Friday, August 1, 2025
EMILIJA TODOROVA ~ INTERVIEW
NILAVRONILL
TALKING WITH
Poet Of The Month
EMILIJA
TODOROVA
AUGUST 2025
NILAVRONILL: Welcome to Our Poetry Archive, dear poet. I would like to know your personal views on literature or poetry in general.
EMILIJA TODOROVA: I cannot
imagine my life without art in all its forms. Whether I read or write, literature/poetry aids my ongoing personal growth through learning about
the world and myself, seeing different perspectives that could help develop or
reframe aspects of my own thinking and broadening my horizons. It is one of the means by which I not only enrich my life, but also self-actualise.
NILAVRONILL: What are the
factors that have influenced you immensely in the growing phase of your
literary life. When, most probably you were not certain of your future as a
poet or writer. Is there anyone in your life, influenced you personally to
develop your literary skills? Or inspire you to become a poet? Do you think
society as a whole is the key factor in shaping up you as a poet, or your
poetry altogether?
EMILIJA TODOROVA: There are several moments in my life that had a major impact on my creative
trajectory. My mother and
older brother instilled in me the love and appreciation of arts and beauty. I
was a curious, introverted child, immersed in reading and that exposure to
books from an early age had a profound influence on my development. My teachers
of language and literature encouraged me to use language creatively, while
avoiding the traps of clichés and sentimentality. My formative years were
during a period of world-wide tectonic shifts in poetry: experimentation with language and form, rejection of many formal constraints such
as rhymed verse and metered prosodies, all of which informed my style of
writing. In my country of birth (Republic of Macedonia), long gone were the
days of post-war elation and heroics – poetry turned to social commentary,
exploration of folklore and tradition, identity, intimate confessions. Finally,
my migration to Australia and my travels around the globe expose(d) me not only
to many different cultures, but also to diverse perspectives and worldviews,
which keep challenging my own. These experiences make me re-examine my thinking
and myself constantly – the process and result of which are reflected in my
poetry.
NilavroNill:
Is it possible to put into the words everything that as a poet you wish to
express literarily? If not, why?
EMILIJA TODOROVA:
Generally, yes, but literature, poetry in particular, is often about nuances,
and as much as the language is elastic, it has its limitations. Emotions can be
difficult to verbalise in a way that creates/evokes the same richness and
intensity of the experienced feeling. Complex abstract concepts could be
another example. In addition to using various poetic devices, I often create
coined words when I cannot find a suitable extant word, but even that doesn’t
always “fill the gap” in the imagery that I would like to create.
NilavroNill: Do
you agree with John Keats (1795-1821) on his ardent believe, “Truth is beauty,
beauty is truth”? Even if we take for instance the wars especially in Europe or
the fall out of second world war in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, how can we manage
to reconcile between those truths with beauty as promulgated by Keats?
EMILIJA TODOROVA: In the context of Keats’s poem
“Ode on the Grecian Urn”, the concluding verse: ‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty, —that is all Ye know on
earth, and all ye need to know’, implies that we discover truth through beauty (art) and
that truth is inherently beautiful. This notion certainly presents a challenge when
applied to situations that generally evoke images we strongly associate with
ugliness. My view of beauty, however, is not confined to the frame of
aesthetics - I see beauty in the context of morality/ethics too. One could argue that
even in the truths of military conflicts: hardship, suffering and even death,
one can find examples of other truths that, in turn, reveal beauty - in
resisting evil, in strength and resilience, in acts of heroism/ self-sacrifice
for the common good, in the bonds between people, sometimes on the opposing
sides, in the deepening of the understanding of self and others, etc. On the
other hand, through works of art the full gamut of human condition is brought
to light, making art (beauty) not only an important vehicle of discovering the
truth, but also a means of raising the bar for humanity.
NilavroNill: Too
many writers believe imagery is an essential part of poetry. Do you agree this
notion? Even if we consider Leonardo da Vinci’s words that poetry is painting
that is felt rather than seen.
EMILIJA TODOROVA: I share the view that using
language to create an immersive sensory experience through imagery is one of
the most effective ways to engage (with) the reader and establish a connection
with their personal experiences, which, in turn, can generate strong emotional
responses, augmenting the poem’s impact. I cannot think of a poem that has
absolutely no imagery, although there are poems that do not rely on much or on
strong imagery - for example, poems grounded in dispassionate observation, abstract
concepts, philosophical deliberation and so forth. Sometimes deliberately
sparse imagery can invoke a more intense sensation in the reader too.
