#interview
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June 2026
HP Poet: Kalliopie
Age: 28
Country: USA
Question 1: We warmly welcome you to the HP Spotlight, Kalliopie. Please tell us about your background?
Kalliopie: "My name is Kay, I'm 28 and live in the united states. I'm a nurse, who comes from a long line of nurses and Healthcare professionals. I actually was pretty resistant to the idea of working in Healthcare my whole life but a nursing home ended up being the first job I ever stayed longer than 6 months at, so I guess it's where I'm meant to be after all. I'm a mother to one daughter and the oldest of five. I love, love, love cats and I have three!"
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Kalliopie: "I have always loved to write, I thoroughly enjoyed writing essays and any form of English assignments in school. I joined Hello Poetry in 2018/2019 and though I haven't always consistently posted, I've always been a reader of everyone else's work."
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Kalliopie: "There isn't a quiet moment in my head. My gears are always turning. I draw inspiration from a mix of situations I'm in, combined with what I see around me. I often think of a line and put it in my notes, where I'll finish it later. I'm heavily inspired by the moon and rain, it's just when I feel the most at peace I think."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Kalliopie: "For me poetry is therapy. It's creativity unleashed. It's being able to subconsciously work out my thoughts through rhyme in the name of art."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Kalliopie: "Embarrassingly, I don't read much these days, aside from what I read on Hello Poetry (there's so many amazing poets here). But I quite like Rupi Kaur and Atticus Poetry, I have a few of their books on my shelf."
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Kalliopie: "My main hobby is video games; I love to get lost in a different reality. Over the past two summers, I have started to garden as well, nothing crazy. I'm not very good at it, but I enjoy it and my daughter seems to like it. I also really like to watch the hummingbirds, so that's become some what of a hobby, trying to plant the flowers they like and making sure their feeder stays clean. I never thought I'd make time to watch birds but maybe that's something that comes age, lol."
Carlo C. Gomez: “Thank you, Kalliopie, we truly appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in the Spotlight series!”
Kalliopie: "Thank you so much for this opportunity!"
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Kalliopie better. We most certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #41 in July!
2d ago
Jun 1, 2026 at 6:47 PM UTC
I asked my younger self if he still wanted to grow up.
He stared at my tired eyes and quietly changed the subject.
“Do we still laugh so hard we can’t breathe?” he asked.
I told him, “Only when we’re pretending not to break.”
“Did we keep all our friends from school?”
I said, “Most people become memories before they become strangers.”
“Do mom and dad still call us their little boy?”
I paused so long the room began to ache.
“Do we still cry when things hurt?” he whispered.
I said, “No… now we apologize for having feelings.”
“Did we become everything we dreamed about?”
His voice sounded like bicycles and summer evenings.
I looked at him the way abandoned houses look at storms
and said, “We became someone who survives the dream instead.”
May 18
May 18, 2026 at 10:07 AM UTC
If you want to introduce yourself
Don't share your visiting cards
Don't show your academic trash
Don't start from your birth
Don't fix missing links
I'm not interested in
Stay Raw
Wipe the paints
Silence the ego
Be kind to your soul
Stay calm
Let your vibe speaks
That loud
You never need further
Explanation
Apr 14
Apr 14, 2026 at 12:36 PM UTC
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May 2026
HP Poet: Mateja
Age: 29
Country: Croatia
Question 1: We warmly welcome you to the HP Spotlight, Mateja. Please tell us about your background?
Mateja: "Hello, my name is Mateja, and I come from beautiful Croatia — specifically Opatija, the most gorgeous city in the world. I’ve been an artist since I was eight years old. I’ve always loved to draw, and over the years my skills kept improving. I truly believe that if you work hard, you will succeed.
When I was seventeen, I learned how to ride a horse. I love horses, and it’s still my dream to have one someday. (Even though my family promised me one… that never happened, so I guess I wasn’t the favorite one 😄). I would describe myself as a bit of a black sheep in the family. I love dogs. I had two, and I also love wearing black because it makes me feel confident and strong. But once people get to know me, they usually see that I’m actually very funny, a bit crazy, and easy to laugh with.
Currently, I’m living in Germany. I came here for work, and at one point I even went back to Croatia, but life had other plans...love brought me back. That’s how spontaneous I can be. Now I’m focused on myself and my future. For a long time, I was searching for myself and what I truly want to do in life.
Now I’ve found my path. I’m studying game art, and my goal is to become a professional game artist and create my own fantasy world game. I love games, especially fantasy ones. They inspire a lot of my creativity. For me, games are not just something you play for fun. I’ve been playing since I was seven, and games helped me get through different moments in my life. They mean much more to me than just entertainment. I enjoy creating characters and worlds with a bit of darkness and mystery.
I’m someone who thinks deeply and feels deeply, and I try to express that through my art. I like to understand people and emotions, not just create visuals. When I start something, I don’t give up easily. I’m always trying to improve and push myself further. I put my whole heart into everything I do. I’m a very passionate person, and when I care about something, I give it my full energy and dedication. I love with my whole heart. I’m kind and respectful to people who treat me the same way. And I believe that everything you give, comes back to you. For me, art is not just something I do — it’s who I am."
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Mateja: "I’ve always been creative, but I started writing poetry more seriously around August 2025. Since November 2025, I’ve been a member of Hello Poetry, where I share my work and grow as a writer."
