Write On! interviews writer Hope Roberts

Hope is a retired practice nurse, writer, poet and encourager. She’s passionate about healthy eating and healthy life and is very creative in everything she does: her writing, her homes, the way she dresses, in fact, all of her surroundings.

WO: How would you describe your writing to someone new to it?

HR: Motivating, encouraging and inspiring.

WO: Can you tell us a bit about your latest book, Teach Me?

HR: Teach Me is a motivating poetry book for children and is on Amazon as an ebook. I started writing as a hobby. My poem Give Us A Chance, about the black milky bar kid, got me my first TV job. I then wrote a book of poetry, Teach Me, Inspire Me, Love Me, Encourage. This book got me into schools, on radio, and doing events. I wrote a poem for Nelson Mandela when he came out of prison and he send me a signed gift which I framed. I also wrote a poem for Princess Diana when she died. This was my very first book and I still use it today. It was published by Pen Press in 1997.

WO: What inspired you to write in the first place, and what inspires you now?

HR: My daughter drew a black and white girl hugging each other and I put it on my wall. A friend visited me and said, “You have to write something about this picture.” So I wrote a poem, Forever Friends! and I also wrote an article I was paid for. Then God said to me that I have to write more to help people. I started and never stop. I had little breaks but nothing big. Working as a practice nurse motivated me to write food booklets, health poems, blogs and articles.

I’m now a retired practice nurse, but I worked in a primary school for three years in Brent. I was motivated by the children, wrote several children’s books, poetry books and at the moment I’m publishing ebooks.

WO: In a previous issue, Write On! explored the theme of ‘Home’. With that in mind, how important is a sense of belonging to your writing process? Do you find your ideal of home working its way into your creativity? Is there a feeling or place you continually find yourself coming back to?

HR: I love that because a house is not a home; you have to make it a home. When I was selling my last flat, the estate agent said to me, “What a lovely home!” Everywhere I live I create a home. I’m very creative and love to create homes, stories, poems, blogs and articles.

WO: What one piece of advice would you give an aspiring writer?

HR: Write about things you love. Your writing will then flow easily.

WO: Question from Twitter user: @madeleinefwhite – Do you view writing as a spiritual process?

HR: Yes, it brings out the best in you.

WO: Can you tell us anything about future projects? 

HR: I’ve just written a book yet to be published, Health Awareness For 50+. When I was working as a practice nurse, I advised and mentored all my older patients on healthy living and lifestyle. So God said to me I need to take into the community my health awareness for 50+ practices, which I did. I ran several workshops on Health Awareness for 50+ but when COVID came I stopped for a while. I now share health awareness online. 

I always ask God which topics I should write about. This week, he told me to write on Prostate Awareness. And guess what? On the news yesterday, the government was asking men to get their yearly PSA blood test done, because so many men are dying from this disease. Especially our black men, because they don’t go to the doctors.

WO: Lastly, if you could choose one fictional animal/creature to be a pet or companion, who would it be and why?

HR: My pen! Because I’m no good with animals.

You can find out more about Hope Roberts here: hopegivinghope.com

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Issue 15 of  Write On! magazine is available now. You can find it here. 

Each edition of our Write On! Audio podcast features an exclusive interview. Find us on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Google Podcasts and Spotify. Type Pen to Print into your browser and look for our logo, or find us on Anchor FM.

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