NilavroNill: Do you believe,
passionately falling in love with a particular language is essential to excel
in poetical ventures? And is it possible to write poems in multiple languages
preserving same literary quality? We would like to know your own experiences.
EMILIJA TODOROVA: You don’t have to be madly in
love with a language, but you need to know the language and its nuances well to
be a poet. A rich vocabulary and mastery of the language can aid originality,
the use of figurative speech, creation of evocative imagery and expression of
complex concepts. Yes, it is possible to create literary works of equal or
similar quality in more than one language: Kundera, Nabokov, Beckett, Gibran,
Pound, Tagore and quite a few others are perfect examples. I am multilingual,
but predominantly write in Macedonian (my first language) and English (my third
language). While I can express myself well in both languages, I feel that my
poems written in Macedonian have the edge over the ones written or translated
in English. This is partly due to my lingo-stylistic choices which judiciously
incorporate archaic, obsolete and colloquial words for which it is hard to find
equivalent in the English language. Additionally, I am not an expert in Old and
Middle English to be able to confidently use English archaisms to achieve a
sense of historical authenticity or create a particular tone.
NilavroNill: Do
you consider poetry as an emotional outbursts of poet’s personal sentiments? Or
is it a long journey to realize and express the universal sentiments beyond all
personal limitations? Again, we want to understand your views through your
personal experiences of your literary life as a poet.
EMILIJA TODOROVA: In my case, quite a few – if
not majority- of my poems use intensely personal experiences to express or
evoke universal sentiments and to make them relatable, even if the reader would
respond to the same experience differently due to cultural and/or individual
differences.
NilavroNill: I would like to quote T. S. Eliot, “No
poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance,
his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and
artists. You cannot value him alone; you
must set him for contrast and comparison among the dead.” We would like to know
your views in details on Eliot’s comments.
EMILIJA TODOROVA: I often remark that each of us
is the product and an indelible part of the whole history of humankind. I view
Eliot’s views in the same context. What is now the past, has shaped the
present. Artists/poets do not exist in vacuum – the whole history of art/
literature is behind them. In the same way we are indebted to our ancestors for
being born, the present poets are indebted to their predecessors for setting
the foundations of, and advancing literature. We continue to build on these
foundations and those who come after us will continue to do the same. This in
no way prevents or negates the originality of the present and future poets, but
even when the established frameworks are disrupted, the disruption would not
have happened without their prior existence.
NilavroNill: Would
you consider, it should be the goal of a poet to enlightens the readers towards
much greater apprehensions as well as appreciations of life and eternity in
general? Or is it better to write poems only to console the poet’s soul? Do you
believe, literature can eventually help people to uplift human conscience?
EMILIJA TODOROVA: I think poetry is broad enough
to serve these purposes and more. For some poets writing poetry is therapeutic,
it’s a purgatory and catharsis that helps them deal with difficult and complex
issues and emotions. For others, it's a way of satisfying their creative and
aesthetic enthusiasm. Then there are those poets who use their poetry as a
political platform, a platform for change or social commentary. If one thinks
about it, no matter what the goal of individual poets might be, poetry has the
potential to connect the poet with her/his readers through creating a sense of
shared experience, finding beauty, inspiring self-reflection, offering a
different viewing lens, giving voice to the voiceless, augmenting reality,
calling for change or being a moral compass. In a world that is more and more
interconnected and yet, people are more and more detached from others and
themselves and experience a lack of purpose and meaning in their lives, where
critical thinking is drowned in the ocean of fake news and diversity and
differences are treated as something to fear rather than as an asset to a
healthy society, poetry plays the role of a connector, awakener, equalizer,
value-shaper, status-quo challenger… As Percy Shelley eloquently said in his
essay “A Defense of Poetry”: “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the
world.”
NilavroNill: According to Tagore,
poetry is essentially something to enjoy and not to comprehend mere meanings.
What are your thoughts on this regard? What do you expect from your readers,
should they enjoy your poems more than comprehend the essential meanings or both?
