroes and tragedies in the Middle East. Since late last year, English teacher Nicole Lombardi has been crafting and submitting poems about the war in Palestine to various publications and magazines. 

“I’ve been writing since October and I’m still writing now,” Lombardi said. “It’s all based on news and actual events, and [most of the poems] are dedicated to a person that has been impacted by the tragedies.” 

Lombardi was recently published in Beyond Words, Versed-Virtual, and Dissident Voice, all worldwide literary magazines. Across these three magazines, she has published four poems, respectively titled, “Dear Palestine,” “Prison Teacher,” “Soul of My Soul,” and “Words Fail.” While these are her most recent, she has shared a variety of pieces in other magazines over the last few months, she said.

“Her Palestine poems are incredibly moving,” creative writing student Sabrina Nelson ‘24 said. “They strike at the heart and immediately let it be known the urgency and sorrow they carry. She tackles this large world conflict with a human lense that makes it easy for the reader to identify and sympathize with.”

Since the conflict in Gaza began, Lombardi took to poetry to spread her message. Lombardi also places emphasis on the importance of publication and sharing work, she said. 

“Being published is feeling part of a larger writing community,” Lombardi said. “Writing can be a really lonely art. Part of the process is the writing itself, but unless it’s shared, [you’re] only halfway there.”

Lombardi has presented these poems to both her students as well as at community conferences as a guest speaker. Aside from her own personal success, Lombardi also emphasizes the importance of her students learning about publishing opportunities and ways to perform their work. Nelson and Lucy Dillenbeck ‘24 were invited by Lombardi to attend an open mic at Sarah’s Inn, a center for domestic violence victims, where they were both given the opportunity to present work of their own.

“She [was] able to offer me suggestions and advice for how to get published and opportunities to get my work out there, [one being] the open mic at Sarah’s Inn that I ended up performing at,” Nelson said.

Dillenbeck has also had recent success in publishing, her focus being short stories. 

“[She] has been able to guide me through the ups and downs of my own publishing journey with so much valuable insight,” Dillenbeck said. “Having a writing teacher with that kind of specialized knowledge has been incredible as her student, and as an aspiring writer.”

Lombardi has a goal of providing her students with knowledge about publishers and local open mics in hopes to encourage students to get their work out there, she said.

“The biggest reason I want my students to be aware of how to publish is because it’s a lifelong journey,” Lombardi said. “I want [people] to know this is something you can just do. No matter what you do in life you can send your work out if you like to write.”