Meet the artist and educator behind Wildflower Wisdoms
Wildflower Wisdoms is the brainchild of Monique Simón. Monique has a brilliant way of combining comedy and thoughtfulness that gives us pause and makes us smile at the same time. We agree with Monique that creativity is a powerful tool to improve the daily lives of ME sufferers. We believe there needs to be more unity in the ME community and a focus on the things that improves our lives. We think you will enjoy her creative journey.
Monique S. Simón
Monique S. Simón is a writer, artist, educator, and the Founding Editor of Wildflower Wisdoms™ | Living ME, a magazine dedicated to those navigating life with energy-limiting chronic illnesses (ELCI). But if you ask her how she got here, she might tell you it all started with a single flower.
After living with ME/CFS for over 30 years, Monique had long learned to measure her energy in careful teaspoons. But when she found a few blooms she could grow despite her limited stamina, something shifted. Wildflowers, in all their unruly persistence, revealed a truth she had been living all along—resilience isn’t just about survival. It’s about finding ways to thrive, no matter the conditions. That realization didn’t just reshape her garden; it reignited her creative voice.
Monique’s journey began in academia, where she was a professor of literature and media communications, a department head at two colleges, and a grant-winning innovator in education program design. She developed curricula based on student learning styles, built a student film & video lab, and created educational models and materials, for which she holds intellectual property rights. She also worked as an education program designer, curriculum developer, and evaluator for institutions such as the NYC Board of Education, The Center for Children & Technology, and Kaplan Education.
Her contributions extended into interactive learning, including freelance writing for LeapFrog’s educational game system, where she crafted engaging science questions for children. Monique also made her mark in media scholarship, writing the definitive articles on “Television” and “Television Series” for The African American Encyclopedia and authoring several shorter entries. Notably, she wrote the first-ever definition of the word “dis” for the 1991 edition of The African American Encyclopedia, a definition that was later adopted by Merriam-Webster and other dictionaries.
Monique’s creative roots run deep. She is an award-winning writer, with her novel-in-progress excerpted and illustrated in BWIA’s international in-flight magazine (500,000+ circulation). She has been published in literary journals such as Better Than Starbucks, Whisky Blot, Tiny Seed Literary Journal, And Then, Story Circle Network Journal, Health Affairs’ Health Narratives Poetry Series, and multiple anthologies.
Her short story “Adynah” was one of the first winners of the Cropper Foundation’s Caribbean Writers Award before she adapted it into a full-length play, which she wrote, starred in, designed the set for, and directed voice recordings for at Know Theatre.
Now, through Wildflower Wisdoms™ | Living ME, she curates stories, insights, and practical wisdom for those managing chronic illness. With warmth, wit, and a touch of magic, she shares reflections on resilience, pacing, and creative expression—not just as herself, but through The Wildflower Wisdom Woman, her storytelling persona who reminds readers that “The forest is already in the seed.”
Beyond the page, Monique is an illustrator, Expressive Arts facilitator, and community builder, helping others reconnect with creativity in ways that honor their energy limits. Whether she’s crafting an essay, leading a workshop, or planting yet another flower, she remains committed to one thing: showing that even when life demands stillness, growth is always possible.