EMILIJA TODOROVA: A poem can be enjoyed on many different levels and for a
range of reasons: its rhythm, sound, pauses/silences, language, theme, the
voice it projects, originality, twists, subtlety, boldness, long-lingering
questions... Different people will look for different things in a poem and will
engage with the same poem differently - and I am perfectly fine with that. My
only expectation is that my poems will find a way to relate to their readers
and will not leave them indifferent. I’d rather my poems evoked some emotion,
even a dislike, than failed to arouse any interest. I certainly don’t expect
each reader to interpret or respond to the poem the same way I do. The skill of
the writer is to offer the reader an onion which they can peel time and time
again (hopefully), each time invoking new mental images and opening up
different perspectives. And yes, sometimes it may induce tears.
NILAVRONILL: Humanity has suffered
immensely in the past, and is still suffering around the world. We all know it
well. As a poet or even as a literary person, how do you foresee the future of
mankind?
EMILIJA TODOROVA: I believe that there is much to look forward to and much to
be concerned about in the future.
Advances in medicine, particularly genetics, increased global
interconnectedness and cooperation, AI and robotization, space exploration,
climate change, quantum computing, augmented reality – these are things that
are already happening and will progress at an accelerated pace, providing many
benefits and opportunities, but also raising many ethical issues and
considerable apprehension. Escalation of conflicts, job displacement,
existential risk of AI and nuclear wars, impact of AI on human creativity (e.g.
fully outsourcing the creation of content to
generative AI),
loss of purpose, social isolation with ensuing mental health issues, global
economic collapse, increased economic and social inequality, data privacy and
safety, natural disasters, environmental migration…are some of the potential
(yet very real) risks the humankind is facing. Ultimately, the choices we make
and the safeguards we take will largely determine our future. I am quietly
optimistic.
NILAVRONILL: We are almost at the
end of the interview. I remain obliged to you for your participation. Now,
personally I would like to know your honest opinion about Our Poetry Archive.
Since April 2015 we are publishing and archiving contemporary world poetry each
and every month. Thank you for sharing your views and spending much time with
us.
EMILIJA TODOROVA: Thank you for the thought-provoking questions and the
opportunity to present my views on your platform. OPA brings a wide range of
poetry from poets across the globe and plays an important role in making poetry
more accessible, while showcasing the amazing diversity of voices, themes and
styles in contemporary poetry.
EMILIJA TODOROVA is a Macedonian
Australian writer. Born in Skopje, Macedonia, in 1989 she migrated to Australia
where she has held various executive managerial and leadership positions. Emilija
started writing and freelancing while still living in her homeland. She has won
numerous awards in Macedonia, former Yugoslavia and Australia for poetry
written in the Macedonian language, as well as awards in Australia, the United
States and Italy for poetry and other literary forms in English. For her
collection of poems Gravity Emilija received the 2022 Stojan Hristov Award for
best poetry book by an expat at one of the world’s most reputable international
poetry festivals – Struga Poetry Evenings. Her poems have been published in
literary magazines and periodicals, and her work included in several
anthologies, almanacs and poetry selections. Emilija translates from English,
Macedonian, Serbian, Croatian and Bulgarian.
EMILIJA TODOROVA
Overthereness
Anyway
I didn’t want to
wake you
we've said our
goodbyes so many times
I just took off
my shadow
and spread it on
the bed like a bridal veil
don't be
surprised if you see it
hand-in-hand
with yours
afterwards
unflinching
darkness
embraced me
its lightness
now mine too
from here I can
see what I have left behind
for the first
and perhaps the last time
everything is so
clear
as if sung by my
mother
and ordered
in the manner of
my dad's starched handkerchiefs
and modest
like my
brother's smile
Recognizing
familiar things
at this moment
makes tolerable
the transition
to the antithesis
of all the
hesitations
that had
consumed me
like underground
water
of all the
questions
Delta
Obituaries on
trees
like autumn
leaves
the wind plucks
them
one by one
and blows them
away
children run
after the leaves
jump to catch
them
in paper boats
death sails down
the river
it will meet
itself
in the big water
brimming with
life
EMILIJA TODOROVA
EMILIJA TODOROVA is a Macedonian
Australian writer. Born in Skopje, Macedonia, in 1989 she migrated to Australia
where she has held various executive managerial and leadership positions.
