This year I will be presenting a workshop on the Powers of Poetry on Sunday May 19th at the Ink of Light, Baha’i Writer’s Festival. I have been assisting Naysan Naraqi and Ian Hallmond with organising the festival and it is so exciting for all of us to be about to see it happen. I am especially looking forward to the panels.
Favourite Books
My favourite books are many and varied, and I enjoyed during this interview series discovering that I shared some with the presenters who will be attending the festival. A special favourite is The Secret Garden though and I love books by Jackie French and Morris Gleitzman. I’m a huge fan also of Trent Dalton’s, Boy Swallows Universe.
Heroes
My poetry heroes are eclectic and I especially love Tahirih, Mahvash Sabet, Robert Hayden, Maya Angelou and Roger White as well as numerous song writers such as Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Paul Kelly, Vika and Linda Bull, Wendy Matthews, Troy Cassar-Daley, and Sara Storer.
Motivation
My main motivation in life is to encourage unity in diversity and the realisation of justice in the world, whilst in my writing it is to explore this through narratives and poems that are still imbued with beauty and optimism and which invite the reader to think about what they can do rather than dictating this.
Favourite Quote
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou
You can join me for the Poetry Workshop at the Ink of Light Festival, Sunday, May 19th.
Gumboootspearlz 
Reblogged this on Ripple Poetry .
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