Wombwell Rainbow Interviews

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger.
The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

Lisa Kiew

A chinese-malaysian living in London, L Kiew earns her living as an accountant. She holds a MSc in Creative Writing and Literary Studies from Edinburgh University. In 2017 she took part in the Poetry School/London Parks and Gardens Trusts Mixed Borders Poets Residency Scheme and the Toast Poetry mentoring programme. She was shortlisted for 2017 Primers mentoring and publication scheme. Her poems have been published in Butcher’s Dog, Ink Sweat and Tears, Lighthouse, Obsessed with Pipework, Tears in the Fence, The Scores and The North among other magazines and websites. Her debut pamphlet is coming out with Offord Road Books in 2019.
Her website is here: http://www.lhhkiew.co.uk/
Full details about her forthcoming pamphlet: https://www.offordroadbooks.co.uk/the-unquiet

The Interview

1. What inspired you to write poetry?

I’ve always been excited by the many possibilities of poetry, how it has open and closed forms, and how it is oral as well as written. I’m also inspired by the thin line between reader and poet. I especially love poetries that welcome in and make the reader a co-creator of meanings.

2. Who introduced you to poetry?

I studied poetry at school like many people. I was also lucky to have access to good town libraries and so made happy discoveries among their stacks.

3. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?

The school syllabus was certainly dominated by the dead and the white back then.  It was harder to find those other voices and the internet and social media have made it easier to access poetry beyond the big publishers. We have a lot more diversity and I don’t think any generation dominates in the same way as it could even ten years ago.

4. What is your daily writing routine?

I get up early to read and write for an hour before I go to work. Sometimes it’s more reading than writing, and sometimes the other way around.

5. What motivates you to write?

Anything and everything! Words and phrases snag in my ears or in my eyes.  It can feel like an itch I need to scratch away at on paper.

6. What is your work ethic?

I like to keep at it. But it can be hard to fit writing around the rest of your life, especially if the day job is demanding a lot.

7. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

I was influenced by Sylvia Plath and by Imagist and Surrealist poetry. I’m still interested in fragmentation and dispersion, breaking down and splintering apart the norms of language. I like the way small concrete details can take us to surprising places in our heads.

8. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

There are so many poets that I admire; I really admire what I think of as Northern American writers’ more conversational style and playfulness. I am really enjoying Heather Christle, Franny Choi, Victoria Chang and Yaya Yao. In the UK Hannah Lowe, Sarah Howe, Mary-Jean Chan and Jennifer Wong are helping me to think about my mixed cultural heritage. Singaporean poet Alvin Pang inspired me to explore different kinds of Englishes in my writing. Amy Macauley is prompting me to think more about performance and moving beyond the page.

9. Why do you write?

It’s one of the ways I think about the world. As a mixed-race woman and a migrant, I am always being forced to see myself through others’ eyes, by casual comments, what’s written and shown in the media. Poetry is one of the ways I reclaim my experience and represent it back. Being multilingual, I am fascinated by language and with poetry, I can pull and play across languages, registers and vocabularies.

10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

I’d always say start by reading. It helps you find your voice, as well as showing you what there is to write in dialogue with and to write in rejection of.

11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

My pamphlet, The Unquiet, comes out with Offord Road Books in February 2019 https://www.offordroadbooks.co.uk/the-unquiet
I’m currently working on a project exploring the language used about non-native plant and animal species; it seems to be the time to think about belonging or not, and what that means for both humans and the other lifeforms we share this planet with.

 

 

 

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews
I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger.
The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

Lianne Futia

Lianne is a spoken word poet from North Wales who is fearless in tackling an eclectic mix of subjects, from the size of men’s waists to the degradation of women in the porn industry; there is no subject out of bounds. Whatever subject matter she takes her pen to, she does so with heart, truth, unapologetic wit, astute observational humour and a rawness that draws you in and binds you to her words…

