Poets come in all forms. Some have their own brand of poetry that comes from inspiration. Others take life experiences and convert those into regaling poetry. It happens in unique forms for distinct people.
“Poetry has always interested me since my school days,” said this week’s author spotlight Megan James. “Reading pieces by Shakespeare and Dickinson always made me feel bigger than I am. I think that’s the feeling that propelled me into writing, the ability poetry has to inflate the reader in such a swift, succinct way just amazes me. I only hope that my poetry does for others what great poets have done for me!”
Every writer or poet has their own process. For James, she takes examples from her own life and slightly amps it up a little.
“So they start off very raw and emotional but become more lyrical as I re-edit,” she added. “My favorite part of writing is form, and I love to experiment with line spacing, italics and rhyme.”
She attributes some poets such as Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, and Sylvia Plath among her favorite poets.
“All poets I look up to made a huge impact on feminist writing and always inspired me to write more of female experiences. The power in their poems will always amaze me, and I can only hope my poetry has such an impact on the world,” she highlighted.
Her recent release Poetry for Lovers and Haters: It’s Always the Darkest Before the Dawn, was a collection of poetry she had written throughout her life-time, beginning when she was 16 years old. This has been a six-year process for James, as she consistently produced her poetry, helping her decide which route to take.
“I’d always wondered if I’d be good enough or confident enough to publish any of my work, but as I studied my MA in Creative Writing and Publishing, I discovered I was,” she explained. “The classes I took on self-publishing and marketing really helped me shape and
create this collection, as well as my accompanying social media and promotion strategy. I will always be grateful to my lecturers for giving me the well needed push into self-publishing, and I’m really proud of myself for seeing it through.”
For now, she is working on her MA dissertation, which means she is putting her poetry on hold for the immediate future. She is planning to resume activity in the late summer or early fall, depending on when she submits the dissertation.
“I plan on creating another collection of poetry based on the wonderful feedback my first collection got, with the aim of releasing it in the new year.”
As she prepares to submit her dissertation, she remembers her beginnings and knows what she would tell a person beginning their career.
“Don’t doubt yourself,” she emphasized. “If you write and you enjoy it, you are a writer! You don’t need anyone’s validation to publish except your own - give that to yourself! I never felt prouder than receiving my author copy of my own collection, and even if not a single soul had bought it, that wouldn’t have changed. I write for myself and I published for myself, and I think that has really helped readers relate to my point of view and leave such positive reviews!”
For any information about her poetry, an interested reader could contact James on Twitter at @MeganThePoet and Instagram at @megan_the_poet.