About Danielle ∞
Danielle Valenilla (also known as Danielle Noonan for her audiobook performances) is a poet and lifewriting enthusiast whose work delves into the themes of healing, identity, and authenticity.
Writing since childhood, Danielle received her first award at just nine years old for her personal essay, "Why School is Important." As an adult, her first published poem, "Lessons in Fellatio," was accepted by Butler University’s literary magazine Manuscripts and became the featured poem in her debut poetry chapbook, Fun Dip & Other Misfortunes.
Danielle holds a BS and MSEd from Butler University, where her thesis focused on lifewriting—writing about one’s life as a form of research and autoethnography. She is a graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature and a fellow of the Hoosier Writing Project through the National Writing Project.
Her work has been published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Poetry In Motion Publishing House, the HERALD NewsHawk, and the Noblesville Cultural Arts Commission. Danielle has also judged the Poetry category for the 2014 Indiana State Federation of Poetry Clubs’ 36th Annual Fall Rendezvous Contest and has been a featured reader at many literary events and book launches.
As a writer, Danielle believes in the transformative power of truth in writing. Her work often centers on healing quests and confronting inner struggles. She believes that once you write something down, you give yourself permission to let go. In her poetry, she creates space for those unpublished works and heavy words that yearn for connection, to find their audience. Poetry, for her, is a place where both the writer and reader can find freedom and synchronicity in the brutal vulnerability of honesty.
Danielle writes about facing the villain within, the parts of ourselves we try to ignore or hide. Readers can expect a confronting experience, but also words that hold your hand through that discomfort.
Outside of writing, Danielle moves through the world as a multi-passionate entertainer through Catrina performance, theater, and occasional cosplay. She is neurodivergent, diagnosed late in adulthood as autistic and ADHD (AuDHD). This revelation, though initially painful, was a moment of coming home to herself. She celebrates her Mexican and Scottish heritage and identifies as queer.
Currently, Danielle is working on her next chapbook and returning to the world of submissions. She dreams of one day becoming the Kentucky Poet Laureate.
You can learn more about Danielle’s writing at www.daniellevalenilla.com and explore her artistic endeavors on Instagram @sidequestproduction.
