Poet Interview Series: New Hope Poetry
Today we present to you a very talented up and coming poet from India with the pen name “New Hope Poetry”. New Hope Poetry won the first AWB Poetry Slam by a mile with her beautiful poem titled “Unfinished”! The poem is two part so we hope you can take the time to see the full poem here…
As you can see from the interview below, this rising star is writing poetry not only as a hobby but embracing it authentically with her full being. We are proud to have ‘New Hope Poetry” in the AWB Poetry Community and are certain this Poetry Slam win is only the first success we will witness in a budding career that will capture the hearts of all poetry lovers. See below for the full interview.
When did you first become passionate about poetry and what attracted you to it?
The basic foundation of reading was instilled in me by my mother who is herself a voracious reader of Bengali literature. Becoming passionate about poetry was a gradual process. As I grew up, I started observing my surroundings and experiences kept piling up, which gave me clarity in my thinking. I think it was some years back when I fell extremely sick, books became my best form of support other than my family. From then on Literature or moreover poetry became more and more ingrained in me.
I not only love poetry, I live it. It is an extension of my existence. I think I was just made to be drawn to the magnetism of it.
Do you publish your poems on other channels but Instagram?
I haven’t yet published my poetry on any other platforms except on Instagram. But I am planning to do it in the near future.
Who is your favorite Instapoet and what inspires you?
It’s not a single person, the list is huge! From Rupi Kaur to Atticus to r.h.sin to his beautiful wife Samantha, to Najwa Zebian to April Green, etc. I think all the Instapoets who have been writing for years and have managed to survive among the crowd because of their authenticity.
For me, the biggest inspiration has been my own life experiences, surroundings (basically observing people and nature) and books. I have been through a lot of highs and lows at such a young age and my words reflect that. Everything I go through creates an image in my mind and I try to recreate that with my words. My poems are confessional sometimes. Recently I read a book called “When breath becomes air” by Paul Kalanithi which has inspired me in ways more than I can emote out via words. It has left an indelible effect on my mind.
Do you use an app to produce your poetry or do you prefer to sketch it out on paper first?
Whatever is nearby my hand at that moment, I prefer to use that. Basic note taking app that comes with the mobile is very handy as I do not carry a pen and paper everywhere I go.
Are you interested in offline poetry as well?
I read as many as I can and someday would like to get my own poetry work published. But I don’t really go out to poetry conventions or anything like that. So, in that sense I haven’t been much into offline poetry.
Tell us a little about your writing process? How do you come up with poems and how do you edit them?
The process is very organic and spontaneous. Wordsworth once said, ’’poetry is the spontaneous flow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity.” So I don’t force myself to write anything. Only when some excess emotions swell up in my mind, I bottle them up with words. That flood becomes my poetry. Sometimes that takes time. And I give my mind that time.
Regarding editing, I mostly use Photoshop. For my Instagram posts I use flowers from my own garden and use them to decorate my words. Being a nature-loving person, it really goes well with my vibe.
How do you respond to writer’s block or not knowing what to write?
I skip writing at that moment. I just take a pause and invest my time into other activities or just take a nap. Another way of getting rid of that boulder that smothers your creativity is to use some leverage of great minds. Reading up some works by other poets, philosophers, scientists, whatever floats your boat basically. It can give us a new perspective of the world. Or just sit somewhere and do nothing. Our minds have got their own seasons, so if it’s a dry season there; my mind would say, ”Sorry Jane, no water for ya.”
Is writing poetry just a hobby for you or would you like to make a living out of it?
Answering this question is really excites me because I have not thought about it to be honest. Writing poetry is something that gives me pure joy. So if I could be a “full-time poet”, it would be an absolute bliss.
What is your strategy of growing audience?
I have no real strategies to grow my audience. I just make sure to personally send every piece of writing to my friends, family and acquaintances and also tag the featuring pages on Instagram. In fact, that’s how I got to know your blog- A Writer’s Business and through you a lot others. So, my approach is pretty basic on that front.
You just won A Writer’s Business Poetry Slam. What are your next goals?
I wish I could thank each one of the amazing people who have liked and supported my work personally. This win was very much unexpected and out of the blue incident for me. It has given me monumental motivation to give more time and effort to my writing process. As I have mentioned before my poetry is spontaneous and I don’t plan it. That said, I can say that my goal in my personal life has always been connecting with people through any medium possible but I can only tame words, hence through only poetry I can connect with people on a deeper level. And another goal is to stay happy and kind and make other people happy. Although a tinge of salty sadness is necessary too, to fully enjoy the happiness cookie.
What advice would you give young poets just starting out?
I would like to tell them that, ”Everybody knows words and how to form sentences out of it. Just put enough honest and pure emotions into those limited frame of words. That’s how one can be authentic with their writing. And do not follow the trend of what others are writing, instead be the trend yourself.”
Do you think poetry has a greater purpose?
Poetry is an expression of a thinking mind. Anyone can interpret it and in myriad ways. Depending on the reader’s experiences and situation, they can relate to it. And it can soothe them, comfort them. Make them believe that they are not the only one in this planet feeling a certain kind of emotion. Personally, poetry has been an escape for me. It has been my unheard silent voice when I was unable to speak or react to a certain moment. There could be a poem on every kind of mood, feeling, loss and it makes you think that poetry can outlive the poet’s own life or rather generations. Because, feelings never go out of fashion. I believe poetry or art or any kind of interest can become your company when there’s no one beside you. It gives you hope. And it helps make sense of this crazy world.
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@newhopepoetry Many thanks to for talking to us about your writing journey. We are super excited to have you on board and to support you in your development as a poet. If you too want to follow New Hope Poetry’s career check out the profile on Instagram here…