Lianne was born and raised in North Wales by her single parent mother. As
the eldest of five children, she knows the hardship of being last in the bath on
bath night and the delights of corporation pop and sandwich paste butties.
Growing up on a council estate saw her embrace the calamity of a working
class upbringing, which armed her with the wit, passion and grittiness that she
brings to her writing. She writes with a strong working-class voice that proudly
resonates with audiences because of its astute emotional intelligence and a moving authenticity that people cannot help but connect with.
As well as being a writer and spoken word artist, Lianne is a qualified post
compulsory English teacher and she is currently studying an MA in Writing at
Liverpool John Moore’s University. But before any of that, Lianne is a mum. As a mother of four children, ranging from stroppy teen to tantrum throwing five year old, her experiences feature vividly in her work with a brutal honesty about the moments of triumph and disaster in being mum (and she is confident that there is always far more of the latter). Her honesty about motherhood gives hope to mothers everywhere that they’re not the only ones who have thought about running away at least a hundred times before breakfast. Lianne is currently working on a vibrant collection of contemporary, rhythmic poetry about pregnancy, motherhood, relationships after children and losing yourself in the madness of motherhood. It is raw, funny and often heart wrenching. It is impossible not to relate to the emotions it conveys. Lianne is aiming to complete this collection by the end of 2019.

Lianne is also currently working on a moving collection of memoirs interlaced with rhythmic poetry about her working-class childhood. It is emotionally charged with moments of drama, chaos, pain and laughter. This collection will near completion at the beginning of 2020.

Lianne writes memoirs and evocative traditional poetry laced with imagery and the ability to transport the senses, but she truly comes into her own when performing her almost lyrical, rhythmic spoken word poetry where her frank realism and often dark humour cuts to the core, emotionally shocks and inspires empowerment in equal measures. Since starting her spoken word journey Lianne has gathered a following after her many appearances at Voicebox – Spoken Word where she has performed on open mic alongside poets such as Sabrina Benhaim, Rudy Francisco and the formerYoung People’s Poet Laureate for Wales 2013-2016, Martin Daws. To watch some of Lianne’s performances you can find her on YouTube -https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lianne+futia
or visit her website where there are also links to her social media.
http://www.liannefutiapoet.com

The Interview

1. What inspired you to write poetry?

In truth, I can’t really answer that because I have been writing poetry since I was about ten years old, maybe younger, and I don’t remember how or why or where it came from, it just happened. I wonder if we had perhaps looked at poetry in school, though I can’t recall if that was the case. I don’t really even remember the first poem I wrote, but once I started it became my safe place if things were tough in life. These days I write poetry because it is intrinsic to my existence, it is instinctive, a compulsion if you like. It’s still my safe place, but also my happy place these days.

2. Who introduced you to poetry?

Again, much like the first response, I don’t really recall who first introduced me to it in my younger days, but I suspect it was probably following a task in primary school. I do recall reading Maya Angelou’s poetry later on in high school and feeling something stir deep within; an instant connection with the rhythm of it and the strong, female voice that bellowed from it and after that I started to write a lot more. Come to think of it there was also the poetry of T.S Eliot during my A levels, which spoke to me in a way that I had never felt before. It made me look at life beyond the surface level of things and showed me there was a more abstract way to navigate the world, people and feelings.

I stopped writing for a while when my children were very young because having had the first three children within three years of each other my focus in life shifted solely onto their care. I didn’t realise it at the time, but I was losing a little of who I was by ignoring that inner call to write and there was a growing void in my life. Then my art teacher from high school found some of my poetry when she was clearing her belongings from the school in preparation for her retirement. She kept hold of it for a while and then around two years ago she took the trouble of returning it to me. I had left it at the school around sixteen years earlier and forgotten it even existed. When she returned it to me, I read it over and over and then there was a strange moment of clarity; poetry was what I had always loved, and its absence was the growing void, the emptiness. And so, I began to write again, with a fierceness that I’d never had before. As corny as it may sound, I felt the pieces of me slowly come back together. So, I suppose she re-introduced me to poetry and I’ll be ever grateful to her for that.

Not long after I started writing again, I also started going to Voicebox – Spoken Word in Wrexham and reading my poetry on open mic. The first time was nerve wracking, but I think I was so elated to find my way back to writing that I felt it was a case of all or nothing, and I am so glad I did. Voicebox has been an amazing part of my life ever since and I have met some amazing creatives and have a place where my writing can come alive to an immediate audience, which has helped me find my place in the world of poetry – as a spoken word writer/performer. So, all in all I suppose my art teacher bringing back my poems reignited something and inspired me to start writing again, and the people I have met at Voicebox inspire me to continue.
3. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?

