stories from places that change us

Megan Gilbert is an American writer whose work explores memory, witness, belonging, travel, and the complicated ways places shape who we become. Her writing spans poetry, journalism, nonprofit storytelling, and travel writing.

Her poetry has appeared in New Contrast, Paterson Literary Review, Rust & Moth, Atlanta Review, and elsewhere. Her writing has received Honorable Mentions from both the NJ Poets Prize and the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards, as well as two Merit Awards from the Atlanta Review International Poetry Competition. She was also a finalist for Consumer Feature of the Year at the 2026 Inspire Global Media Awards for her travel writing in Adventure.com. She holds a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town.

As a survivor of multiple forms of violence and abuse who has lived with PTSD for more than twenty years, Megan has found writing to be one of the best healers. So far, she has written in more than fifty countries and worked as a storyteller with nonprofits supporting women, children, and other survivors around the world. After working with survivors of intense traumas, she continues to return to poetry as a way of illuminating what is often difficult to say. Her writing confronts the realities of abuse and violence while making room for grief, love, and survival. For Megan, poetry is a ready witness to suffering—a way of collapsing the distance between ourselves, what is being discussed, and what is happening in the world.

Ask yourself this: What do our stories say that can change the world?