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Mateja: "My inspiration actually started in an unusual way. Through writing, not reading. I’ve never really been a person who reads books, but I’ve always enjoyed creating stories. When I was around sixteen, I began writing small stories. I would write something simple, then go back and rewrite the same story with more detail. That became my way of learning. Understanding how to build sentences, add depth, and develop ideas. I did this for years, and it naturally shaped how I write today.
Now, I’m working on both poems and a book, so writing has become a big part of who I am. My very first poem was actually when I was about ten years old. It was a small, simple song about two apples falling in love. It may sound funny, but it ended up being included in a school book in Croatia. It wasn’t something big, but it meant a lot to me at the time.
When it comes to inspiration, it really depends on what I’m feeling. Sometimes it comes from darker emotions or past experiences. But a lot of my poetry was inspired by one person. Someone who had a strong emotional impact on me. She didn’t shape me, but she inspired many of the feelings I wrote about. For me, poetry happens when emotions become too strong to stay inside. Writing becomes the only way to release them, to understand them, and to move forward. Unfortunately, not every feeling gets to be spoken out loud, so I put it into words instead. And if the circumstances were different, I think I would write about her more deeply and more openly.
Lately, I can feel my poems changing. As that inspiration slowly fades, I find myself searching for it, in other moments, other emotions, other pieces of life. Because when the feeling disappears, the silence becomes louder. Words are not just something I write, they are something I need. And I never want to run out of them."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Mateja: "Poetry, for me, is more than just writing. It’s a way of understanding myself and the way I see the world. It’s where I put my thoughts when I can’t say them out loud, the emotions that feel too heavy to carry. It’s also a way for me to be direct, especially when I find it harder to express myself in person, even though I would prefer to. Sometimes, what’s inside my head is difficult to understand, and it’s not always easy to connect with people who don’t feel or think the same way. Writing helps me bridge that gap. Poetry is not always beautiful. Sometimes it’s dark, sometimes confusing, but it’s raw, and it’s real. It’s the place where I can truly open myself, where people can actually see me and begin to understand who I am."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Mateja: "I don’t really have a favorite poet. I just enjoy reading poetry, and it always depends on how the poem makes me feel. Sometimes I connect with it, sometimes I don’t, no matter who wrote it."
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Mateja: "Art is a big part of my life. I’m constantly drawing and creating, always coming up with new ideas, sometimes faster than I can even keep up with them. I also enjoy playing games. Not just video games, but board games and cards too. I love playing in good company… but I should warn you, I can get a little competitive 😄. I love animals, especially dogs and horses. I’ve always loved horses and I’m still waiting for that childhood promise to come true.
Black is basically my personality at this point, it just makes everything easier. I’m a romantic person, so I enjoy making little surprises, it’s my way of keeping life interesting. I like going on trips, listening to good music, and creating small moments that actually feel meaningful. I think life should feel a bit like a story, not just a routine.
Oh, and I love food. I enjoy cooking a lot, but baking… baking and I are not friends. Something always goes wrong there 😄. And in general, I’m always trying to grow and become the best version of myself, even if sometimes that version is still a work in progress."
Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you Mateja, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in the Spotlight series!”
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Mateja better. We most certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #40 in June!
May 1
May 1, 2026 at 7:20 AM UTC
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April 2026
HP Poet: William A. Gibson
Country: USA
Question 1: We warmly welcome you to the HP Spotlight, William. Please tell us about your background?
William A. Gibson: "Boyhood was completed in the pine belt of southern Mississippi. Seed, cattle, and Baptist churches set the terms. I was replanted in Midtown Atlanta in the 80s, retooling myself into a punk-rock poser. I’ve worked every job that leaves a smell on your clothes. What may be most salient here -- I was a traveling store-opener for a booming bookstore chain that exploded in the 90s and now sits shuttered. I built out and managed the in-store cafés and shelved the poetry section, then chased the next opening across another strip of sprawl. You can trace Interstate 10 and I-5 for where I lived after that."
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
William A. Gibson: "An enthusiastic HP member since 2018, but I was writing, mostly prose, long before. Wherever I lived, I drifted toward the booky-artsy crowd, the ones arguing about line breaks or pulling apart David Bowie’s Berlin trilogy at a diner at 2 a.m., as if it were more important than sleep. In college towns and warehouse districts, we stapled together ’zines at kitchen tables and hosted readings/slams in spaces never meant for poetry, with frayed cables and bad sound. Those were good years. Fiction or verse, we treated it like it could tilt the world. We were young, art was absolute. HP carries a little of that same restless energy for me now."
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
William A. Gibson: "Poems aren’t inspiration for me. They’re an intrusion. Something breaks through: a memory with teeth in it, a smell in a bar that pulls me back twenty years, someone’s casual cruelty, a surprising moment of tenderness. I don’t sit down planning to write one. A poem corners me. I write it to get free.
With fiction, sometimes the story gets too hot. A character starts to crystallize, becomes too intense for the page I’m building around it, so I bleed that pressure off into a poem. The same thing happens with settings. A room, a street, a piece of weather can take on a charge the story can’t hold yet. The poem becomes a pressure valve, letting me keep the raw voltage without forcing it into plot.
Most of the time poetry starts there, with something that refuses to stay quiet."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
William A. Gibson: "Poems are a recurring condition in my life. I’ve unboxed thousands as pulpy objects, sliding slim volumes onto bookstore shelves city to city. When you spend that much time with poetry in your hands, it stops feeling abstract. It becomes part of the atmosphere you live in.
Poetry is present in the messier, uncontrolled parts of life. Love letters that were really poems, and poems that were really arguments. Lines meant for the person I’d just left behind, or for the person I was already aching to see. Sometimes it’s the only language that can carry that kind of tension without collapsing.