Aside from those I‘ve already mentioned, I wasn’t aware of older poets at all when I was really young and starting to write poetry. Poetry wasn’t something that played a part in my family life growing up. In fact, nobody I knew wrote, read or had any interest in poetry, so apart from what I read in school I had no knowledge of other poets. These days I have a keen interest in the work of Sylvia Plath because its energy and conviction is like a visual representation of the madness, imagination, brilliance and chaos of every writers’ mind, in my opinion anyway.
4. What is your daily writing routine?

As a mother of four and currently studying an MA I don’t really have a daily writing routine as such because life is often rather demanding, so I have to work around many commitments. However, I do try to write something, even if it’s just two sentences, every day. It’s not something I can sit and force though, it just happens when an idea starts to germinate, or feelings niggle away at me, which is usually when I’m too busy to sit and write or when my hands are in the sink washing dishes. When that happens, I either scribble it on anything to hand or I grab my phone and quickly record those thoughts, words, rhymes, whatever it is that’s festering in me. I return to those scribbles and recordings as soon as I can to try to make them into something tangible, if I can. Often, they don’t become more than a collection of abstract, fragmented ideas, but there’s always the chance that they could become something wonderful one day, so I try to never let even the smallest flicker of an idea escape me. I suppose I am ever writing in my head, always.
5. What motivates you to write?

Those niggles that I mentioned in the previous answer, they motivate me. Well, motivate is the wrong choice of word really, they force me, compel me to write. It’s like an itch that I have to scratch, or it won’t go away. I suppose that sounds negative, it isn’t meant to be. It’s just something that I can’t ignore, it’s in me and has been since I can remember. I must write it or those tiny thoughts and tiny feelings bubble away and become uncomfortable. I don’t write for money (though of course it would be nice) and I don’t write because I necessarily want my work to be read or published (though again that would be bloody amazing). I write because I don’t know what else to do with the words that pop into my head at 3am. I write because writing is my place of belonging and the thing that keeps the pieces of me together.
6. What is your work ethic?

I have a very strong work ethic. Growing up as the eldest of five in a single parent family with very little money, I decided very early on in life that I wanted to work my way out of the benefits system and make my mum proud (bless me), so I have studied none stop since. As I mentioned, I’m currently studying my MA at the moment and it’s quite possible that I may continue onto a doctorate after that, but please don’t tell my husband as he’s had to put up with my high stress levels enough while I have been studying the MA and the PGCE I did two years prior.

I think having children has also strengthened my work ethic because I want my children to see that hard work, resilience and passion can achieve things, and if nothing else can give you a sense of purpose. They watch me during times of stress when I have deadlines to meet, they hear me rehearsing for performances in the distance, and sometimes mum is too busy to spend time with them, but they also know that mum is working hard to follow my heart and dreams, which is something I can only hope that they do too, that’s why I work hard.
7. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

I have already mentioned Maya Angelou, but to answer this question I need to mention her again because it is her rhythm that sticks with me the most from the things I read in youth. Perhaps it is the reason that when I write I have a natural tendency towards rhythmic forms. I remember reading her poem Phenomenal Woman for the first time as a teen and feeling the beat of it moving through me for days after. Now in my own writing I don’t begin a poem with a fixed form or rhythm in mind, but it seems to organically develop anyway, and I can’t help but think that comes from the influence of Angelou’s poetry. It feels natural to write with rhythm and rhyme and I think this works really well for me given that I write predominantly for spoken word performance, which lends itself to rhythm.

 

8. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

I’m a big fan of Holly McNish. She writes with a lightness of touch that is both humorous and moving at the same time. I suppose it has that relatable nature to it. Likewise, Cat Moran is one of my favourites too. Like McNish, she is witty and raw, which is something that I aim for in my own writing.

I also enjoy the work of Kate Tempest, Margaret Atwood, and Jeanette Winterson, the list could go on, there are too many to mention. They are all very different writers, but the one thing they have in common is the strong female perspective, which I admire and aspire to.

