Confronting Anxiety Through Prayers and Poetry featuring Amiya Phillips

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Amiya Phillips, which was live-streamed on April 13, 2026 during National Poetry Month. Amiya Phillips is the author of the recently self-published poetry book "The Heart of the Mat", which showcases her wrestle with anxiety and how God's divine presence steps in.

She has also had other pieces of her work included in the 2016 autumn publication of "A Celebration of Poets." Amiya is a native of Springfield, MA, and graduated from Worcester State University in December of 2021 with a degree in Psychology. She is currently working on obtaining her Master's of Social Work so she can work with diverse communities to improve their mental health.

Released in July of 2025, The Heart of the Mat is an unfiltered collection of Christian poems. It highlights the spiritual wrestling between anxiety and faith.

Through soul-searching, heartfelt reflections, Amiya Phillips invites readers into her inner struggles, where weakness meets God's perfection. This book explores the emotional and spiritual connection we have with God.

In wrestling, the center of the mat is where the real action happens. That’s where Amiya finds herself, face-to-face with anxiety, round after round.

But she’s not alone. This book is a reminder that even in our most difficult battles, God is always near.

The Heart of the Mat provides: Affirmations about how God's love helps us to heal and conquer our challenges Praise breaks - uplifting scriptural verses and prayers A bonus interview with a Christian mental health therapist A reminder that God's faith will continue to "order our steps", regardless of the struggles we face The Heart of the Mat is available for purchase on Amazon . Read more on Amiya Phillips in this article from Bold Journey .

Mentioned during this episode: Olive Tree Books 'N Voices, a Black woman-owned bookstore based in Springfield, MA: Check out our interview with Dr. Latoya Bosworth, who is also mentioned during this episode!

Find Olive Tree Books 'N Voices on Instagram: @olivetreebooksnvoices Find Amiya Phillips on Instagram: @amiyaphillips.author Find Black Writers Read on Instagram: @blackwritersread Find Black Writers Read online: Support Black Writers Read on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/blackwritersread Support the show