About Tassandra Barnaby
Author, Poet, Storyteller, and Founder of TassandraInk
Hi, I’m Tassandra Barnaby. I’m an author, a mother, a wife, and a pet lover who believes stories can help us understand ourselves and one another.
Born in Jamaica, I moved to the United States at eight years old. My roots, the experiences of building a life between cultures, and the people I have met along the way influence how I see the world and what I bring to the page.
Through poetry, short stories, and children’s literature, I explore love, identity, healing, resilience, and belonging. Some of my stories make room for difficult emotions. Others celebrate imagination, friendship, and the small moments that give life meaning. Across them all, I hope readers find something familiar, something comforting, or a new way of seeing.
A Career Built Around People
Before giving writing a larger place in my life, I built a career in healthcare financial services. I earned my Associate Degree in Accounting from Quincy College, developing skills in organization, careful analysis, and problem-solving that continue to serve me as an author and founder.
My professional experience includes roles at Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Medical Center, and Baystate Health. My work spanned financial access, insurance authorization, patient financial counseling, billing, and claims resolution.
As a Transplant Financial Coordinator, I helped patients and donor families navigate complex insurance requirements and financial questions surrounding care. In other roles, I assisted uninsured and underinsured patients with coverage applications and helped resolve barriers that could complicate their access to treatment.
That work required accuracy, patience, and the willingness to listen. It also deepened my awareness that behind every account, application, or difficult conversation was a person with a life far larger than the circumstances in front of me.
I carry that awareness into my writing.
Finding My Way Back to Writing
Writing has been part of my life since childhood. Poetry and storytelling gave me a way to express feelings I could not always explain in conversation, explore my imagination, and make sense of change.
When my position was eliminated in February 2026, I faced an uncertain new chapter. After months of searching for opportunities, I began making more room for the creative work I had carried alongside my professional responsibilities.
The transition did not give me every answer. It gave me a reason to begin.
I returned to the page with greater intention, developing stories and poems about heartbreak, hope, family, and the courage it takes to start again. Writers such as Maya Angelou and Emily Dickinson continue to inspire my appreciation for language that can hold both vulnerability and strength.
Why I Created TassandraInk
I founded TassandraInk to create a welcoming home for readers, writers, and students.
For readers, I want to offer poetry and stories that invite reflection and connection. For writers, I want to provide encouragement, opportunities to learn, and thoughtful feedback that helps them strengthen their work without losing their own voice.
I care about the choices that make someone’s writing personal: their dialect, rhythm, imagination, and way of seeing. My hope is that TassandraInk helps people grow more confident in those choices while continuing to develop their craft.
This space brings together my love of storytelling, my experience supporting others, and my belief that everyone deserves to feel heard.
Life Beyond the Page
I am a mother and wife, and family is an important part of who I am. Alongside my writing and professional experiences, the everyday responsibilities and joys of home continue to shape my perspective.
I’m also a proud pet lover. My American Bulldog, Koa, inspired my first children’s book, Koa the Friendly Dog.
His playful spirit, loyalty, and gentle nature encouraged me to create a story about kindness, friendship, acceptance, and compassion. Through Koa’s adventures, I hope young readers discover that the way we treat others matters, and that friendship can begin with a simple act of kindness.
A Note to My Readers
You do not have to arrive here with the perfect words. You may be looking for a story that understands you, a quiet moment with a poem, or the encouragement to begin writing something of your own.
I hope you find room for yourself here.
I write to heal.
I write to connect.
I write so that no one feels alone.
Welcome to TassandraInk, where poetry heals, stories stay, and words are felt, not rushed.
Tassandra Barnaby