School of Communication alumna Jocelyn Simmons (B.A., ‘17) recently published her first poetry book “Next Round On Me” which features poems about love, lust, and loss; and now with the newly released extended version, readers can enjoy 19 additional poems by Simmons.

The book centers around the topic of the heart- love in its many phases, from first date jitters to heartbreak and even touching true unconditional love. Simmons told CCI that the book reminded her of the person that you always see sitting alone at the bar, but when you finally talk to them they end up telling you all of their adventures, advice, and regrets filled with free life lessons. As the conversation continues, you realize you don’t want it to end, so you order another round of drinks and keep it going. “Next Round On Me.”

Simmons shared with CCI that she had started a blog for her first year literature class at Florida State University and as her numbers of readers grew, more of them requested that she release her work more frequently and consistently. It wasn’t until two years ago when she started to get the push to publish a book and Simmons said that she had thought, “Hmm, that might not be a bad idea!”

Flash forward to now and Simmons says, “I wrote “Next Round On Me” for at least one person who is going through a certain situation (good or bad) that makes them feel, speechless, isolated, or alone in what they are experiencing, they know that it’s not just them. I have their back!”

While Simmons admires many pieces from this collection, she said that “the light” is her favorite because the topic of the poem is her son. “It is a poem written by me and about me, so reading it is a perfect portal into my own experience when it comes to unconditional love.”

Congratulations, Jocelyn! To get your copy of “Next Round On Me” click here.