Emilija started writing and freelancing while still living in her homeland. She
was a regular contributor to a couple of newspapers, as well as the Third
Programme of Radio Skopje and was one of the founders and Deputy Editor of a
youth magazine for popular science. Emilija has won numerous awards in
Macedonia, former Yugoslavia and Australia for poetry written in the Macedonian
language, as well as awards in Australia, the United States and Italy for
poetry and other literary forms in English. For her collection of poems Gravity
Emilija received the 2022 Stojan Hristov Award for best poetry book by an expat
at one of the world’s largest and most reputable international poetry festivals
- Struga Poetry Evenings. In the same year she was a runner-up in the
prestigious Nova Makedonija short story writing competition. Her poems have
been published in literary magazines and periodicals, and her work included in
several anthologies, almanacs and poetry selections. Emilija translates from
English, Macedonian, Serbian and Bulgarian. For exceptional achievements in her
career she has been awarded, among others, the Australian Public Service Medal
and a medal for advancing multicultural Australia.
ZLATAN DEMIROVIĆ
The Sound Of Eternity
You are the
hologram,
holographical
particle of the Universe.
You are the
Universe,
as it’s your own
projection,
while it sparks
deep inside you.
It trembles all
around you,
like Universal consciousness,
the symphony in
empty space
and the beacon
of existential hope
the essence of
imaginary void
pulsating as a
volcano for awakening.
Don’t waste your
time in lullaby of simulation!
Go, run, and
jump into unknown,
dive deep, as
cold turns into warm,
and don’t be
afraid to breed
the glorious
sound of eternity.
Answer To God
What will you
answer when God asks you:
"WHAT WOULD YOU DO
IF YOU AND I
WERE ALONE?"
Don't let you
happen the same as
to those who
didn't know,
so, they are
sent back here!
Don’t think that
there is time enough
to figure it
out!
Do it as soon as
possible, so it's not too late.
And if you
manage to find the answer,
it will help you
to open another door,
and live much
longer,
maybe even
forever,
avoiding the
priority wait list.
BUT, DON’T EVER
SAY,
THAT YOU SEE
YOURSELF IN THE MIRROW!
ZLATAN DEMIROVIĆ
ZLATAN DEMIROVIĆ: Bilingual book
writer, novelist, critic, internationally acknowledged poet, and trilingual
translator (English, Czech, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbin languages). The founder of
PRODIGY LIFE ACADEMY and author of the PRODIGY LIFE PROGRAM, which serves as a
platform for spiritual and personal development. Founder and Editor in Chief of
PRODIGY PUBLISHED USA (publishing, promoting books, self-developing programs,
anthologies of world multilingual poetry etc.).
DOCTOR OF HUMANITY of PRIXTON CHURC & UNIVERSITY-Milwaukee, USA
(2021). HIGHER HONORARY DEGEE of ACADEMY OF ART AND CALIGAPHY-EGYPT (2021).
MEMBER of the ADMINISTRATION COUNCIL THE MOMENT INTERNATIONALNEWS-USA. Admin
advisor for POETRY AND LITERATURE WORLD VISION, EACRITORES SIN FRONTIERAS. Winner
of the "Arab World Award for Creativity in the World Poetry Field for
2021" organized by the "Arab Media World Foundation London-United
Kingdom". Multiply awarded as a poet, philanthropist, and humanist. His
poetry, novels, essays, and critics have been published and presented in
various literature magazines, radio, TV, media streams and participated in many
anthologies around the world. Author and Editor-in-chief of anthology
“COMPASSION-Save the world” (130 renowned authors from all around the world in
only one poem titled COMPASSION). Author and Editor-in-chief of anthology
“Bangladesh English Poets” (27 renowned authors from Bangladesh), Pakistani
English Poets (25 renowned authors from Pakistan) and more than 200 books other
authors. Founder and editor of Prodigy Magazine 2022. Books published: PRODIGY
LIFE; 4 STEPS TEACHING FOR SELF-HEALING; GENIUS MINDSET TRAINING; PAIDA LAJIN
SAMOIZLJECENJE; POETRY COLLECTIONS 1,2,3 (All published in USA, by BALBOA
PRESS, AMAZON, PRODIGY PUBLISHED) Translated into: Italian, French, Spanish, Catalan,
Portuguese, German, Swedish, Duch, Danish, Greek, Turkish, Chinese, Russian,
Japanese, Hindu, Bengal, BCS (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian), Albanian, Hausa
Nigerian, Arabic, Aleut (Alaska), Pakistan, Bahasa-Indonesia, Kurdish, Persian,
Azerbaijan, Bangla, Tajik, Bulgarian, Romanian, Hebrew, Punjabi, Slovenian,
Czech, Slovak, Macedonian, Tamil, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Nepali, Assam, Africaans,
Lesotho, Isixhosa, Zulu, Swahili, Sanskrit, and more, on the way.
