Monday, January 1, 2018

NILAVRONILL SHOOVRO


WELCOME
TO
OUR POETRY ARCHIVE
Looking Back

It was in March 2015 when I was just thinking about one monthly web journal especially for poems around the world. It was my personal dream at that point of time to bring out “Our Poetry Archive”.  So I made contact with few of my friends to form a team for this purpose. Throughout my life always I believe in collective works. To build up a team one has to find few like minded people with more or less same vision. At that point of time it was not an easy task to fulfill. Yet I gave it an honest try. It was at that time when poet Anna Zapalska of Poland and poet Carolina Nazareno of Canada stood beside me as real and good friend. They helped me a lot to find out new poets. Although we had tried to build up one executive editorial board, for the purpose, yet it was not possible at that point of time as none of us was sure about the end result.  So actually I had to publish the first issue almost single handedly. Yes, with the help of Anna Zapalska and Carolina Nazareno and few other friends, those who helped me a lot contributing with their own poems and by bringing in their personal friends to participate in our poetical journey. So on 1st April 2015, “Our Poetry Archive” was published for the first time. That was just like the fulfillment of any long cherished dream. Yes I was overjoyed to see the first issue of OPA myself.

But as I said earlier, I do believe only in collective works, it was also painful for me to accept this type of practical situation of not being able to form an executive editorial board till then. Yet with the passing of every month OPA was getting new poets. And the viewer-ship of our monthly web journal was increasing every month. This had helped us a lot to continue with our work each month. Then all of a sudden Paris had witnessed one of the deadliest terror attacks on unarmed civilians. That was November 2015. Yes, not only this act of terrorism made a worldwide shock; it had also pained me a great deal. I was thinking about how insignificant we actually are. And I was feeling really a sense of shame with working on mere poetry or literary works at that point of time of colossal catastrophe. So I had planned to make one special issue on Peace Poetry against War and Terrorism for OPA.  So I asked all most all of my social site friends to participate in that venture to air our voice of protest against war and terrorism. To my sheer astonishment I received an awesome response around the world. Even lot of unknown friends, those who were friends of my friends participated in that special number of OPA. I should like to mention especially Poet Lilian Dipasupil Kunimasa of Philippines and Poet Anca Mihaela Bruma of Romania, Poet Maria Miraglia of Italy as they had helped a lot to bring out the massive edition of poetry collection, along with two other friends of mine Anna Zapalska and Carolina Nazareno and few others. So on the 25th December 2015 we published our first Anthology: Poetry for Peace against War and Terrorism.

Yes it was a success as so many poets had responded with number of their poetical creations to air their personal voice of protest against these types of inhuman activities. And with their help OPA had presented one collective effort of human conscience to stand up to the occasion. I would like to share few lines from the preface of that issue for our present readers. “We think it is also the moral responsibility of poets and writers alike to put their individual voice of protest, agony, pain and sufferings in words and lines in this time of political turbulence everywhere. Nobody is sure about who is the offender or protector. Now and then innocent peoples are dying in the most violent manner one could imagine. There is no life security for the citizens around the world. People have lost beliefs in the honesty and integrity of the society and political institutions alike. You don’t know where to turn up for shelter and security. You don’t know when the next suicidal terrorist attack will occur and where. Such is the situation in most of the regions of the world.  So this is the moment to shift our focus from mere literary work to use our literary tools to voice our individual protest in a collective manner. No, this is not a political debate for us. We are only concerned with the security and prosperity of human beings everywhere irrespective of their cast and religion, race and nationality, beliefs and doubts, language and culture. This is the time we thought OUR POETRY ARCHIVE should come out with this noble project focusing these issues and addressing the world in poetry for peace against war and terrorism.”

With that success of collective protest OPA achieved a little bit of fame. And we were fortunate enough to have poet Deborah Brooks Langford among us immediate after. Yes she brought so many new poets to OPA, even it was she herself who had brought us our present Editor poet and author Stacia Lynn Reynolds. I should also like to mention poet Alicja Maria Kuberska of Poland  and Maria Miraglia of Italy who have made OPA so popular in Europe. So at last we were able to form that elusive editorial board with Alicja Maria Kuberska, Anca Mihaela Bruma, Deborah Brooks Langford, Maria Miraglia and the Editor Stacia Lynn Reynolds and myself. This was the story of OPA along with the path of her success so far. During which we have published another two anthologies one against racism and most recently the anthology of women poetry. We had also published four continental special editions bringing in almost all the different literary traditions and heritages around the world to make OPA truly a world platform of Poets and Poetry.

This January we are also introducing eleven new poets. We are also glad to present Poetess  ALICIA  MINJAREZ RAMÍREZ of Mexico as the Poet Of the Month. Readers will find one long interview with the poet for the first time in OPA. Author Deborah Brooks Langford and Author Stacia Lynn Reynolds had supervised the entire interview for OPA.

We sincerely thank each poet and reader who is actively involved in this wonderful monthly web journal and continued their support of Our Poetry Archive.
From The Editorial Desk
OPA
A
WORLDWIDE WRITERS’ WEB
PRESENTATION!

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2 comments :

  1. Dear Poet Nilavro Nill, I read your commentary. I just figured OPA had been around for awhile. Your thoughts and words about the "violence" in the world now, from one of the first OPA Poet collections. And the statement of, "how insignificant we all really are". That still holds true in todays world. Worsening. In a world that I did not grow up in. I cannot imagine a more significant dream than to join people together from all over the globe, (that wasn't easy for you) to share their own hearts and thoughts. I too felt it began here in the U.S. with the 9-11 attacks. Each one of the 3000 faces, had a family, a dream, and I don't ever want anyone forgotten, as it happens so often now, that I question, "Are we now Numb to these atrocities"? NO! What are we/they fighting for? "Supremecy"? And there's is dark dream. Thank you for bringing the world together here. Your dream came true ! Promoting a "One-ness" of the world. Together, we will always be stronger! Thank you for adding me, once again !

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