Stewart Sealy, right, was born in Belize, where the tropical beauty left an imprint on his soul. His faith has played an instrumental role in his life, has inspired his writing and has motivated him to be the author he has become. Sealy’s motivation is to capture poetic visions and to give life to them on paper. Grateful for the mentors who’ve guided him, he’s had the privilege of mentoring others. His diverse experiences — whether in public speaking, as a personal trainer or as a mindset coach — have deeply influenced him in his desire to help make the world a better place. Airdrie has the perfect blend of passion, inspiration and community for any artist to get things done.
For Ryan Donnelly, writing is his therapy. Writing is where he can meet himself. Born in Duncan, B.C., and now living in Airdrie, he has introduced himself as an author, podcaster and empowerment coach under the moniker The Troubled Monk. Donnelly’s writing journey has always been one of self-discovery, self-care and an authentic attempt at communication with others. His faith and desire to strengthen that faith inspires him to help those around him using the gifts that he has been given. It has been one of his greatest honours to help others in writing their own books.
Stewart Sealy and Ryan Donnelly are local writers who connected several years ago and inspire each other with their words and actions.
We thought we’d let them interview each other!
RYAN: Wow, we have known each other long enough now that I forget what year we met. I think it was around 2017. At the time, neither of us had written or published our books. Upon chatting over a coffee about the pile of books you had in front of you, it was clear we were going to be good friends.
I know that, for me, when I first thought about writing, I was around 15. I had a dream of owning a typewriter, and that one day my book would be placed on the shelf of Chapters bookstore. Now I have two books gracing their shelves.
What about you? When did you first get the desire to write?
STEWART: Funny enough, I was 15 as well when my teacher challenged us to write poetry that they would be sharing on the radio. The excitement of this is what fuelled my desire to both write and become a voice for future radio work. I’m curious, what took you so long to write your first book?
And what resistance did you have to work through to finally get it done?
RYAN: I would say that I needed to wait until I was ready. When I write, I write in a raw and vulnerable way. I wasn’t ready to dive in until I developed the mindset for it. As for the resistance that I had to work through, it was nothing more than imposter syndrome. It is the very thing that plagues many creative minds.
And you?
STEWART: Rejection is a powerful force that can stop the best of us. I decided it was now or never to start believing in myself and intentionally made the decision that I was going to become a published author.
RYAN: I have never regarded writer’s block as a thing to worry about. If I can feel writer’s block coming, I simply write through it. I don’t care if what I am writing is garbage, as long as I don’t stop writing.
And you, what are your thoughts on writer’s block?
STEWART: Writer’s block, for me, is a form of resistance. I embrace resistance because, like going to a gym, you need resistance to build your body. I have read your book, The Ember. What I like about your writing style is that I feel it is amazing how naturally you make the reader feel that you are there with them on the journey.
RYAN: Wow, that’s high praise towards your editor! In all the time that I have worked on your books, it has become clear that you have been given the voice of a visionary. Your books have always asked the reader to consider the future, while also reminding us of important lessons from the past. You are a warrior poet, my friend.
We have both chosen to avoid using AI-generated artwork for our books for the same reason, as we did not want to take the warmth of humanity out of our work. This has led us to work with local professional abstract artist, Leta Taylor, for our books. I feel that you can judge our books by their cover! And I hope that people do.
STEWART: I agree with you. I wanted my readers to hold a piece of artwork that would speak to them as much as my books would.
RYAN: I am always asked why I have chosen to self-publish over traditional publishing. I don’t have an issue with traditional publishing. But the freedom to write my book the way that I want, to promote it and grow my community the way that I want, and to keep most of my profits are very attractive to me. Who knows? I may try to get traditionally published one of these days, but probably not.
STEWART: Yeah, nicely said, Ryan. Self-publishing has been a way for me to tap into my creative potential unrestricted and with a freedom that feels empowering.
RYAN: Well, it has been great to spend some time talking about the author’s journey with you, my friend. I have to ask, what is next on the horizon for you?
STEWART: I’m in the process of writing my next book, as well as launching my poetic-empowerment workshops.
How about you? Where will your adventures take you next?
RYAN: I have another book in the works that is a follow-up to The Ember. I just released a writing course for anyone interested in the easy path to self-publishing. Then there is The Troubled Monk podcast, which is a very exciting creative vision of mine.
STEWART: See you at the coffee shop soon?
RYAN: You know it!