TANJA AJTIC
The Universe and Existence
We are not alone
in the universe.
Many
archaeological sites
tell us so.
Prehistory.
And even before
that, from the very beginning.
So much is still
undiscovered, a
secret.
We are not alone
in the universe, and
maybe the
explosion that created the planet
didn't happen
the way we think
or the way we're
taught.
We are the
explosion within ourselves, and it's time
for us to
burst—burst from everything.
We exist, but
maybe
a Matrix
surrounds us, or maybe
there's a
dimension invisible to us
right in front
of our eyes, but we cannot see it.
The universe—a
mystery without end and without beginning—
forever remains
undiscovered to us.
Maybe we are
destined never to learn
the truth,
because we wouldn’t understand it,
maybe we
wouldn’t accept it.
That’s certain.
We are
unprepared for any beginning
of knowledge
about the world or ourselves.
How did we come
to be? Where did we come from?
They didn’t
prepare us, they didn’t teach us.
We are not alone
in the universe, it is true,
but the truth is
hidden from us.
We are on the
verge of an explosion,
of everything
falling apart… because we are a target,
we are all
targets
of an invisible
enemy who maybe
is not even
human, but a myth from legend or
mythology.
We are left
forever with questions
that have no
answers, because
those who know
more have judged it so.
The universe—we
are not alone—we feel it
instinctively
and intuitively, but we must not
say it… because
we are the target group,
because we are
human, because we are Earthlings,
and that, it
seems, is not forgiven.
TANJA AJTIC
TANJA AJTIC was born in Belgrade,
Serbia. She lived and studied in Serbia. She is a poet and writer but she is
also an artist. She also deals with fine graphics in the linocut technique.
Since 2002, she lives and creates in Canada. Moved to Belgrade, Serbia in summer
2023. Tanja Ajtic is a member of many groups and associations. In Serbia, she
is a member of the prestigious Society of Writers of Belgrade. Her poems and
stories have been published two hundred collections (books), anthologies,
electronic books and magazines. Her poems have been published in twelve
languages. She published her book "Outlines of Love". She participated with books and anthologies
at many fairs in the world with other authors.- She won second prize in Great
Britain from the Serbian Library in London (2019). - She won III World Prize
for Excellence "Cesar Vallejo" 2021 in the category of artistic
excellence Lima, Peru, by the World Spanish Union of Writers and International
Award of Excellence; from the World Spanish Union of Writers, UHE Mexico. - She
won the I International Award of Excellence "Cita Del Glateo" Antonio
De Ferrariis, IX edition 2022 – Rome, Italy, a prestigious award in the group
of poets for the English language (IX edition of the award for foreign poetry
in English) in 2022, Rome, Italy. - Winners of Foundation Naji Naaman literary
prize iz 2023; (21st Edition), from the Republic of Lebanon, Honor Prize (for
complete work) for Literary prizes 2023. Poetry for the competition was
submitted in three languages: English, French and Arabic.- Winning the 2023
“Zheng Nian Cup” Literary Award – Third Prize by the Beijing Mindfulness
Literature Museum, China. She is the winner of many awards, diplomas and
certificate. She is currently writing poetry, short stories, haiku, gogyoshi
poetry as well as graphics artist as a freelance artist.
SVJETLANA PRAVDIĆ
Macrocosm
In the numbness
of shivering body
Haunting ghost
whispering I’m nobody
Because universe
is constantly shrinking
In the void goes
my deepest thinking
My mind is
thousand light years away
Instrument that
magics of dark matter easily sway
In poverty of
empty space, one can only pray
For the future,
God won’t death time delay
So small in
eternity
So greedy in
fraternity
So shaky in
certainty
So limited in
infinity
So faceless in
identity
Here’s the Sun
Bring the gun
It cannot
outshine us
It shouldn’t
combine us
For the lust,
In which we
cannot
control what we
must
For the Greed,
that grants
wealth
for us to
succeed
For the Pride
That will be
our eternal
guide
For the Sloth,
To forgot
How to move
we don’t need to
ourselves prove
For the Envy
Hating is the
key
Others cannot
behave
Like they are
not a slave
For the Gluttony
Drink for free
Body erupts for
the fat
For satisfaction
that we get
For the Wrath
Acting like
Immature brat
Until the last
breath
until death
We remain living
in our knowledge mistaken
But all goods in
our death will be from us taken
Wondering Life’s Path
So many words,
so many accords, waiting to be seen, which I am not keen
Because who
cares? Who dares to read or say out loud the truth of this world?