9. Why do you write?

I write for the same reason that I eat or breathe, because I have to. That’s a pretty dramatic answer, but in truth writing really is something that I need in order to exist as a complete, functioning person. During those years that I didn’t write, as I spoke of earlier, I was incomplete, an emptiness was swallowing me. So, in order to avoid being sucked into that void, to keep the pieces of me together, I need to write. And it’s fun, albeit sometimes a lonely, self-indulgent pursuit.
10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

I’m not sure, I’ll tell you when I’ve earned that title. No seriously, that’s a difficult one for me to answer because I am divided in my own thoughts about “becoming” a writer. If by writer you are talking about a career, I don’t feel I can call myself a writer yet because I’m not published, I’m not well known, I’m not making a living from it, so I can’t offer advice on it as a career. But, I suppose if you want to make a living from writing then like any other profession, you must learn your craft either through self-study, a course, a writing group perhaps, you must practice enough to make mistakes and discover your strengths, and then you must keep going, keep writing, work hard. Be resilient and enjoy it.
However, and this is where I struggle, if you mean writer in terms of it being part of you that compels you to take pen to page, then I don’t think you “become” a writer; you are either born to it, or you’re not. If you’re not though, that doesn’t mean you can’t do it. It’s like singing, some people are born with a raw talent and others refine what voice they have because they want it badly enough. Writing is the same and if you want it badly enough keep at it, but don’t forget to enjoy the process too.
11.Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

I am currently working on a collection of memoirs interlaced with contemporary poetry. It is about my working-class upbringing, which was sometimes turbulent, chaotic, traumatic even at times, but it was wonderful none the less. My memoirs will be raw, unapologetically honest and sprinkled with humour and sadness in equal measure. The work will celebrate the working-class voice, female strength and the ability to rise triumphantly from the dirt that life sometimes tries to bury you under. It is called Shaping the Cloth; Memoirs of the Madness that Made Me and I am aiming for its completion by the beginning of 2020.

I am also working on a collection of contemporary poems about pregnancy, motherhood and relationships after children because after having four of my own, I feel I am well placed to navigate my way through those experiences. It is poignantly personal, but it will resonate with women (and men) everywhere and like my memoirs it is raw, heartfelt, witty and will be written in my distinct rhythmic style. The collection is called A Mother Was Born.

I am always working on new material for spoken word events and in 2019 I will be performing at Focus Wales Festival for the second year running. I will also be popping up at various other events throughout 2019, which you can find details on by visiting my webpage http://www.liannefutiapoet.com or you can find me, Lianne Futia, on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Many Thanks
Lianne X

 

 

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger.
The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

Glory Sasikala

(Born: January 6th, 1964) is a poet and writer residing currently in Chennai, Tamilnadu. She was born in Kolkota and did her schooling there. Her husband, who was a bank manager with Canara Bank, died tragically in a road accident in 2008. She has two children, a daughter-in-law, and a grandson.

The Interview

1. What were the circumstances under which you began to write poetry?

I was about 5 or 6 years old when we were taught the poem ‘Boats Sail On The River’ by Christina Georgina Rossetti in school and asked to learn it by heart. This poem is a deceptively simple one and it appeals to children because of the visual images it creates—of boats and rainbows and clouds. I was captivated by the imagery, and I felt I could write poems like that too. So I wrote a poem choosing as topic the discussion that was going on in my family at that time—a rather profound discussion about whether God really existed and how religions differed. I had my own opinions about the subject, and this I now used to write my first poem, titled ‘Our God Is The Best’. The poem was a conversation between two birds who argued about whose God was the best. They finally decide that all Gods are good. When I showed the poem to my father, he was much impressed and he made copies of it and gave it to all our relatives and friends. My father encouraged me to write poetry. I wrote nature poems mainly. People would come over to our house to hear me recite, and as a child, I felt special. But all this changed when my father died when I was 10 years old. I could not go on without his encouragement, and I was also teased at this time for my limited vocabulary. However, I could not stop writing as it came naturally to me. I continued to write, but I did not show my work to anyone. It was only after I took up literature as my subject in college that I was able to evaluate my own work, and I realized it was good. What I needed to work on was my vocabulary and information and skills. At this point, I started exhibiting my work again, and I also reached out to likeminded people and communities, which helped me grow as a poet and writer.

