OUR POETRY ARCHIVE
Is Pleased to Introduce
ANA NEDELCU!
In Her Own Words…
OPA– ANA; How long have you been
writing Poetry?
ANA
II have been writing
poetry for almost ten years. I started writing in my mother tongue (Romanian,)
but then I shyly added English verses. I was always fond of writing in general,
having finished my studies in Literature and Foreign Languages. English has always
been like my 2nd mother tongue. Except for novels, I write in any
literary form. I also enjoy writing journalistic articles, and make academic
research. I find writing an exquisite and most enjoyable activity.
Returning
to poetry, in the past two years, I had a unique and amazing flow of
creativity. Most of my poems were dedicated to someone special in my life.
OPA
Who is your
favorite Poet?
ANA
Every day I read
pieces of contemporary poetry by young poets, and I am just amazed of how great
they are and how people express their deepest feelings and thoughts through
verses. I can`t say I have a favorite poet, especially because I`ve studied and
read poetry from different countries. But if I were to choose a few from top
poets/poetesses in history, I would say Maya Angelou, Walt Whitman, Emily
Dickinson, Edgar Alan Poe… and others. I also recommend you a great Romanian
poet – Nichita Stanescu. You will find his poems translated online. I have to
mention that I have particular interest on art as a social tool for expressing
injustice and promote peace and understanding among people and nations. And poetry
is one of the artistic expressions in this matter.
OPA
What are some of
your favorite genres to read and to write?
ANA
Along the years, I`ve read and written
poetry of many genres – from poetry as activism, to verses dedicated to nature
and landscapes, verses sprung from instant perceptions and, of course, poems
dedicated to love and the beloved. Reading or writing one genre or another also
depends on moments` perception, thought or feeling. As I mentioned above, I firstly stand for
poetry as activism. I believe that it has powerful meaning and sends powerful
messages out there. This year, I`ve contributed with two poems dedicated to
world peace and the 17 SDGs (ONU Objectives for World Sustainable Development) during
the World Poetry Canada & International “Peace and Human Rights” Exhibition
(February-March) at the University of British Columbia in Canada. I`m proud to
say that starting from this year, I represent World Poetry in my country,
Romania. I send special thanks to the wonderful Ariadne Sawyer, co-founder of
WP.
OPA
If you are
published please share with us your book.
ANA
Along the years, I
have published a lot in literary anthologies in my country. I also coordinated
two of them– one dedicated to feminine voices (which I also illustrated) and
the other to couple`s psychology. My first published English poems abroad were
in 2014 and then in 2015 in two international anthologies coming from the
Poetry Society of India, books coordinated and edited by Prof. Manminder Singh
Anand, to whom I have to thank for this opportunity. This year, I plan to
publish my first solo volume, which I believe to be bilingual (Ro-En) and will
gather the best poems I have ever written in both languages.
OPA Who or what was your inspiration
behind it?
ANA
Depending on thought,
feeling, instant or social happening, my verses just flow like a river on
paper. A great inspiration I had years ago was a history teacher of mine who
used to have a great and very poetic speech, like he was narrating history in
verses. Each time I was having classes with him, I was taking a paper and a pen
and was simply writing down fragments of his marvelous speech. This is how I
built a few poems based on his speech. This experience was truly amazing. In
the past few years, my poems have found THE muse, and in the centre of most of
my verses has been this beloved, very special person to whom I dedicate a
significant amount of creations. It`s what authentic love does to an
individual, it inspires the flow of creation and that someone becomes the muse
of your life, imagination and creation in any kind of form.
OPA What has been the toughest
criticism given to you as a writer? What was the biggest compliment? Did those
change how or what you write?
ANA
The toughest
criticism…hmmm…hard to say. Maybe that some of my poems are difficult to be
understood, that maybe are too abstract. People ask me “what is the meaning of
this?”. I don`t know if this is criticism, but I keep writing the way it comes J
The
biggest compliment…from what I remember now - “your poems are very deep,
written from depths of your soul” or “as I`m reading your poem, I`m actually
living the scene”.
I always
listen and appreciate what people say, their opinion, perceptions and…I just go
on writing the way “the river flows.”
