For some, writing is just for connecting on social media or for name dropping in academic reports. But to Eric Maganga, writing is therapeutical.

Eric Maganga is 29 years old and is doing his master in International Development at CBS. And now he is also CBS WIRE’s new blogger.

Listen to his blog “Overtime”, which is read out loud by the actress, Cila Brosius. Or read the blog yourself at the bottom of the page.

However, Eric Maganga is not the usual kind of blogger, as he loves to make use of creative elements such as poems and sound bites.

“Whenever I write, I can’t help but use creative language like metaphors or rhyming. I have been writing poems since I was 17 years old, so it’s just a way I like to express myself,” he says.

Eric Maganga explains that he will mostly write about heavier topics such as loneliness, overcoming shyness, and experiences from the dating arena. And by using a creative writing style, he says that it becomes easier to get thoughts off of his chest.

“Expressing myself creatively is a way to get things off of my chest. It clears my mind and I learn about myself, as I get to see if my thoughts are true or not. Maybe I’m thinking, I don’t have any friends, but when I write down my thoughts, it becomes clear to me that it’s not true. It’s all in my head,” he says and adds:

“Hopefully, people reading my blogs will feel like they can relate somehow.”

To Eric Maganga it was a turning point in his life when he started to perform his poems to an audience. He hopes that he can inspire others to do what he did and get out of their comfort zones.

“Writing these blogs and reciting poems is a way of improving my self-confidence, and overcoming shyness. At a certain point in my life, I felt like I wasn’t good at anything. But I went and recited a poem to a larger group, and I got a really, really good response. I saw that I was good at something. And I only experienced that because I came out of my comfort zone” he says and adds:

“I hope that my blogs and poems will inspire people to put themselves out there and be vulnerable, as it is a way to improve one’s self-confidence.”