2. Who introduced you to poetry?

Not sure if it’s still prevalent in schools today across India, but during my time we had the Radiant Reader series as English textbook. Book 1 for Class 1, and so on till Class 10. And these textbooks featured a range of prose and poetry in each, carefully selected to appeal to a particular age group. And so, my introduction to poetry was through my textbooks. I don’t remember my first Radiant Reader, but I do recall that we had ‘Someone’ by Walter de la Mare in Class 2 and I was so very fascinated by this poem. I think the fascination was that there was no answer to the question. I really, really wanted to know who had knocked.
My father was from Burma, which had been under the British rule at that time. He and his 6 sisters and 2 cousins had formed a music band. His mother had wanted him to become a Catholic priest, but that did not work out. He sang very well, and what was more, he could play all musical instruments. His favourite instrument was the Hawaiin guitar. He had, for a while, remained a rather distant figure in my life because of his constant transfers to other cities and travel, and also because of my being the youngest in the family and so very small. But as I turned five, his attention was suddenly caught by the fact that I was, well, different. I liked the English language, I liked arguing, I had an opinion about everything, and I liked to learn. He started writing out lyrics in a notebook, making me learn them by heart, and then making me sing along as he played his guitar. Some of the earliest songs I sang were Knock knock (Tears of rain… (Mary Hopkins), Oh! Susanna! (I come from Alabama with my banjo on my knee…).

3. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?

Most children of my generation will recall The Radiant Reader with nostalgia as it was prepared with careful consideration of the choicest prose and poems suited to each age group. I can still recall most of the poems by heart. I read ‘Some One’ by Walter de la Mare when I was in Class 2, and it stays with me. Then, of course, there was ‘Boats Sail on the Rivers’ by Christina Georgina Rosetti, which actually set me writing poetry for the rest of my life. The day ‘Daffodils’ (William Wordsworth) was taught in class, there was such excitement and full attendance. We loved dancing with the daffodils. And then there were ‘Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog’ by Oliver Goldsmith, The Brook by Lord Tennyson, and so many more! My father was a huge fan of Edward FitzGerald’s ‘Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam,’ and that’s been passed down to me.
Some of my favorite poets remain Robert Browning, Tennyson, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Thomas Campbell, Milton, Shelley, Keats and others.

 

4. What is your daily writing routine?

I generally wake up at around 8 in the morning and am ready to face the day by 9 am, having had my morning cuppa. I make myself a good breakfast, and then am on the Internet for a while, especially on facebook. After that I alternate between making GloMag and writing. Then I walk for an hour or more, and then I have my bath and lunch and go and bring back my grandson from school. While he’s there, I clean up the house and then I take him out to play for a while. My son comes to pick him up by 7 pm, after which I do some shopping, post on the GloMag group on Facebook, and have my dinner. After dinner, I continue writing till maybe midnight, or sometimes well past midnight. I generally go to sleep very late, which is compensated by my waking up very late too.

 

5. What motivates you to write?

I write as easily as I breathe. I can’t stop writing because it comes that easily and naturally to me.
I’ve always been very vocal and opinionated, and my family was quite fascinated by my talkativeness. But in school all we were expected to do was learn lessons by heart. Creativity was reserved for the composition class. I discovered that I could write quite by accident, but once I did, it was the most exhilarating feeling ever. And then too, once I started writing, my father took a deep interest in it and encouraged me no end. He got me a diary in which I could jot down my thoughts. He introduced me to different genres of writing. I had written a play by the time I was eight years old, and a whole lot of poems. My father also made me read a lot of literature that was way beyond my years. I was only ten years old when he died. After his death, my sister took over monitoring my reading habits. She got me to read classics a lot. Later on, I took English literature as my subject in college. A strange thing would happen as I was exposed to the richness of the language. My mind would suddenly go into a creative mode, and I would be writing most prolifically. Most of my notebooks had a line drawn a little above the bottom of the page, and I jotted down my thoughts there. It was a kind of madness that prevailed or maybe exposure to the richness of the language opened up a different part of my brain.
And then, I got married at the age of 21, and believe it or not, I completely forgot I could write. I got so engrossed in raising my children and taking care of my family, and I had two babies to take care of. This impasse went on from 1985 – the year I got married – to 1994, when my daughter was two years old. Watching an Oprah Winfrey show one day, the topic being ‘how to discover your destiny’ and the expert said, all you had to do was ask a question, “what is the one thing I cannot fail at”. And sitting there, with my baby in my lap, I automatically answered, “writing”. And since then, I’ve not looked back. I ask myself that question so many times in a day, and the answer has consistently been ‘writing’. It’s an on-going journey.