What poetry means to me now is simple. It’s a way of holding moments as they are. A poem does not resolve them. It does not explain experience. It recreates the moment of encountering it."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
William A. Gibson: "My favorite poets aren’t really a fixed list. They’re the ones who showed up at the right moment and changed the weather in my head for a while. Right now I’m crushing hard on Ada Limón, and I reach for Seamus Heaney after a glass of wine. They’re both poets who write as if the land itself still has something to say.
As a teen I wallowed in Byron, Shelley, Poe. Then the Beat writers, whose sentences felt like highways at night.
Burroughs showed up that way. An older, wiser punk rocker said, “You have to read this,” and suddenly language could fracture and rearrange itself.
Bukowski arrived in a back kitchen in a sticky, dangerous book -Love Is a Dog from Hell.
Anne Sexton and Rilke came from a girlfriend who handed me Letters to a Young Poet like it was a quiet instruction manual for surviving art, and her.
That’s how poetry travels—carried by unexpected soothsayers disguised as line-cooks, punks, lovers, and drag queens, making sure the right book finds your hands at the right time."
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
William A. Gibson: "Outside of writing, I’m an older man in a forgiving climate, so I garden obsessively. Maybe it’s regression to my farm beginnings, or maybe it’s the need to touch something that isn’t processed or generated. Soil doesn’t simulate. Plants don’t autocomplete. They grow or they don’t. That feels like truth.
Otherwise I’m a cliché: I work in tech. I founded a Burning Man festival theme camp and still wander back most years. I’m raising a kid, spare time is spent in his orbit volunteering. I judge speech and debate tournaments, run fundraisers, and sit on hot concrete in stadiums during long track meets.
Most evenings end in the garden, dirt under my nails, when an old pine-belt memory rises in the dark and the lines begin their slow pursuit again."
Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you William, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in the Spotlight series!”
William A. Gibson: "Carlo-Thank you again. I’m genuinely honored you thought to include me. I had a great time reflecting on the questions and putting the answers together. It’s exciting to be part of this. Part of something that highlights the voices and stories behind the poems on the site.
I really appreciate the work you’re doing to keep this series going and to celebrate the community here. Looking forward to seeing the next Spotlight and continuing to read everyone’s work.
Thanks again for the invitation and for the care you both put into this project."
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know William better. We most certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #39 in May!
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Mar 31
Mar 31, 2026 at 11:23 PM UTC
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March 2026
HP Poet: Peter Gerstenmaier
Age: 32
Country: Deutschland (but currently living in Switzerland due to work reasons)
Question 1: We warmly welcome you to the HP Spotlight, Peter. Please tell us about your background?
Peter Gerstenmaier: "I come from a dysfunctional, broken family. Which led me to endure all kinds of emotional and physical abuse until the age of sixteen, when I ran away from the hellhole I used to call home. Thankfully I have an aunt in Berlin that was my guardian angel. She kept me safe through those tough times and supported me while I was in college. I wouldn’t be writing this right now if it wasn’t for her. I graduated in business school and have been a tax auditor for most of my professional life. I currently work with international trade and taxes. My job pays the bills but it’s quite uninteresting, if I’m to be honest. So, I stay motivated through hobbies, such as writing, playing guitar and hiking. I’m married for four years now, and my wife is probably the kindest creature I’ve ever met. The kind of gentle soul a world such as ours doesn’t really deserve. I dream of living close to the mountains. On a small, cozy chalet on the foot of the alps. Oh, and I have two dogs, Gretchen and Ellie. My little adventure companions."
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Peter Gerstenmaier: "I’ve been writing poetry since I was in high school. It was a troubled time and writing helped me to escape for a little while. A friend of mine introduced me to Hello Poetry in 2018. I first had an account here in 2018-2019, but unfortunately, I deleted it during a nervous breakdown. My current account dates from 2024."
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Peter Gerstenmaier: "Poetry is everywhere. And just like life itself, it’s not something that can be forced to happen. The Muse must kiss you first. Therefore, inspiration comes in many forms… a memory, a dream, a regret, a song. Most of the time, I’m having a road trip, I’m on a train, or having a conversation, and an idea, that first verse comes to mind. That’s when I know I must write. I really do admire long, epic poetry, with fancy words and clever rhymes. But that just doesn’t work for me. My poetry is simple. Or how I like to call it, peasant poetry. I write in the most honest way I can. And if it feels real, I’m glad about my work."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Peter Gerstenmaier: "At first, poetry was an escape valve, my happy place away from real life. Nowadays, poetry has shifted into a way of expressing myself about matters close to my heart. Anxiety, depression, fear of failure, trauma, regrets, people I loved, my hopes and dreams… all without any fear of judgement. I do think that poetry should be for everyone. And when I see the amazing community we have here at Hello Poetry, I believe that poetry can make the world a better place."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Peter Gerstenmaier: "Neruda, Wordsworth, Goethe… though I’ve never aimed for their style. I’d say I end up writing closer to a Rupi Kaur freestyle flow. With obvious themes and cultural differences, of course. I also love the poetry in many songwriters, such as Bob Dylan and Morrissey. Also, I really admire the work of dozens of poets around Hello Poetry. I won’t say specific names, for I’d surely be unfair and leave amazing writers out of it. But if I consistently interact with your work, please do know that your poetry is very meaningful to me."
