[I.] When it comes to writing, what is something that you regret most? or what has been your biggest mistake?
I regret all the readings I didn't go to because of various excuses I’ve made. I think readings are necessary, not just to get sparked creatively but for awareness, openness, understanding, hope, and more. I think not going because you never heard of or know of the work of the writers that are reading is a ridiculous excuse. I mean who knows, they may not be your cup of tea but you might meet someone in the audience or a reader might have one line that sticks out to you, so you just gotta go and be in the midst of the community and beautiful poetic atmosphere even if you don't talk to anyone there. I think even if you claim to not like poetry, I think everyone should go once twice because anything can happen, all things are possible. Go to readings, it's one less regret and another great asset to your power as a writer and student of life.
[II.] Who is your poet/writer crush? or celebrity crush?
If you mean work wise, and not physique then James Baldwin, of course. My celeb crush is Drake, lol, and/or Laroyce Hawkins from the show Chicago PD.
[III.] Name a poem or favorite poem by someone else that you wish you wrote.
There isn’t one. Honestly, I don't like to think on things like that or wish that because then that plants a tiny seed in the brain of comparison and even doubt. What I wish I wrote was all the poems that I let pass by because they came at inconvenient times. Those are the poems I wish I wrote.
[IV.] In terms of writing, what scares you?
“you just gotta go and be in the midst of the community and beautiful poetic atmosphere even if you don’t talk to anyone there. ”
What scares me is that you know.. as poets and writers (and readers too) we are pulled by the gravity of beauty in language and all that, so it's scary sometimes to think we can and we do miss the truth… we miss it because its all dressed up in beauty and that's what scares me. I'm all for a beautiful, awesome line/poem but I don't want to be so swooned by that, by the metaphor, by the sound that the truth is buried or misplaced or even nonexistent. I'm always on edge when I'm writing to make sure that doesn't happen. Also I am very committed to what I believe from a Christianity view, so I am always making sure what I write isn't out of context or against God's word/ biblical integrity. I make sure that I don't use a metaphor in a way that I shouldn't be.. It's a scary thing to do that because of my honor and reverence so I don't want to do that, with anything not just the Bible but with any topic or issue. Because of these things I try to be extremely careful and precise and I make sure I am prayerful and I study, research--etcetera-- before and after I write. Basically I want a truthful/truth-filled poem over something that looks, sounds, is beautiful and also finding that balance-- because it is possible to have both though is not as easy as it sounds.
[V.]. When it comes to your writing process, what do you struggle with most?
I struggle a lot with titling my pieces. A title can do a lot for a poem but it also can give too much away or not do enough. Aside from a recommendation or requirement, we decide to read a poem based on the title but sometimes we decide not to read a poem because of its title and that's just a conundrum in of its own. I think I will struggle with it for the rest of my life and that's okay... everyone has their thing you know and I'm not the only one. I mean after all... titles are like the weather sometimes; they can be great and annoying simultaneously. We can love and hate them at the same time.
