Poet, blogger Celina Vega on a journey of creativity

Celina Vega’s second poetry collection, “The Journey,” was Amazon’s No. 1 release in Hispanic American Poetry after its release July 22. “I’m very happy that all of my hard work is actually paying off,” she says.

The latest destination on Celina Vega’s journey? Becoming a best-selling poet.

“I started writing when I was 11 years old,” says Vega, an English major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “I decided to write my experiences into poetry, and that’s how I liberated my creative expression.”

Vega released her first book, Paradox, in March 2014. The 60-page book, which has sold more than 1,000 copies to date, features poetry Vega has written throughout her life.

“I think I’ll write poetry for the rest of my life,” says Celia Vega. She’s working on her third book.

The self-published author released a second book, The Journey: A Collection of Poetry, July 22. The 140-page book has three chapters: “Walk,” “Distance” and “Destination,” with letters and short poems at the end of each chapter.

“It’s a collection of poetry, art, photography, letters, quotes and advice. It’s about life, love, existence and overcoming obstacles,” she says.

Both books are available on Amazon.com in paperback and e-book. The Journey was Amazon’s No. 1 release in Hispanic American Poetry in print and Kindle versions two days after its release. More than 200 copies were sold in its first 10 days.

“It was so amazing,” Vega says. “I’m very happy that all of my hard work is actually paying off.”

Vega used her experiences as an avid blogger and brand ambassador for Microsoft to self-publish and market The Journey.

“I made a blog and started networking with other bloggers who had over a million followers on their sites,” she says. “I learned how to network and how to market my book.”

Vega says she’s grateful to have the opportunity to become a published author. “I’m just appreciative that I was born in a place where I have more opportunities to reach my dreams.”

She writes for Project Pay it Forward, an organization that encourages students to volunteer in their communities, and donates proceeds from her books to philanthropic organizations.

“I give 100 percent of my royalties from Paradox to organizations that support things like gender equality or homeless shelters. For The Journey, I donate 20 percent.”

Vega says she plans to keep writing. “I think I’ll write poetry for the rest of my life.”

She’s already working on her next book. “I really like horror stories. I think they’re really exciting. So I’m writing short horror stories through the voice of poetry.”

Follow her on Tumblr for project updates.