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Peter Gerstenmaier: "Other than writing, I enjoy listening to music, playing guitar, watching classical ballet, and doing jiu-jitsu (just got my black belt after fifteen years). But my heart is probably the happiest while cooking (my wife’s Italian and I have love affair with Italian cuisine, such as homemade pasta and pizza), travelling somewhere new, taking a road trip without clear destination, or a long hike amidst nature."
Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you Peter, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in what looks to be a continuing Spotlight series as Hello Poetry carries on!”
Peter Gerstenmaier: "I'm the one to thank you! I never thought I could actually be there 💛🍀"
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Peter better. We most certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #38 in April!
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Mar 2
Mar 2, 2026 at 3:48 PM UTC
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February 2026
HP Poet: Tanisha Jackland (Lady of Fire)
Age: 55
Country: USA
Question 1: We warmly welcome you to the HP Spotlight, Tanisha. Please tell us about your background?
Tanisha Jackland: "My name is Tanisha Jackland and I just turned 55 in November. And yes, I’m a scorpio from the USA, living in the Emerald City. I’m a neurodivergent black female married to my husband of 31 years and a proud plant mom. No kids or pets because I am allergic to them. Lol! I love them but they are not for me. My hobbies are: I enjoy music/radio, art, and poetry. I’m learning to garden with my newly designated P-patch here in Seattle. It’s a community of gardeners who live in apartments and/or condos with no room for gardening at their home. It’s a labor of love, a lot like poetry!"
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Tanisha Jackland: "I’ve been writing poetry for as long as I can remember, since I was at least 8 years old. I would write short stories but poetry appealed more to me because of the purity of the feeling and imagery. I’ve been a member of Hello Poetry for more than 10 years and it saddens me that it may go away. Poets need a stable community and Hello Poetry is just that."
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Tanisha Jackland: "Music inspires me, especially the cello. It motivates me to write about hard and beautiful topics. Sometimes I explore sensuality/sexuality on a level that is not cliche, I would hope. Life inspires me too. I try to explore hard conversations like race and gender since I am a black woman living in America. I try to keep it somewhat lighter, short and sweet, but I’m not afraid to get heavy, and deep from time to time. In challenging times like these, I am hopeful in my writing, believing that love and compassion will pave the way. I write on the computer, but starting to go back to my roots and write my poems down on paper first."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Tanisha Jackland: "Poetry means to me: Essence. Poetry is the essence, the soul of the person expressing his or herself. Most poets have a good soul, in my opinion. We’re all (poets) just trying to make sense of a cruel and senseless world. I'm attempting to bring beauty and kindness back into the world, whatever that means. Highlighting what is good, true and beautiful. Beauty can include darkness if there is depth and soul to a given subject or circumstance or people. It’s not always rainbows and unicorns that are aesthetically pleasing. I do have a slightly darker palate. Life is not black and white, this or that. It's very complicated to live on planet earth under the social contracts of humans, so there is much more to life than what it seems. The unseen is much more powerful. Most animals have it right, live simply. I admire that philosophy."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Tanisha Jackland: "My favorite poets: Audre Lorde, Lisel Mueller, Phillis Wheatley, Alice Walker, e.e. cummings, Yusef Komunyakaa, Rumi, Khalil Gibran, A.R. Ammons, Mary Oliver, Lucille Clifton, Gwendolyn Brooks, June Jordan, Eve Ewing, Derek Walcott, Warsan Shire, Ocean Vuong, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Octavio Paz, Hafiz, Pablo Neruda and finally, dare I say, Charles Bukowski, and many more. I’m reading several poetry books but the one that is standing out is “Ghost in a Black Girl’s Throat” by Khalisa Rae. It’s phenomenal!"
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Tanisha Jackland: "I also create my own recordings with music and poetry. The combination of the two is magnetic. My website is Jacklandarts.com or on Soundcloud.com @ladyofire. My poetry name/handle is Lady of Fire Poetry. I’m on most major platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Soundcloud, Mix Cloud and YouTube. I also volunteer my time as a DJ on Hollow Earth Radio. My show, “Out of the Fray” is a fusion of poetry and music for an hour, every other Monday at 6pm pacific time. Anyone can send in a 3-4 minute mp3 to me at [email protected], attn: DJ Tanisha. I also paint and make zines!"
Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you Tanisha, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in what looks to be a continuing Spotlight series as Hello Poetry carries on!”
Tanisha Jackland: "Thanks, again!."
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Tanisha better. We most certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #37 in March!
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Feb 1
Feb 1, 2026 at 2:36 AM UTC
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January 2026
HP Poet: Druzzayne Rika
Age: Late twenties
Country: India
Question 1: We warmly welcome you to the HP Spotlight, Druzzayne. Please tell us about your background?
Druzzayne Rika: "I grew up amidst the relentless pulse and towering ambition of Mumbai, a city that provides endless contrasts. My professional life is rooted in data engineering, which has given me a unique lens: I spend my days working with vast datasets, often feeling that we are all reduced to numbers in the larger scheme. Yet, this intense exposure to data only reinforces my commitment to poetry, where individual self-expression reclaims our identity. The urge to write has been with me since early childhood, around five or six years old, long before I understood poetry as a form. This early compulsion has simply become a lifelong necessity."
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Druzzayne Rika: "My earliest attempts at writing date back to when I was six, though those initial efforts are certainly amateur. I truly found my community when I joined Hello Poetry around 2014. This site has been a crucial space for growth and sharing; it genuinely feels like a second home to me now."
