Write On! interviews poet Angelena Demaria
Angelena says “I live in Walthamstow and belong to the Forest Poets stanza group. With Maggie Freeman, I run Station Poets stanza group. I’ve been shortlisted in our local poet’s competition, been published in magazines and anthologies, won the Indigo Dreams First Collection competition, and had work featured in the William Morris and Dulwich Picture galleries to complement exhibits.”
WO: How would you describe your work to someone new to it?
AD: I mainly write about ecological, social and feminist issues and a bit about childhood, from a somewhat pagan perspective. I try to emphasise the extras poetry can bring which prose rarely can: lyricism, rhythm and the ability to use metaphor, condense ideas and hold simultaneous meanings.
WO: Can you tell us a bit about your latest project?
AD: My current project is to produce a chapbook/collection about the instructions that orchestrate our lives, bombarding us with ads and official notices, for instance.
Though I do cherish the unintentionally funny ones – Dogs must be carried on the escalator – a possible dog rental opportunity?
WO: What inspired you to write in the first place, and what inspires you now?
AD: Like most poetry-ish people, I went through the usual phases over the years, with varying success: Love and loss, the search for identity, family experiences and dead people poems.
Now I prefer to focus on what’s going on in the world, such as social issues; usually stemming from real observed people and events. I try to avoid generalised rants about politics we hear so often. I admire poets who speak from their own lived experience.
WO: We’ve recently explored the theme of ‘Borrowed.’ Writers inevitably draw on stories, structures and voices that have come before them. How do you navigate influence while maintaining a distinct creative voice?
AD: Because I’ve performed the stories of myths and legends for many years, I am influenced by them. In particular, how they explore timeless features of the human condition and experience from many cultures, with ideas about reality and individuality often with wit and wisdom. I do have an English Literature degree, but reading poetry is what counts, not writing about it.
Of course, I’m influenced by current fashions, but I’m not a fan of work that requires readers to puzzle so much about the meaning that it becomes a barrier.
WO: What one piece of advice would you give an aspiring writer?
AD: Write because you enjoy doing it in a way that feels true to yourself. Share with, and learn from, other writers. Join your local Stanza group. Attend courses. Read and listen at open mics. Don’t get disheartened if you don’t always get published. There are far more poets than places to publish them, and the pool of potential buyers is limited. Go in for competitions. You may not win, but the experience is invaluable.
WO: Can you tell us anything about future projects?
AD: Well, I have stacks of poems to sort out and winnow. I find information about how our brains edit our experience fascinating, though it’s a bit above my scientific pay grade!
WO: Lastly, if you could choose one fictional animal/creature to be a pet or companion, who would it be and why?
AD: Odin’s eight-legged horse, Sleipnir. Great for traffic jams!
You can find out more about Angelena Demaria at her website: Angelena Demaria-Indigodreamspublishing.com.
Under The Lippy is available to buy from the publisher, Amazon, and can be ordered from most main bookshops online.
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Issue 29 of Write On! is out now. Featuring an interview with travel author Tharik Hussain the theme is ‘ Borrowed’ and you can read it online here. Find it in libraries and other outlets. You can find previous editions of our magazines here.
You can hear great new ideas, creative work and writing tips on Write On! Audio. 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 Podcasters.Spotify.com.
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