OPA When you sit down to write, do you
do it the old-fashioned way with pen and paper or do you use a computer? Do you
prefer one way or the other?
ANA
When I sit down to
write poetry, I mostly do it in old-fashioned way with a pen and paper, then I
write it on my computer. Nowadays, with all the technology, we tend to forget
the handwriting which I still believe to be important for any child to learn
and human being to exercise. Besides the fact that it has importance for the
locomotion system and coordination of our bodies, handwriting gives me the
chance to keep the actual drafts on long term as a souvenir if I may say or a
security form in case of computer breakdown. Also, handwriting it`s an art by
itself (calligraphy).
OPA What is your favorite poem you
have ever written?
ANA
My favorite poem would
be “Poem from a Portrait (dedicated to spiritual Masters)” published in March
issue from the OPA. I am honored to have this poem published in OPA!
OPA What do you do when you are not
writing?
ANA
When I don`t write or
I`m not involved in any other literary/journalistic project, I do a lot of
other things. Being an upholder of comparative knowledge, always open to learn
new things and having grown up in a multicultural environment, along the years I
have been active in many fields of activity – I am keen on arts in general and
in this sense, I like to design clothes, accessories and interior d`Eco for a
concept I initiated ten years ago (AnARTivism).
My designs stand for environmental protection, ecological education and
recycling through art, being focused on textile recycling. Some of my poems are
dedicated to natural environment preservation.
Also, in
matters of arts, I studied choreography for 25 years and have been involved in
several international projects and performances. 2013 was the last year to be
part of a choreography project but I intend to return to that field too and get
involved if any opportunity. For me, dance is the most intimate corner I have
ever explored because music mixed with movement touches the core of my being.
Lots of my poems are dedicated to this wonderful and expressive art of
movement. Also, I tried a few drawings inspired by this body in contemporary
movement.
I am also
involved in educational and social activities, being very interested in
worldwide politics. I am a trainer in European youth projects (having finished
my Master in European studies) and I have been organizing educational workshops
and lectures in my community for many years, such as democratic participation, citizenship,
social theater (for which I wrote a short script), dance, creative writing or
ecology.
My free
time (when possible) is dedicated to travelling, both short or long distances,
long walks or excursions. Travelling plays an important part in my creative
writing process, because it translates all the experiences and new people I
always meet.
People always
ask me how I can be so active in so many fields. Well, besides me being a
dynamic and very organized person, I tell them it is easy when you realize that
everything is interconnected. I always connect the dots when having one
activity or the other, because when I make an engaged artistic piece, I also
spread a social message to the world or when I am a youth trainer, I use all
the artistic skills to make sessions more interactive, or when I am involved in
education, all the subjects in the world relate to it. It is not difficult at
all. They actually complete each other.
OPA Compared to when you first started
writing, have you notice any big changes in your writing style or how you write
compared from then to now?
ANA
When I first started
to write, my focus was more on self-observation and inner process. My first
ever poem was inspired by a series of photographs which represented nudes in
several artistic positions. I instantly saw the body in movement (dance). Along
the years, I developed more of social poetry being more interested in politics,
education, environment, community organizing and social engagement. In the past
two years, I`ve established a pen name (LiterAnART)
and I`ve stressed on the inner process being focused on how I perceive the
genuine feeling of love and commitment. I believe that my poetry went through a
significant getting-matured process.
OPA What do you look for in a book
when you sit down to read for fun?
ANA
What I mostly look for
in a piece of writing (of any kind) is the image you instantly form in your
head (the scene) and the moral symbol behind it. Like in fairy-tales, a piece
of writing has to teach you something good, has to raise a question or to
remain open for further interpretation according to reader`s own perceptions.
In my opinion, writing should offer a scene, a moral and a question.
OPA What has been your favorite part
of being a poet or and author? What has been your least favorite?
ANA
My favorite part of
being a poetess has always been the chance to fill a void or “to overflow the
banks”.
My least
favorite part of being a poetess…there`s none.
OPA When you walk into a bookstore,
where do you head to first? Why?