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Druzzayne Rika: "Poetry is an extension of my thoughts and a necessary outlet for a mind that is prone to overthinking and over-analysing. Inspiration is drawn directly from life, a concept I read, or anything that acts as a trigger, sending my mind into a thoughtful spiral. When these complex, confusing thoughts are finally laid down on paper, the act of creating the poem allows me to understand my own mind and confusion in a better way. The poem is the tangible result of processing the immense input I receive daily."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Druzzayne Rika: "Poetry is my mind's safe space. It is where I don't need to adhere to the rigid, articulate logic of my professional life or the correct articulations of external reality. Instead, I can capture truth and emotion in a beautiful, subjective way. It is the one place where my analytical mind finds solace in structureless feeling."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Druzzayne Rika: *"While I am apologetic to admit that I haven't consumed a vast number of classics, my deepest connections are often formed right here within the community. The poets on this site provide constant, contemporary inspiration. However, I have a special reverence for:
Rabindranath Tagore
A.K. Ramanujan"*
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Druzzayne Rika: *"Beyond the world of writing and data:
Long Walks and Nature Exploration: I enjoy going for long walks and actively seek out the hidden pockets of nature that exist within the relentless hustle of Mumbai. These moments of quiet green are vital counterbalances to the city's noise.
Reading: I am an avid reader and enjoy consuming all kinds of books, broadening my perspective across genres and ideas."*
Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you Druzzayne, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in what looks to be a continuing Spotlight series as Hello Poetry carries on!”
Druzzayne Rika: "Oh, nice to here HP lives on."
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Druzzayne better. We most certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #36 in February!
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Jan 1
Jan 1, 2026 at 4:33 PM UTC
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December 2025
HP Poet: Adaley June
Age: 38
Country: USA
Question 1: We warmly welcome you to the HP Spotlight, Adaley. Please tell us about your background?
Adaley June: "Born of two artists on a Wednesday full of woe, I came tumbling down with the rain in the spring of '87. My second grade teacher made us write one page a day in a marble notebook. I remember hating it, but by the end of the year, I was hooked. My collection of diaries and dream journals grew and morphed into prose and poetry. In college, I stopped recounting my experience in story format and completely succumbed to poetic flow."
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Adaley June: "26 years, 5 years."
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Adaley June: "I guess my inspiration is pain. When I'm happy, I'm living. When I'm hurt, I'm writing. Every so often, I fall in love with a wolf in sheep's clothing. I've never had a serious relationship or lived with anyone and I don't intend to, so I think the wolves just come around when I need a muse."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Adaley June: "Poetry is my coping mechanism. It's how I process my emotions and review my life experience."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Adaley June: "Taylor Swift. She also writes under the names Willow Bowery and Noelle Sorensen...that I know of so far."
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Adaley June: "I finally bought a record player in September, I love it, I have 19 vinyls now. I highly recommend the Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT."
Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you Adaley, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in this Spotlight series!”
Adaley June: "Thank you so much for including me. It means a lot."
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Adaley better. We most certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
If HP continues beyond this month, we will post Spotlight #35 in January! If not, I would personally like to thank each and every one of the 34 poets who participated in this series. I have a lot of respect for all of you and your work!
The 34 Spotlight Poets:
Thomas W. Case (USA)
Sarita Aditya Verma (India)
Edmund Black (USA)
Patty M (USA)
Neville (UK)
Amanda Kay Burke (USA)
Old Poet MK (Canada)
Maddy (USA)
Lori Jones McCaffery (USA)
Marshal Gebbie (New Zealand)
Melanii (USA)
Jamadhi Verse (USA)
Caroline Shank (USA)
Pradip Chattopadhyay (India)
Melancholy of Innocence (India)
BLT (USA)
Gregory Alan Johnson (USA)
Guy Scutellaro (USA)
Victoria (UK)
Ben Noah Suresh (India)
Jill (Australia)
CJ Sutherland (USA)
Rob Rutledge (UK)
Lizzie Bevis (UK)
Mike Adam (UK)
Nishu Mathur (India)
Todd Sommerville (USA)
Agnes de Lods (Poland)
Bekah Halle (Australia)
Nick Moore (UK)
irinia (Romania)
Pagan Paul (UK)
the breaktime monologue (Philippines)
Adaley June (USA)
~
Dec 1, 2025
Dec 1, 2025 at 7:48 AM UTC
~
November 2025
HP Poet: The breaktime monologue
Age: 25
Country: Philippines
Question 1: We warmly welcome you to the HP Spotlight, breaktime. Please tell us about your background?
The breaktime monologue: *"Hello everyone, I am Ayna Denisse Mestio Moncenilla (the breaktime monologue). I am 25 years old, and I hail from the Philippines—specifically Mindanao, North Cotabato, where you’ll find the city of fruits and highland springs: Kidapawan City.
I live in a country famously known as the "Pearl of the Orient Seas" because of its natural beauty, cultural richness, and strategic location in Southeast Asia. I pursued a Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English, a path that shaped both my academic and personal growth.
Along the way, I carried responsibilities outside the classroom—working as a caregiver for my ill grandmother and even as a maid for my male cousin, experiences that taught me humility, patience, and resilience. I also ventured into ghostwriting for thesis projects, which sharpened my writing and research skills.
Just recently, on May 23, 2025, I proudly passed the Board Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers. At present, I am unemployed but fully dedicated to caring for my father—handling his medications and managing household responsibilities for my family."*
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
The breaktime monologue: *"I first started writing poems back in elementary school (Notre Dame of Kidapawan College), and honestly, it began as just an assignment. At that time, I really struggled with the verses and rhymes—it felt more like a task than an art. But as I grew older, especially in high school around 2016, I found myself fully immersed in poetry. It became more than an activity; it turned into a way of expressing emotions and telling stories I couldn’t always say out loud.
