NILAVRONILL TALKING WITH YINA ROJAS

 

NILAVRONILL TALKING WITH

POET OF THE MONTH

YINA ROJAS 

DECEMBER 2021

 

NILAVRONILL: Why do literature and poetry in particular interest you so much? Please give us some idea about your own perception of literature or poetry in general.

 

YINA ROJAS: I’ve always loved telling stories and literature is the main avenue to all the roads to do just that. Stories can come in books, blogs, mysteries or tales of joy, literature has opened the door today to share great stories through plays, cinematographic and musical interpretations. Poetry is like one those roads off Literature Avenue.  While you can have different styles to tell a story through poetry or any other form of literature, the reader’s connection and interpretation are what makes a great story.

 

NILAVRONILL: How do you relate your own self existence with your literary life in one hand, and the time around you, in the other.

 

YINA ROJAS: I think they exist together as a whole. Self-literary existence and time go together. I think as creators and writers, we may allow our time to dictate our literary existence. Accepting that existence and time are just parts of a whole, a whole you, the creator of this WHOLE existence.

 

NILAVRONILL: Do you believe creative souls flourish more in turmoil than in peace?

 

YINA ROJAS: Creative souls tend to feel deeply. Being able to feel the feelings and allow them to guide you can help creative souls flourish. Moving through the feelings and mastering a task through either turmoil or peace can both be beneficial. Peace teaches us where we need to be balanced and turmoil teaches us what’s out of balance, out of place. Both part of light and darkness.

 

NILAVRONILL: Do you think in this age of information and technology the dimensions of literature have been largely extended beyond our preconceived ideas about literature in general?

 

YINA ROJAS: Of course, the technology has truly expanded the audience reach and the extension that poetry and literature can go. I also feel like technology affects the way creators’ birth and promote new ideas, but at the same time, it makes finding your tribe, your niche and audience a lot faster because we are all connected thanks to the wonder of technology. 

 

NILAVRONILL: Now, in this changing scenario we would like to know from your own life experiences as a poet, writer and a creative soul: How do you respond to this present time?

 

YINA ROJAS: The last two years have given me time to reflect and work on myself. This has been a difficult time for the whole world, but allowing myself to feel, work and reflect on what we are all experiencing has helped me gain different perspectives on life, society, and overall self-preservation.

 

NILAVRONILL: Do you believe that all writers are by and large the product of their nationality? And is this an incentive for or an obstacle against becoming a truly international writer?

 

YINA ROJAS: We are all products of our upbringing, cultures, and societies we live in. We pick up traditions and beliefs from all our experiences, family, and friendships. Our DNA is a combination of all these and just like our cells regenerate, so can our beliefs and traditions. We are capable to evolve if we focus on being the best version of ourselves: not perfect, because we already are but the best we can be today.

 

NILAVRONILL: Now, if we try to understand the tradition and modernism, do you think literature can play a pivotal role in it?  If so, how? Again, how can an individual writer relate himself or herself to the tradition and to modernism?

 

YINA ROJAS: Throughout history, literature had the power to dictate what we feel and what we experience. Literature has given our imaginations the ability to fly without wings and to explore places we will never get to visit. Literature is a voice that once turned on, it cannot be shut down. Literature is a symbol of society’s freedom to express our desires and dreams and we all have dreams we want to fulfil.

 

NILAVRONILL: Do you think literary criticism has much to do with the development of a poet and the true understanding of his or her poetry?

 

YINA ROJAS: Literary criticism is an important part of a writer’s development. Our ideas and writings need to evolve as our audience and desires do. Understanding that each creation may have its imperfections and being able to accept and comprehend this from another’s perspective is critical for evolution in the creative mind. No creation is right or wrong, and it is also important to understand that someone’s opinion does not constitute the world. Sometimes creators judge themselves because we are attached to a perfectionism and we, just as our creations, are perfect as we are, exactly as we are.

 

NILAVRONILL: Do you think society as a whole is the key factor in shaping you up as a poet, or your poetry altogether?

 

YINA ROJAS: Society has played a key role in my poetry because all I create has to do with my experiences, my feelings and simply the message I want to convey.

 

NILAVRONILL: Do you think people in general actually bother about literature?  Do you think this consumerist world is turning the average man away from serious literature?

 

YINA ROJAS: I would say that some people are not really bothered by buying a piece of art or a book, but there are so many souls out there that cherish those with pride and joy. We create for those souls, we create to share our message and hope those meant to listen, do.

 

NILAVRONILL: We would like to know the factors and the peoples who have influenced you immensely in the growing phase of your literary life.

 

YINA ROJAS: Wow! I have so many, and I am afraid that I will start typing and leave names out. Two people that have influenced me are LaShonda Henderson and Makena Mutua. There are so many more, but these souls have touched me not only by their poetry, but their kindness and big hearts. I am so lucky to not only have them, but so many others that I can say spark inspiration into being a better version of me every day.

 

NILAVRONILL: How would you evaluate your contemporaries and what are your aspirations for or expectation from the younger generation?

 

YINA ROJAS: As an evaluation, I can say that creators have made a way for themselves; even throughout the pandemic. Creative souls are finding more ways to connect with the world, and I can only imagine that the younger generations will follow this example and expand into more imaginative ways to experience literature. 

 

NILAVRONILL: Humanity has suffered immensely in the past and is still suffering around the world. We all know it well. But are you hopeful about our future?

 

YINA ROJAS: Suffering is like a storm; these will all pass. All we are experiencing is temporary and it will pass eventually. Hope and faith are the last things to ever lose.

 

NILAVRONILL: What role can literature in general play to bring a better day for every human being?

 

YINA ROJAS: Creatives are brightening everyone’s days and nights as we read this. I can only imagine how many other creative ways we will continue to infuse more love, hope, faith, and kindness into our world.

 

YINA ROJAS: Life and love enthusiastic, Yina, owner of Threaded by Rojas (on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok) writes out life experiences ranging from traditional and free verse poetry, affirmations, as well as short stories to connect her audience to messages from life lessons. Her purpose is for the messages to find whoever is supposed to hear them and to remind us to ‘Remember if we are what we give, why not give love’.