ANA
I can`t say I`ve
formed a habit of heading to one specific genre of literature or another or any
other types of books. I enjoy exploring a bookstore and I let myself lead by
interesting titles no matter the subject. Still, if I were to choose, would be
books on literature, personal development and politics. I usually gather ideas
from any book I find interesting on that book shelf.
OPA Did you get to quit your day job
and become a writer and/or author or do you still have a day job and writing is
something you do for fun? If you still have a day job, what is it?
ANA
As mentioned above,
I`ve always been involved in several fields of activity as I interconnect them,
and writing is one of them and always will be. For me writing isn`t just for
fun, never was, but something very serious. I have explored almost every type
of writing. Now I`m exploring more of the short stories because it`s the step towards
the novel. It`s an activity I consider to be a day job.
OPA What has been the strangest thing
that a reader has asked you?
ANA
“What`s the story
behind this piece?” It`s not strange at all J
OPA Besides writing and reading, what
is your most favorite thing to do?
ANA
All the above
mentioned, but I
admit that travelling brings
something unique and amazing into the picture – the perpetual interaction with
new people and new cultures, an aspect I most enjoy.
OPA
Did you have any
teacher in school that encouraged you to write? Did you take their advice?
ANA
In high-school, I had
a great teacher (of Romanian language) with whom we used to do interesting and
interactive lessons. We always had argumentative essays to do and it was a
pleasure working on them. She used to tell me that I should develop my writing
passion.
OPA We all have our little things when
it comes to reading, is there anything that bugs you when you read a novel?
What is it?
ANA
Like in certain movies
and theater plays, I sometimes feel time lingers and scenes become monotonous,
boring. When this happens, I`m just passing by a few passages.
OPA What do you listen to when you
write? Do you find one type of music over another that inspires you to write?
Why?
ANA
When I write I enjoy
silence. Is almost as if the music from my head is enough to put down what I
need to. I also enjoy Nature`s music, such as the wind, the rain or the storm.
As for the other music, I usually listen to sounds for meditation, chill-out,
jazz or classical music which are all very inspiring.
OPA On a typical weekend, what can we
find you doing? Who are you with?
ANA
I can`t affirm, in a
usual way, that weekends are free for resting. As I develop many projects,
sometimes weekends find me busy. Otherwise, I mostly enjoy attending artistic
or cultural events and travelling.
OPA What genre are you most looking
forward to exploring during your writing career? Why?
ANA
I guess I`ll focus
more on writing novel. In spite of my passion for writing in general and the
easy way of doing it, I find novel to be the hardest one. For now, I can`t seem
to see the words for the flow of an entire existence, the multiple scenes, actions,
reactions, happenings. When I write, my sequences are usually “burned” in short
images and few words, like an overview of a project or the extraction of the
essential from it. For a novel, I will maybe start with a biography.
OPA What are you currently reading?
ANA
I read poetry mostly,
almost every day. Are like flashes passing in front of my eyes from which I
extract an idea I`m interested in that usually goes back in my own writing
process in new forms. Because I initiate and develop creative writing
workshops, according to each theme, I explore different kinds of literary
genres from which I choose passages to work on and symbols to work with.
OPA Who are your favorite authors?
ANA
I am fond of Virginia
Wolf, Ernest Hemingway, Miguel de Cervantes, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison
(African-American literature), the rising author and artist (painter) from
Nigeria, Kingsley C. Nwabia who writes amazing fairy tales and short stories
inspired by the Nigerian culture, Eugen Ionesco (Theater of the Absurd), Mircea
Eliade (amazing Romanian author, the only author in history who wrote “The
History of Religions”) and many more.
OPA What 7 words would you use to
describe yourself?
ANA
assertive,
open-minded, tolerant, dynamic/ enthusiastic, perseverant, empathic, leader.
OPA Is there anything else that you
would like to share or say to those who will read this interview?
ANA
I am a conscious
dreamer and I encourage people to follow their own path in life.
Thank you
very much for your patience in reading my interview! I hope you`ve enjoyed it.
Special
thanks to OPA for this amazing chance!
The editorial staff of this project:
Deborah Brooks Langford, Stacia Lynn Reynolds; sincerely
thank you for your time and hope we shall have your continued support.