As for Hello Poetry, it has been about six years since I began sharing my work there. I officially posted my first poem in 2020, and since then, it has been a space where I continue to grow as a writer and connect with fellow poets."*
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
The breaktime monologue: *"Poetry happens for me when I’m deeply in touch with my feelings—when something inside me feels too heavy to carry or too alive to keep within. That’s when the words come, like emotions begging to be released onto paper. For me, it’s almost an everyday thing, as if poetry is the language my heart chooses when it can’t stay silent.
Back then, I had this habit of always carrying a Valiant notebook—the blue one with lines—and a ballpen or pencil everywhere I went. I never knew when cluttered thoughts might hit me, and instead of telling them to others, I wrote them down. That little notebook became my safe space.
I also find inspiration in nature—its quiet, its chaos, its contradictions. I see it in the stories of other people, the way their journeys carry both beauty and struggle. Even in drawings with hidden meanings, I hear whispers that turn into verses—as if the images themselves are waiting for me to translate them into poetry."*
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
The breaktime monologue: *"For me, poetry is a powerful tool—a vessel where emotions find their freedom. Writers use it not only to release what weighs on their hearts but also to transform those feelings into something meaningful, a kind of masterpiece born out of silence and struggle.
Poetry often comes alive when a writer feels unheard. It becomes the voice that speaks when no one is listening, the companion that understands when words fail in conversations. To me, poetry is both a refuge and a revelation—a way of being seen, even in solitude."*
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
The breaktime monologue: "Some of my favorite poets are Edgar Allan Poe, William Shakespeare, and Robert Frost. I first encountered their works in our literature books, and their words left a lasting impression on me. Their poetry taught me how powerful language can be in expressing emotions, telling stories, and capturing the human experience."
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
The breaktime monologue: "Besides poetry, I love writing songs, crafting monologues and essays, and simply immersing myself in nature. I enjoy going to beaches, collecting seashells, and capturing moments through photography, whether taking pictures or posing for memories. I also find comfort and inspiration in listening to music, letting it guide my thoughts and creativity."
Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you breaktime, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in this Spotlight series!”
The breaktime monologue: "❤️ It was actually a dream of mine to be recognized too."
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know The breaktime monologue better. We most certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #34 in December!
~
Nov 1, 2025
Nov 1, 2025 at 1:46 PM UTC
~
October 2025
HP Poet: Pagan Paul
Country: UK
Question 1: We warmly welcome you to the HP Spotlight, Paul. Please tell us about your background?
Pagan Paul: "I am from Bristol, England. I have always been a Free Spirit and never really settled into the society into which I was born. I am neuro-diverse. I am generally quite a shy and private person. I also write a little comedy and love listening to old comedy radio shows. I like cheese (especially vintage Chedder)."
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Pagan Paul: "I have been a member of HP since August 2016. I started writing poetry in around 2012, but not regularly. I think it was around 2015 I became more prolific and took it more seriously."
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Pagan Paul: "My inspiration comes from many sources. Nature, mental health, relationships, experiences, articles, books and my interests. But also from the mess that is my mind."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Pagan Paul: "What does poetry mean to me? Escape and expression for my creativity. Its a chance to write down things in a way that makes more sense to my neuro-diverse mind as well as to explore and experiment with ideas, concepts and imagination."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Pagan Paul: "I do not really read much in the way of classical poetry (Byron, Keats etc) but do tend to read some from ancient Greece and Rome like Callus, Praxilla, Virgil etc. I also tend towards the more abstract or psychedelic poetry of James Douglas Morrison. As mentioned I am a fan of comedy poetry by people like Spike Milligan, Henry Normal and Pam Ayers always raise a laugh."
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Pagan Paul: "My main interest is music and the consumption thereof. I listen to a lot of different music from different genres. I have always regretted never learning an instrument or music theory. I also read a lot, especially with regard to the ancient world. The old myths and legends and folklore are also a source of inspiration for my poetry."
Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you Paul, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in this Spotlight series!”
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Paul better. We most certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #33 in November!
~
Oct 1, 2025
Oct 1, 2025 at 3:41 PM UTC
my boss asked me
to have a coffee chat
with the new girl.
talked about goals,
progression,
settling in —
it was the kind
that made me proud
for having
such a great team.
two hours later,
she quit.
Sep 28, 2025
Sep 28, 2025 at 1:50 PM UTC
And don’t get me started on interviews.
What a ridiculous process.
You are asked a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question
And answer with one.
But in the feedback,
They wanted more.
And you are not right for them this time.
They wish you ‘good luck’
And ‘try again in the future’
But why the **** would you?
When you did nothing wrong,
But answer their questions as asked.
What are you?
A ******* mind reader
******
Sep 14, 2025
Sep 14, 2025 at 11:09 AM UTC
~
September 2025
HP Poet: irinia
Age: 47
Country: Romania
Question 1: We warmly welcome you to the HP Spotlight, irinia. Please tell us about your background?
irinia: "I live in a country with a difficult past, I have complicated memories of the XXth century. I studied foreign languages and literatures (English & German), British cultural studies, psychology and psychotherapy. I worked as a cultural journalist for some time, and as an English teacher for a decade. I love working as a psychotherapist, it is a humbling honour to get to know and be with people in a profound way. I am the mother of a spirited teenage daughter whom I am in love with. I am a highly sensitive person which is a blessing and a curse because I am often times moved by life in an intense way. I am from the Balkans so my taste in everything is rather eclectic."
