LatinosUSA

Melissa Lemay (ML), Editor for Collaborature, interviewed Dawn Pisturino, (DP) best-selling poet.

ML: Hi Dawn! It’s a pleasure to have you with us today. For those who might not know you, will you share a bit about your writing journey?

DP: I’ve been writing since I was eight years old, but my experience has evolved in phases, reflecting the changes in my life. I first got published in 1987. After that, I worked and raised my daughter. In 2011, I hooked up with a children’s horror magazine and found some success there. That’s where I learned how to write short pieces with punch. In 2021, I met Gabriela Marie Milton, editor of Masticadores USA, and she published my poems and included me in her anthologies. Talk about a boost to my confidence! In 2023, I realized it was time to bring out my own poetry collection, which I did in 2024. It’s been a long learning experience. Some of it has been frustrating, some of it has been fun. 

ML: What made you decide to launch Horse Mesa Press? Tell us about it.

DP: When I decided to self-publish, I established Horse Mesa Press as my personal self-publishing imprint to lend credibility to my books. Having owned small businesses before, it made sense to me.

ML: What’s your favorite book you’ve written so far? What about it makes it your favorite?

DP: Ariel’s Song: Published Poems, 1987 – 2023 is my legacy collection dedicated to my daughter. Sun Haiku: 365 Days of Sunshine is dedicated to my brother, who died of melanoma. The hardest one to write was my recent release, Ancient Voices: Poems About Ancient Egypt, because it needed much research, and I had to be in the right mood. I can’t say that I have a favorite because I tried to make each book unique.

ML: Do you have any new projects on the horizon?

DP: Later this year, I plan to publish a middle-grade children’s mystery novel that I wrote for a class, but never finished editing. I set it aside and recently pulled it out again.

On May 1, 2025, I released my new poetry collection, Ancient Voices: Poems About Ancient Egypt, which achieved #1 Amazon New Release status in African Poetry and History of Egypt. I’d love to share a poem from the book:

Sand

Sand trickling through my fingers —
The days of our togetherness
Lost in a sea of memories,
Trapped in quartz and reflected in the sun.
How Hathor must have loved us!
We danced in the splendor of her beauty,
Captured in the Eye of Ra.
She nurtured our passion,
Providing a bed of fine sand
And a canopy of stars for our pleasure.
Horus stood guard, encouraged by her devotion to love.
My eyes outlined with kohl,
I offer these mirrors in gratitude
For her abundant kindness.
Her songs echo in my heart,
Warming the turquoise
Encircling my slender neck.
My hair shiny from almond oil
Scented with frankincense and myrrh,
I weave the glass beads you gave me into its coils.
My gold comb gleams in the sunlight,
Reminding me of mornings spent combing your royal black locks.
O, Warrior King! Son of the Pharaoh,
Whose noble blood spilled across the sand,
Shed by the enemies of Kemet,
May Hathor and Horus honor you!

About the book:

The Ancient Egyptians loved life and celebrated it with joy. Their deepest desire was to live an honorable life and achieve immortality in the afterlife, where they could exist in perfect harmony with the cosmic order and never experience pain, suffering, and hardship again. These original poems by Dawn Pisturino reflect the hopes and dreams of people who were not much different from us. They worked, loved, raised families, worshipped their gods, honored the dead, enjoyed festivals and celebrations, imbibed beer and wine, danced, sang, and played, aspired to better themselves, and appreciated the beauty and wonder of nature. Take a journey back in time to explore the minds and hearts of the Ancient Egyptians.

Kindle

Paperback

Hardcover

ML: Thanks for sharing that with us! Have you had many opportunities to collaborate with other writers, or do you mostly write solo?

DP: I prefer to write solo. I’ve collaborated with another author, but it’s not something I’m used to doing.

ML: Have you had any specific challenges in the world of writing and publishing, when working with others?

DP: I don’t criticize other people’s writing. I strive to be as encouraging as possible, knowing what it’s like to receive rejections and deal with rude people. The challenges have been more on the technical side.

ML: What is one thing you believe you’re great at?

DP: After working as a psychiatric nurse for 15 years, I’m good at sizing people up and getting along with them. I learned to listen more and talk less, a skill more people should learn.

ML: I agree with you wholeheartedly. If you had a day to spend with any writer (or artist) living or dead, who would you want to spend the day with, and what would you do? Tell us everything!

DP: I would spend the day with the Bronte sisters walking on the moors and discussing why and how they wrote Jane Eyreand Wuthering Heights.

ML: Where are some of your favorite places to submit poetry?

DP: I submit poetry to various publications and write each poem (or story) specifically for them.

ML: Finally, what meaningful advice would you offer aspiring writers, from your personal experience?

DP: If you’re having trouble getting published, choose a publication and learn how to write for it. Subscribe, read, get to know the editor, and write your poems with the slant of the publication in mind. Rejections are painful, but they can lead you in a whole new direction.

ML: Thanks again for joining us today, Dawn. Don’t be a stranger!

DP: Thank you, Melissa, for giving me the opportunity to share my story with your readers.

Dawn Pisturino is a retired registered nurse in Arizona whose international publishing credits include poems, short stories, and articles. She has published five poetry collections, including her most recent release, Ancient Voices: Poems About Ancient Egypt, which achieved #1 Amazon New Release status in African Poetry and History of Egypt. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America and the Arizona Authors Association. Websites: http://www.dawnpisturino.wordpress.com & http://www.dawnpisturino.org

This interview first appeared on Collaborature on June 27, 2025.