6. What is your work ethic?

My work ethic is that I create from my heart and only what I believe in. I never say anything that I don’t mean. I also prefer the apt word to the grandiose one. I feel a word can have so many synonyms but there’s a subtle difference between each one, and what is suitable for one occasion may not be suitable for another. I find I’m not able to compromise on that. Something rankles in my mind till I go, “That’s it! That’s the word I want!”
I also believe that all genres of creativity are just communication. I also define communication differently. I believe that if something I’m saying does not get across to my listener, then I’m not communicating; I’m not sharing the right things with the right person. As such, getting my message across remains my responsibility, not that of my audience.
I also try not to put out negative vibes into the world. Readers take from my writings and I want them to take what will rejuvenate them and help them in any small or big way.

7. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

I think what you read and experience when you’re young is what stays with you. It’s the foundation on which you build. I have this innate love for the English Language, and I’ve been blessed with very good teachers. I still follow the Wren and Martin format when it comes to writing prose, whether it’s writing a novel or a short story or an anecdote or other genres. That’s my foundation. I’m also much influenced by the classics. Having majored in English Literature, I am that blessed soul who got to read the works of some of the most creative minds.
In poetry, I’m most influenced by the famous Tamil poet, Kannadasan, and I try to emulate him. I fall short because of the sheer range of his genius. In English, I’m a huge fan of Lord Tennyson, and he’s been the biggest influence.
When it comes to prose, I think I’ve been most influenced by ‘To Kill A Mocking Bird’ by Harper Lee. The book is a single story and the reader is led gently through it, with every single chapter appearing to be a separate story or incident, with a definitive ending.
I try to follow that.
Another book that’s had a definite effect on both my writing and my personality is Godfather by Mario Puzo.

8. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

This is a hard question for me to answer because I’ve hardly read for pleasure in a while, and when I do, I tend to go back to authors whom I trust and have read before. As such, I can’t boast of having read much of the new works. I work as a language editor for scientific research as well as humanities. It’s a must that I read and edit 80 MS doc pages per day. That apart, there’s GloMag, which again, is a lot of reading. By the end of the day, honestly, I don’t want to look at some more written words for pleasure. I’d much rather go for a walk.
That said, however, I have read works by Vikram Seth, Salman Rushdie and Arundhati Roy, and I like all three, although Vikram Seth is my favorite. The language is simple and almost musical. I also like reading Chetan Bhagat books, again a very interactive style of writing. I haven’t had much of a chance to explore English and American writing except as part of my work (which is extensive) and would not like to comment.
All said and done, I’d conclude that my most favourite writers, and the ones I admire the most, are the writers on GloMag for obvious reasons.

9. Why do you write?

I write because I have no option but to write. I don’t know how to stop writing.  It’s been something I’ve been doing all my life, sometimes – most times – my only comfort. I write to create, vent, weep, pray, introspect, and everything else between.

10.  What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?

To someone who asks me how to become a writer, I would say be a dreamer. Lie down and relax, close your eyes and dream. Because you dream only about things that fascinate you, and what fascinates you will fascinate the world.
Read a lot, pay as much, or more, attention to grammar. I truly believe language is more important than what you have to say. Add to your vocabulary all the time, and most importantly, don’t connect your writing to fame or fortune. Write only because you have something to say.

11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

I’ve been trying to bring out an e-book of my poems for a while now, but I’ve shelved it to concentrate on writing a novel, the first draft of which will hopefully be done by December. I am also serializing another novel on Setu Mag, an international online magazine. I would like to serialize another one somewhere else. That apart, I continue to edit and publish GloMag.