ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA TALKING WITH MONICA MAARTENS

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA TALKING WITH

POET OF THE MONTH

MONICA MAARTENS

MAY 2021

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: Do you come from a literary background?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:   No, I do not come from a literary background.

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: What inspired you to start writing?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:   I went to live with the homeless on the streets to teach them how to survive without begging, by converting others trash into something pretty or useable and added short poems to the articles to make it more interesting and saleable.

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: What writers did you enjoy reading as a child?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:   Enid Blydton

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:   None, as I cannot afford it and I care for my elderly mother which makes it impossible to travel.

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: How did you get started as a poet?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:   By entering a poetry contest with Poetry Planet and winning, which inspired me to continue on this journey.

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: How do your poems develop? Please guide us through the stages of a poem!

 

MONICA MAARTENS:   A thought leads into emotions which become a story or message concluding with a solution to a problem.

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:   Truth, good useage of language and interesting topics pertaining to life.

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: What is the most difficult part about writing for you?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:   Finding the right words to express emotions.

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: How did you manage to fit writing in with other demands on your time? Are you good at managing your time?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:   I set aside time early in the morning and after work, when I have completed my chores for the day. I am reasonably good at keeping to it.

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA:  Who are your favourite living poets?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:  I enjoy many poets in the groups I am involved with, too many to mention individually.

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA:  How did you first get published?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:  Through Real Vision Publication by Colin Hill who published "Let's go all Platinum".

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: Have you ever had a work rejected?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:  No

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: Can you give any advice to someone wanting to write and publish poetry?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:  I suggest they allow their words to flow like waves of the ocean...

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: What is the imagery or mood in your poem?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:  it varies according to the topic or message which I wish to convey.

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA:  What are the structural or stylistic techniques you use in your poetry?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:  I mostly use rhyme at the end of lines, but this too varies according to the mood and message of the poem...whether it is serious or light hearted, spiritual or romantic…

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: What's the worst advice you hear authors give writers?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:  That anything goes….improper use of language reads with difficulty and should not be encouraged.

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: What does success mean to you? What is the definition of success?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:   Success to me means being happy and contented in what you do. The satisfaction of completing a poem and sharing something worthy with the world.

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: How do you handle literary criticism?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:   Criticism is very valuable, as it opens ones mind to new ways of thinking and seeing things, which you may never have considered if someone didn't bring it  to your attention.

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:   Yes, I am currently working on "LifeQuotes" which I plan to put together in a book as soon as I have the opportunity.

 

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: If you had to describe yourself as a writer in three words, what would they be?

 

MONICA MAARTENS:   Spiritual, emotional and creational.

 

MONICA MAARTENS: South African born poetess and writer, using the penname "Zararia Yul" meaning "brightness of dawn river beyond the horizon". Nature lover and deeply involved with the spiritual side of life and existence of all creation working together in unity, sharing the same essence of life, manifested in different physical bodies, shapes and sizes.

 

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA

ANCA MIHAELA BRUMA: Educator, lecturer, performance poet, eclectic thinker, mentor with staunch multi-cultural mindset and entrepreneurial attitude, Anca Mihaela Bruma considers herself a global citizen, having lived in four continents. Her eclecticism can be seen in her intertwined studies, she pursued: a Bachelor of Arts (Romania) and a Master of Business Administration (Australia). The author labels her own writings as being “mystically sensual”, a tool and path for women to claim their own inner feminine powers. She uses poetics as a form of literary education, self-discovery and social.