Title: Almost: A Journey Through Poems
Author: Wendiann Alfieri
Illustrator: DeLaney Alfieri
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN: 979-8649137287
Pages: 263
Genre: Poetry
Interviewed by: Lily Amanda

Read Author Interview

PBR:  Where do you get your ideas?
A lot of the ideas I have come from two different places:
-lessons I’ve learned, throughout my life I have been through a lot, and writing my “wisdom” through poetry has always been great. The wisdom in my poems is not specifically for others, it’s for me too. It’s a reminder, almost, to learn and remember current and past strength
-my dreams, usually nightmares, as I typically remember nightmares in more detail than general dreams. I love bizarre things and my brain comes up with bizarre dreams. There’s usually one detail that I have when I wake from nightmares/dreams that I remember, concepts that don’t escape me that I wake in the middle of the night and scramble to write down before forgetting and going back to sleep Building from that is almost exhilarating, taking on creating from the parts of me I once would wish to ward off
-Coincidences, things that can’t be explained are things I love to take my creative freedom to explain. All ideas start with “ what if” , but if you are a writer, you know that what will set you to write about it is your answer to your own question in response, which is simply “Why?”

PBR:  What is the most favorite part of your artistic process?
I find the physical part to be the best, like I find handwriting in a journal with a pen/pencil/marker/etc., more fulfilling than typing, no matter the occasional inconvenience it can cause. starting with a blank page and physically writing that makes everything more, well, real
Idea’s are more solid and true to what you want your writing to be when you don’t (initially i guess?) have a backspace button
My pen is my good luck charm, my bit of hope I travel with.
I’m kind of superstitious like that. It doesn’t matter if I dont have paper, ( I usually do carry a notebook with me),I still need to have a pen on me all the time, purple pen specifically because part of the process of writing is to write in different colors. A slight Rebellion to the rituals of handwriting.
if I’m really out of ideas, i can just take my pen out and write, and just see where it goes
I call it “aimless writing” and it really does help with ideas when you just don’t think about it.
You don’t have to worry about guidelines or story with aimless writing,
People can’t always tell all the stories of the world by themselves.
Sometimes you gotta let the story tell YOU.

PBR:   Do you have intentions of writing another poetry book?
Yes! In fact, I have a collection of poems I plan on making into another book, so stay tuned 🙂

PBR:   Did you write the book Almost: A Journey Through Poems in reference to real-life experiences?
These poems in “Almost” are quite random, but consecutive. Basically, I had a facebook page for my writing, as in regards to the first book I’ve published, also a poetry book,(“Stream Of My Reality”, not proud of it as the editing is terrible).
I decided I wanted to keep writing and sharing poems through facebook, before even thinking of making a website for it. I decided to write one poem every day based on the first word that popped into my head. Now, no one really read those on that facebook page but I kept writing them. Eventually I deleted that page, but not until I compiled all my poems into one document, my “Word of the Day ” poems. Those poems are the content in “Almost”
My ideas for this book arrived every day when I picked a word and wrote whatever came to mind, a long poem a short poem, a statement, but ultimately it was based off my mood and the first word to pop into
my head, even if I’d used it twice
I sculpted these poems every day, determined and my feelings and thoughts shown through no matter what the original “prompt”-word was, over the course of a year.
I guess I can say, I made my own my own. The words were the bones
my feelings were the meat
my will to pass through limitations, I gave myself was the skin, and the mirror,
The mirror reflects my intentions: to write for me, no matter who read what or if I deleted it all.
so, yeah, these poems do reflect real-life experiences as this is like a poetry diary anyway
I never intended these poems to become a book, but they did and I am glad

PBR:  What was an early experience where you learnt that language has power?
When I was nine, I read a book that really taught me language, gave me the desire to understand it. It was tragic and I felt every word, understanding it or not. It was real, it was raw, it’s what drew me in to love reading books. That book teaches lessons we all should draw from. Especially, because it wasn’t just a book. It was The Diary Of Anne Frank, it taught me over and over and as I get older the words have different meaning then when I was nine, but that just goes to show you how language really does have power

PBR:   What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
In general, and I am not trying to sound like a smartass here, Literary elements. They are like the notes that are part of a musical piece, intertwining and wrapping around each other to compliment and accent at the same time. There are so many out there, ones we use everyday and others more obscure. All important, and fun to recognize if you’re like me and highlight/analyze books to death just as a hobby

PBR:   Do you have a website, blog or social media handle that readers can interact with you?
Yes!
www.wendiannsworld.com

PBR:   What advice would you give to a writer who is working on their first poetry book?
Really pay attention to format. Poetry is not just what it says, it’s how you read it. The way it presents leads to the way it sounds, and I say definitely read your poems out loud to yourself, it really helps the editing process, no matter how frustrating that can be. Keep writing and don’t lose the spirit, your spirit will stay alive the more you nurture it. Take your time, there’s no reason to rush.Quality is key.