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Since our theme of the month is Poetry, we thought we'd interview one of our members and Srivalli Rekha, the writer of our monthly book reviews and an accomplished poet, was the first person we thought of. Check out her thoughts on poetry and what draws her to the art form.
WW: What originally drew you to poetry?
SR: My father. He would recite poems from memory as a part of my bedtime stories ritual. I grew up loving verses for their lyrical beauty and hidden meanings.
WW: What's your favorite poem you ever wrote?
SR: Ah, this is hard to answer. Let me think… It would be Zenith, a poem I wrote as a part of the A-Z blogging challenge in 2020. It gave me peace and strength.
WW: Where do you find inspiration?
SR: Nature mostly. Paintings too. I love trying to find expressions and emotions in brush strokes and try to convey them in verse. Even then, I find myself leaning towards paintings of Nature.
WW: How does she process the emotional side of poetry?
The emotions come from me. An article that troubles me, an image that makes me smile, something that makes me introspect- it could be anything. That’s one reason I cannot write instant poetry. I need to think and consider a theme or topic from different perspectives until one angle strikes a chord and takes root. This makes some poems turn out heavy than others. But I like to kind of maintain a balance and not overwhelm the readers or make it sound aggressive. Passive-aggressive with a good dose of sarcasm is my go-to in such times.
WW: How do you come up with the imagery in your poems?
SR: Mostly from Nature or something I’ve read. I need a prompt to write a poem, whether it is a word, an image, or a theme. I build the poem from there, and the direction it takes depends on my mood. It could go any way.
WW: Is there any type/format of poetry you'd like to try but haven't yet?
SR: Oh, I love poetic forms. Yes, Kyrielle is one style I would love to get right. I tried it once and messed it up big time. Somehow, Meters and I don’t like each other, lol. Apart from that, there are many complex forms I want to try.
WW: What other poets inspire you?
SR: Robert Frost, William Wordsworth, Walter Whitman, William Blake, and so on. I tend to prefer classic works when it comes to poetry.
WW: Where can readers find your work?
SR: My ebook Violets in Hand is my first collection of poems. I also have a decent collection on my blog.
Violets in Hand: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SWBWK9V