Why does it
matter anyway? It’s just an empty wall, covered with cheap spray.
And from that
wall, I cannot see the rest, while I am asking: is this life just a test?
Is this just a
long way to never-ending, divine, piña colada-drinking heaven?
Like, do we
actually get rewarded for a good deed?
Do the bad guys
eventually get punished for their greed?
Or is it just
random chaos, making this world fall apart?
And why do we
even live or, in overproduction, make art?
It’s like a fish
dancing on the shore without a hand to put her back in the water,
Or like a bird
left without wings, to walk and be aware.
Do we have any
free trial before we enter this place we call motherland,
Or do we leave
in hope it will be better, and that bad moments will end?
Whatever the
answer is, or whatever we think, our life continues.
We just try to
forget all the misery surrounded with bad news,
Forgetting, on
better days betting, nightmare-bed sweating.
At the end, what
are we, out of all, getting?
SVJETLANA PRAVDIĆ
SVJETLANA PRAVDIĆ is a dramaturge,
writer, and poet born on February 2, 1998, in Banja Luka. A graduate of both
the Gymnasium and the Academy of Arts in Banja Luka, she specialized in
dramaturgy and was honored as the student of her generation. She has authored
scripts for numerous short student films and worked as a ghostwriter. Beyond
her academic pursuits, Svjetlana completed courses in sewing and Japanese
language studies. Her poetry collection Dunengras und Blutmond, co-authored
with German writer Peter Volker, was published in two editions by Engelsdorfer
Verlag in Leipzig. Her academic work appears in several scholarly collections.
Svjetlana has worked in various theatrical roles, including assistant director
for King Ubu at the Student Theater in Banja Luka and dramaturge for Hedgehog’s
House at the Children’s Theater of the Republic of Srpska. She was also engaged
as a dramaturge at the Cultural Centre Banski Dvor on musical productions, and
excerpts from her play Teuta were performed at the Serbian National Theatre in
Novi Sad. Her poems, short stories, and essays have been featured in numerous
anthologies, and she has received multiple literary awards for her
contributions to contemporary literature. She currently works as an online
English teacher for a Japanese company.
STOIANKA BOIANOVA
Pulsations
The galaxies are
ships in the space.
The sun is a
spark in the cosmic night.
Earth in
ellipses closes its path
between
successive civilizations.
I come with
brave urges -
the forest
before my eyes is huge,
the sea is deep
for my feet,
the path is
narrow and starting to get lost
in time with
bottomless intervals.
But I fly - a
pulsating firefly
between stars
and atomic decays,
a raindrop among
desert sands,
a pensive flower
of a blooming rose,
the infinity
asked to feel.
Through The Ages
We met when God
created the worlds
and filled them
with His love.
Then we got lost
because we were scattered
in the edges of
the universe.
I have kept the
memory of you since that time.
Since then, the
sun has been rising thousand times,
the moon has
been going down thousand times.
I've been
waiting for you thousand days,
thousand nights
I've been dreaming of you ...
On how many
planets I've searched for you.
How many
galaxies I have passed with flame …
When we met
again,
the light
erupted.
The world has
expanded,
in it were God,
you and me.
STOIANKA BOIANOVA
STOIANKA BOIANOVA, (Bulgaria) Physicist.
Included in Know Her Words, PEN International Women Writers Committee
Initiative to celebrate the best women's writing from around the world. Author
of eleven books in the genres of poetry and fiction in Bulgaria. Co-author with
Minko Tanev (her husband and partner in literature) of 5 bilingual books in
English and Bulgarian, publishing house Cyberwit.net, India and a book of
poetry with Sourav Sarkar, India. She has participated in more than 120
international anthologies of poetry, gogyoshi and haiku, has publications in 30
countries. Included in Manseerah – the Great Poetic Epic of Modern Man, United
Arab Emirates, 2024 and "HYPERPOEM, Collection of Authors on a World
Record", Ukyoto, India, 2023. Awards: “Best Author European Community”,
the International Poetry Competition “Ossi Di Seppia” 2024, Italy. Grand Premio
International Poetry Prize “Ossi di Seppia” Italy, 2023; Chinese International
Zhengxin Poet Award, China, 2022; Silver Award for World Gogyoshi, 2022; “First
World Poetry Competition of Newspapers and Televisions” 2020, China; Silver
Award for World Gogyoshi, 2022; In the list of the top 100 European most
creative haiku authors. Certificate of honor for contribution to modern
Bulgarian literature, 2019. Honorary poet of Birland State, Africa, depicted on
a special postage stamp. International Peace Ambassador, The Daily Global
Nation, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Ambassadors of Kindness and Happiness from Royal
Kutai Mulawarman Peace International Institute.
