Robert Frost, an American Poet, once said, “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” This quote by Frost resonated with Anthony Hyland, a speaker, author, entrepreneur, and a poet who uses poetry as his outlet. 

In a world where people have been experiencing so much sadness and chaos, people tend to look for an outlet, a release for all the stress. Anthony found solace with poetry. He is no stranger to the hardships life gives. Anthony spent five years of his life in foster care without having a permanent place to call his home. In addition to being homeless, he also had been sexually harassed. However, this mishap may have caused him to bottle up anger, but it did not stop Anthony from achieving great things. 

In high school, Anthony was an exemplary student. He was the Freshman Class President, and in his sophomore year, he was the third Vice President of the local NAACP chapter. For his junior and senior years, he kept on harnessing his leadership skills and took the role of President of the Eta Iota chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated. Currently, Anthony is a Boatswain’s Mate 2nd class in the United States Navy. He is also stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, together with his wife, Natasha, sons, Caleb and Cairo, and his daughter, Kylie. 

It may sound as if Anthony’s life has finally become a smooth sailing experience after his trials and tribulations as a kid. However, he was fighting an invisible war in his mind, depression. In the year 2009, two days before Christmas, depression almost won as he attempted to commit suicide. But, God has other plans for him; it was not yet his time to go. The second chance for life made him realize that he was set for bigger things. Also, it was a wakeup call for him to appreciate all the right things happening in his life, even with the presence of bad experiences.

Anthony used all the ups and downs of his life and converted it to something inspirational with the use of the right words. He authored a book entitled The Purpose of Power. His book entails how he turned his experiences into learnings, and how his readers can do it with their own lives, how his readers can look past the unchangeable past, and use it to their advantage. The said book is also available on Amazon. 

Anthony’s love for poetry did not stop with just writing. He is also a spoken word poetry artist and has been performing for more than 15 years. In addition to this, he is a professional speaker for more than six years, giving words of encouragement and empowerment to various people. Anthony preaches a motto he firmly believes in, “Pacification is never an adequate substitute for honesty.”

Having Anthony on the stage is like hitting three birds with one stone as he can facilitate a workshop, give keynote speeches, and perform simultaneously. In hopes that his story would inspire people, Anthony continues to develop his skills for him to serve as a beacon of hope for those who need it most. 

Check out his official TikTok account, wherein he shares nuggets of wisdom, inspiration, and information.