For the longest time, poetry had
been a lost love in my life. As a teen, I wrote a lot and even during college.
Then for some reason, I kind of lost touch with it. Last year, while working on
this blog, I was interacting with various lovely people although a true
highlight among them was Karen Ohren. Through her encouragement and
some other wonderful people I was reminded of my love of poetry and that it is
a big part of my life.
She herself is a wonderful writer
and often sprinkles her lovely words through Twitter, which fascinates me
because it goes to show that good reads can definitely be found anywhere. She
has offered me wonderful support and the least I could do was pay it forward
and let people come into contact with a lovely writer with a deep well of words
which can inspire.
1. Hi Karen, so nice to be able to
take some time to chat and share you with other people. How is all and what can
you tell us about your experience with Twitter?
Twitter has been an amazing
experience for me. I've connected with so many lovely people and made some
great friendships, that in itself is pretty incredible. Twitter is an absolute
melting pot of creativity and I've had the pleasure of meeting and chatting
with many talented artists, poets, writers and musicians.
I've written most of my life and on
the whole it's a very isolated business, so to be able to share words and ideas
with other poets and writers has been wonderful. It's given me so much
confidence and the encouragement of yourself and others has done much to give
me the courage to share my thoughts and words with a wider audience.
2. How do you tackle the challenge
of writing in 140 character installments?
The 140 characters was a bit
daunting at first... how do you express everything you want to say in so few
words? It's a challenge, but now I find it a great exercise in self-discipline.
While fairly restricting, it's amazing how thoughts and ideas can be conveyed
within these limitations. It forces you to be concise, to explore the power of
words and the musicality of simplicity. I'm a great believer in the spontaneous
flow of words and usually let a poem evolve and then give it a tweak at the end
to tighten it up.
3. How has Twitter impacted your
life?
The impact of Twitter has been huge.
I wrote alone with little feedback outside of my family. Now with your support
and that of the countless truly gifted and creative poets here, I've found my
voice, my confidence and with it the courage to pursue my own creative journey.
4. You really do have some lovely
work; I heard you recently contributed to a collection. How was that experience
and where can people find this book?
Thank you! I was very fortunate to
be approached by Frayd Tag Publishing after they read one of my poems. It was
selected to be included in a compilation called The Wood Knots, which is
available from Amazon. This was a huge turning point for me as it dispelled the
nagging spectre of self-doubt that had been holding me back. Suddenly a world of
possibilities has opened up before me.
5. Will you be publishing anything
on your own?
This is something I'm working on at
the moment. I've completed the first draft of a children's book, three
children's stories in verse and I'm in the early stages of a book for young
adults. Juggling the day job and family life (something I know you're very
familiar with) isn't easy, but undaunted I'm taking a leaf out of your book and
hanging onto my sense of humour, while forging ahead with determination!
6. You are asked to curate a gallery
of dreams, what five pieces of any medium would be the main attractions, what
would be their names and what makes them so special?
I love this question! Imagination goes
into overdrive...
The Elysian poems... a collection of
poems so lyrical and touching that when read, the reader is transported to the
most perfect, poignant moment of their life. In that moment, they reconnect
with what is truly important to them.
The Portrait Of Truth... a painting
that takes on the character of the viewer and exposes them to the true aspects
of their innermost heart and soul.
The Infinite Tale... a book without
an ending. The story evolves with the touch of each reader, as a little of
their soul is absorbed with each page turned.
The Song Of The Sea... a haunting
symphony of loss and longing, transporting each listener to the lost aspects of
their own souls, giving them the inner peace and harmony they have been
searching for.
The Book Of Estrada... the final
piece and the jewel of my collection... the next book in the Human Cycle,
simply because I'm desperate to read it!!
7. There is an obstacle course where
at the end Jared Leto awaits at a dinner table with warm Nutella and berries,
what are the five obstacles you have to overcome? Lol.
This is so mean! Exposing my Jared fixation
to the world! Here goes!
First obstacle would be getting
current restraining order over turned... (oops not supposed to talk about
that!).
Second obstacle would be the piranha
lake, particularly tricky as I can't swim. Fortunately I doggy paddle like a
pro and piranhas are allergic to vegans!
Third obstacle would be the Wall of Doom.
An 8 foot wall to be scaled, not very high you might be thinking, but when
you're vertically challenged...
Fourth obstacle finding something
suitably alluring to wear (it's a girl thing) and no ... before you say it a
layer of Nutella doesn't count as clothing!
The fifth and greatest obstacle of
all... being able to run fast enough to catch Jared as he flees my advances...
that guy can run like a Greyhound! Lol.
8. You are part of a rock band, what
is the band called, what do you play and what does it sound like?
Another great question especially
for someone as music obsessed as I am! The band would be called The Raven
Hearts (hat tipped to Mr. Poe). We would be a fusion of metal, rock and punk.
Our songs would have dark undertones and strong lyrics, with immense drum and
guitar solos. Backing up my killer vocals would be Chester Bennington, Mike
Shinoda and Jared Leto.... Keep on my good side and I'll get you a back stage
pass!!
9. What do you want to do as a
writer during 2015?
I really want to forge ahead, 2014
has been an awakening of confidence and finding my inner voice.... 2015 here I
come!
10. Where can people find more
things Karen?
Another task for 2015, fly beyond
the Twitterverse... I'm a work in progress!
So there you have it folks. Be sure to visit Karen on her
tweet feed and get more samples of a great writer who also happens to be a good
friend with a terrific sense of humor. Who knows, I might even share my back stage passes with you to see a gig from the Raven Hearts.
Cheers,
JD
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