Ciara Totton was born and raised in Spokane. She studied political science in SoCal then lived internationally, splitting her time between Korea and New Zealand. Returning to Spokane in 2022, she is now a healthcare worker. Her poetry examines the experience of grief, empowerment, loss, and identity. Her poetry gives voice to parts of the self that are often disregarded and buried. Her poetry seeks freedom through vulnerability and honesty about life’s most unsavory parts.