Liberian Literary Magazine Promoting Liberian literature , Arts and Culture turned part of that around to study and write about the vague and unknown , attempting to brings those elusive images into a more understandable focus .
As I mentioned before , I keep extensive notebooks so when a subject enters my mind that I think I might want to pursue , I already have some avenues for research . I write every day .
What themes do you find yourself continuously exploring in your work ?
There seem to be 3 recurring themes in all of my writing projects regardless of the discipline I may be writing in : how we attempt to organize and govern ourselves ; perspective – how we see things , individually and collectively , and ; the often changing and murky relationships among the past , the present and the future .
Tell us a little about your book [ s ] - storyline , characters , themes , inspiration etc .
The poetry book , Higher Glyphics , is a poetic look at some of the enigmatic earthworks , standing stones and prehistoric writings that have been left all over the planet for us to consider as messages , points of view and teachings . I ’ ve spent considerable time in some so-called “ sacred places ” wondering how to look at them , and how they look at us , and to consider what they meant then and what they might mean to us now .
What inspired you to write this title or how did you come up with the storyline ?
My love of and my respect for antiquity and culture .
I grew up in a European- American culture and family ( Irish and German ) that greatly respected its roots , ancestors and cultural activities . I ’ ve been deeply attracted to those same principles and beliefs that I ’ ve experienced in various African , African- American , Native American and Hispanic cultures that I ’ ve had the privilege of living in . And , as is frequent in my writing , I like to play with words so Hieroglyphics became Higher Glyphics .
Is there a message in your book that you want your readers to grasp ?
Yes , mutual respect and the never-ending thirst to learn and understand . But most importantly , to learn to listen to others and to respect those who are different than you and who think differently than you do …. about the same things .
Is there anything else you would like readers to know about your book ?
We |
hope |
this |
is |
the |
beginning |
of |
an |
interesting |
series |
of |
different |
poetry |
books |
that continue to look at |
challenging subjects . |
Do you have any advice for other writers ?
Yes . Write and don ’ t stop writing . And first of all , write from your heart and soul … don ’ t worry about writing for a contest or a publisher .
If you write what is important to you , somewhere , somehow , it will find a home .
What book [ s ] are you reading now ? Or recently read ?
I just finished a wonderful collection of poetry , Palm Leaves , An Anthology of 3 Emerging Ghanaian Poets . I love these young West African poets … talk
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