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Written by JJ Barnes
I interviewed poet Kwaku Darko-Mensah Jnr about his love of poetry, what inspires him to write, and his new poetry collection, Flood Season.
I write, I make music, and try to live with as much purpose and clarity as possible.
I first had the urge to write poetry in Secondary School.
I began writing in a more focused way in my mid-teens. Music was the gateway. That’s where I got permission to write freely. I grew up influenced by 90’s hip-hop, and I was a bit of a precocious reader so writing poetry came very naturally.
About a year and a half.
The first impulse was having fragments of memories, sounds, pictures and conversations about family (with family) and about home. I was studying for my master’s at the time and all the other forms of writing I was doing inevitably lead to the theme of my formative years in Accra and my family’s diasporic experiences. I wanted to condense those into a cohesive, somewhat, longform project. I used that period to focus on a thesis project in poetry. That was the birth of this work.
Once I settled on a direction, I had to find a way to distill the crux of what I was attempting to communicate. The tensions I feel around national identity and the state in general, and complexities around themes of belonging and desire. So much of what I discovered sifting through family lore and personal history had to be whittled down to an elemental pulse that could be sustained through 40 pages of poetry. The research required for that kind of work can be tricky. Thankfully I had the time and assistance I needed.
I try to stick to a theme while setting the parameters wide enough so the spirit can walk through.
Oh, I don’t have a favorite, but I frequently revisit If Wishes were a Sound Burial. I love the idea of home as a sound.
Either can happen depending on mood and the kind of music.
I had seasoned editorial guidance. Some of the poems were completed as part of my MFA thesis as well so those pieces had already been through some kind of editing process.
My advice will be to listen. Try to become a discerning listener. Develop a listening ritual. Widen your understanding of what listening means and obviously read widely.
I can say that my research for this work has spilled over into other forms of writing and all that material will find a place soon.
Yes. I believe the effort is the work in its entirety.
Flood Season by Kwaku Darko Mensah Jnr is published by flipped eye on 2nd December.
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