Member of many international organizations in Japan, USA, UK and of the
Global Honorary Council, the Federation of WORLD CULTURAL & ART SOCIETY,
Singapore.
SOFIA SKLEIDA
Postscript
I notice through
the lattice of the mind, of the soul
Mismatched forms
sometimes move spasmodically,
sometimes with a
strong willpower
Sunlight
diffuses and is trapped in a mixture of suspended dust
Sad faces out of
nowhere
Disobedient
children playing hide and seek in broken yards
A promise, a sky
and a postscript at the door:
Don't look for
me,
I don't exist
In fact, I have
never been
and if it
happens by mistake
it will be a
mistake of the moment
But we are not
living at the moment?
We don't hope
for making things better?
What is hope?
Isn't life aided
by the faith, love and wisdom of poetry?
Unbridled
thoughts again in the evening ...
On The Soul
Your texture is
indestructible, eternal
The timeless
Father took care
To have pure
intention
To purify our
soul from earthly,
meaningless and
temporary pleasures
which make it a
hermit passenger
on an unmanned
ship
without cruising
compass
Trapped
with weird
stories,
witnesses of
delusion
and dark
labyrinths
of eternal
intoxication
Our Godfather
invites us
to make a big
deal,
repenting
To provide,
praying
Have mercy,
humiliated
To live in
ethereal mystagog
and spiritual
courtesy…
SOFIA SKLEIDA
was born in Athens and pursued her studies at the Faculty of
Philosophy of the University of Athens. She holds multiple advanced degrees,
including a Master’s in Pedagogy, a Master’s in Adult Education, a Doctorate in
Comparative Pedagogy, and a Postdoctoral Degree in Theology. Currently, she
serves as a teacher in secondary education and is actively engaged in
publishing articles in reputable scientific journals and conference
proceedings. Sofia has organized numerous international and domestic literary
events and has received awards in various competitions. Her involvement in
literary committees and curation of collective publishing activities showcases
her dedication to the literary community. With 22 published books to her name,
including poetry collections, poetic narratives, fairy tales, and scientific
manuals, her works have been translated into several languages, including
English, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Albanian, and Bengali. Sofia's literary
contributions are not only extensive but also deeply impactful. She serves as
the Vice President, responsible for Cultural Affairs, at the Zakynthian
Cultural Center of Athens and is an active member of the Society of Greek
Literary Writers and the Panhellenic Union of Literary Writers.
SIMON DRAKE
Existence
The reality is
still sinking in
It’s the not
knowing I can’t abide
Still feeling
kind of wired
I could and
should of died
It could and
should of ended there
But didn’t and I
wonder why
Purpose,
meaning, not my time
Are those the
reasons I survived
Will I waste
another opportunity
Carrying on as I
did before
Miserable,
disconnected, so unhappy
Every single
task a chore
Living a hum
drum existence
The epitome of
mundane
Giving up on
lifelong dreams
No wonder I feel
drained
At one point or
another in time
We end up at
life’s crossroads
Choose what
brings you peace and joy
Then protect it
as it grows
I am determined
to snap out of this
Paint ever
colour out there except blue
Bathe in
happiness and contentment
Chase my dreams
until they come true
UNIVERSE
(haiku)
For just one
moment
I could see the
universe
With billions of stars
SIMON DRAKE
SIMON DRAKE: A Qualified Gestalt
Counsellor is a huge supporter and advocate for mental health awareness for all
those out there suffering in silence. Simon’s Poetic journey started in January
2022, since then has had works published in numerous Anthologies along with his
own collection ‘Triggers, A Student Counsellor’s Poetic Journey’ (published by
Robin Barratt). A rising star on the spoken word scene in London, headlining
and hosting at prestigious venues, Simon has had radio show and podcast
interviews both in the UK and the USA, on the back of his unique and
unmistakably powerful Poetry.
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