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
irinia: "I wrote my first poem as a teenager, and I’ve been writing since then discontinuously, whenever poetry came to me. There were periods of intense writing and also long periods of silence. It was difficult to see myself as a poet until relatively recent. On HP I've been since 2010 or 2011, I am not sure, I have to check my first post. This site and the community supported me to keep writing. I owe to HP the existence of my book of poetry called "Psychic retreat" published by Europe Books last year. Thank you Eliot for keeping HP running and thank you to all of you for keeping HP alive. I witnessed this community changing, growing, descending into chaos sometimes. I enjoy the diversity of styles."
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
irinia: "I am inspired by everything that moves me, especially people, stories, the natural world, history. Poetry simply happens to me, words and images start pouring down in my mind, so I just write them down as they come. I don’t rewrite or work with conscious intention on any poem because I don’t have time to be a „serious“ writer, who has the discipline and toil of writing. At some point poetry started coming to me in English, perhaps because my readings were mostly in English. I think poetry is a way of containing or transforming my emotional processes as for me poetry happens in the presence of feelings, and I am also observing a tendency to be more reflexive or abstract as if when I write there is a witness inside. I feel more and more that I am interested in writing about politics and society too."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
irinia: "It means a lot, I am afraid it is difficult to capture it into words. The poetry of other people touches me deeply, fascinates me, gives me the feeling of awe. It was my constant companion, it was a mirror, I found out about myself through resonance with other poets. Poetry captures the depth of life, our dreams, struggles, aspirations, our joy and our pain, creates alternative worlds from words. It captures the pulse of inner reality while it also mystifies it. It is a space of freedom and play for me. It is a protest. It is an attempt at destroying and recreating the world captured in normal language and used concepts. It is perhaps a measure of our humanity, vulnerability, resilience."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
irinia: "I will start with William Shakespeare as I love his use of language and wit. I love Japanese haiku poetry, their ineffable simplicity is mesmerizing. There are many poets that I adore: Rumi, Wallace Stevens, Walt Whitman, Pablo Neruda, Charles Bukowski, William Blake, Robert Browning, T.S. Elliot, the English and German Romantic poets, Nichita Stănescu (Romania), Ana Blandiana (Ro), Florin Iaru (Ro), Mircea Cărtărescu (Ro), Ioana Ieronim (Ro), Gellu Naum (Ro), Nora Iuga (Ro), Paul Celan, Mary Oliver, David Whythe, Anne Sexton, Tibor Zalan (Hungary), Jean-Pierre Siméon (a wonderful poet), Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Ana Akhmatova, Viktor Neborak (Ukraine), Marjana Savka (Ukraine), Hrytsko Chubai (Ukraine), John O’Donohue, Rachel Bluwstein, Yehuda Amichai, Nathan Zach, Wislawa Szymborska (Poland), Mahmud Darwish (Palestine), John Donne, Friedrich Hölderlin, Reiner Maria Rilke, Joseph Brodsky, Marina Tzvetaeva, Octavio Paz, Garcia Lorca, Giuseppe Ungaretti, Primo Levi."
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
irinia: "I love art in all forms, it moves me and it bemuses me, it stimulates my creativity. I love photography and taking photos, I attended courses in my youth. I am fascinated by cosmos and cosmology, I love physics. I love stand-up comedy, music, dancing, hiking on the mountains. I am interested in history, I am fascinated by the becoming of the world. I am fascinated by the individual and collective psyche, I think this is something that has left a mark on my poetry."
Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you irinia, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in this Spotlight series!”
irinia: "Many thanks to Carlo for this series and to you all for being here!"
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know irinia better. We most certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #32 in October!
~
Sep 1, 2025
Sep 1, 2025 at 5:25 PM UTC
~
August 2025
HP Poet: Nick Moore
Age: 50+
Country: UK
Question 1: We warmly welcome you to the HP Spotlight, Nick. Please tell us about your background?
Nick Moore: "I was born in Knutsford Cheshire; my parents split up when I was 7, so me and my mother moved to the North of England, this affected me greatly, influencing many poems. I didn't like school very much, finding it too restrictive, going straight into work at 16, into the university of life (a well-used saying at the time) working with adults with a learning disability for many years. I moved to Cornwall 10 years ago, never missing a day on the beach."
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Nick Moore: "Since 2011. I was in a band for a while, around the age of 20, writing songs, when I felt some of the songs seemed like they could pass as poems. My daughter was born a few years later, she sparked something in me, that just had to be expressed; the first poem I wrote was about her, what a child sees."
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Nick Moore: "Just about anything: philosophy, science, comedy, music, people, nature; but I have to let the idea grow in my mind, it's there in the background, and when it's ready, it will make itself known."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Nick Moore: "As a child, I was fascinated with the lyrics to songs, certain ones really spoke to me; for example Daniel by Elton John, the emotion in those words really got to me, so poetry was inevitably going to come into my life; so for me, it's a way of expressing thoughts and feelings that are hard to just bring up in a conversation."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Nick Moore: "Mark Bolan, was the first poetry I read, think the book was called Warlock of Love? Jim Morrison, Bob Dylan, Edgar Allan Poe, W.B. Yeats, C.S. Lewis and the many poets on Hello poetry."
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Nick Moore: "Growing my own food, reading, surfing (not very good), listening to music, watching films from the silent era to recent ones, and walking my dog."
Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you Nick, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in this Spotlight series!”
Nick Moore: "Thanks again."
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Nick better. We most certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #31 in September!
~
Aug 1, 2025
Aug 1, 2025 at 1:50 PM UTC
~
July 2025
HP Poet: Bekah Halle
Age: 40+
Country: Australia
Question 1: We warmly welcome you to the HP Spotlight, Bekah. Please tell us about your background?
Bekah Halle: *"I am known at HP as Bekah Halle. My first name is Rebekah, and Halley is my middle name. I am the eldest of two girls, the aunt of three gorgeous girls and the eldest of 20+ cousins.
I am a counsellor and a chaplain for people across all ages. But, in my early career I was a PR & Marketing Consultant for FMCG companies and non-profits.
I am creative and love art, drama, photography, poetry, and music. Recently, I have become more captivated by nature, writing about it and being out in nature."*
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Bekah Halle: "As a child, I used to love writing stories, and poetry later. In some ways you could say poetry found me. In 2012 I had surgery to remove a brain aneurysm and AVM that resulted in a stroke and then being in a 40-day coma. Healing involved many modalities, locations and years and poetry was a way for me to express the things I was thinking and feeling but could not say. I didn't show them to anyone until I completed a MA in Chaplaincy and during the course, there was a reflective writing element to process our journey. During this time I brought my poetry ‘out of the closet’ or into the light, and shared with people and they encouraged me to continue writing. I looked for ways to share my poetry, to get feedback and found HP! And you all have been very encouraging!"
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Bekah Halle: "I mostly get inspired by faith and life. I can get a stirring from the Holy Spirit and/or I can be in life and see a moment as special or in a new light and want to capture it in words. I will write, re-write and set it aside or sometimes it comes to me in a flash. The poetry writes me."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Bekah Halle: "Life. Expression. Hope. Extolling God."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Bekah Halle: "I studied Samuel Coleridge in High School and still remember his poems today. The Psalmists in The Bible, Emily Brontë, Sylvia Plath, Victor Hugo, Mary Oliver, Jane Tyson Clement, Rainer Maria Rilke, David Scott…to name a few."
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Bekah Halle: "The power of gratitude, fitness, travel and learning."
Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you Bekah, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in this Spotlight series!”
Bekah Halle: "Thank you for the opportunity."
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Bekah a little bit better. We certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #30 in August!
~
Jul 1, 2025
Jul 1, 2025 at 7:32 PM UTC
This job is not suitable for those with
experience of light excavation
We are not looking for
amateur
archaeologists
with your little hammers going tippy tap tap
Metal detectorists need not apply
And we are not interested
in weekend spelunkers
with your fancy flashlights and your energy bars
The ideal candidate will know how to operate
earth augers and trenching machines
Training in gravedigging will be provided
You will have achieved the relevant qualifications
in pipe jacking, microtunnelling
impact moling and guided boring
Demolition techniques are a must
and do you know how
to work a crushing machine?
Interviews will be held soon
in the bunker
Jun 11, 2025
Jun 11, 2025 at 5:30 PM UTC
~
June 2025
HP Poet: Agnes de Lods
Age: 47
Country: Poland
Question 1: We warmly welcome you to the HP Spotlight, Agnes. Please tell us about your background?
Agnes de Lods: *"My name is Agnes (Agnieszka), and I come from Poland. I grew up in the countryside, in a family rooted in rural and small-town traditions. My mother is a very intuitive person, and my father was always standing in the last row, quietly helping others, especially people with disabilities.
My parents gave me two ways of perception: seeing with the heart and with the mind. They didn’t have higher education, but our home was full of music, books, radio talks, and documentaries that showed the world in many dimensions. They helped me see that reality is full of tension and harmony, depending on what we pay attention to.
They gave me space to speak in my own voice. Growing up close to nature, I spent time observing, listening to the rhythm of the seasons. I learned humility, compassion, and what it means to face hard work and failure."*
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Agnes de Lods: *"In Polish, I’ve been writing for four years. In English, two or three. But in a way, I had been preparing for it all my life by writing, reading, and observing the world around me.
I started sharing my reflections on Hello Poetry in December, just a few months ago. For the first time, I felt ready to express everything I had kept inside for years."*
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Agnes de Lods: *"People. I love people. Every single person has a story. Sometimes strangers stop me in the street and start talking. I guess they want to be heard, and I love to listen.
Nature inspires me. And my dreams, too. Some of them come true, others do not. Still waiting for those lottery numbers to show up in a dream.
Books are also a huge source, just like music and art in all their forms. I am inspired by Karolina Halatek and Hania Rani, Marc Witmann, Umo Vide, Dror Elimelech, and Patricia Suarez (Colombian poet and painter), and many others."*
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Agnes de Lods: *"Poetry is exceptional on every level. Metaphors express the unspeakable and have real power. They change the frequency of thought.
Poetry heals, invites contemplation, and opens doors to the many layers of human nature.
To me, poetry is sound, color, scent, even taste."*
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Agnes de Lods: *"Sylvia Plath, Alejandra Pizarnik, Wisława Szymborska, Adam Zagajewski, Czesław Miłosz, Jorge Luis Borges, Pablo Neruda, Federico García Lorca, and many more.
I also read poems on Hello Poetry, and I am so glad to see many truly talented writers here. It means this world still has a chance."*
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Agnes de Lods: *"I am fascinated by psychology and archetypes. I read Jung with deep interest.
I love sci-fi, deep conversations, walks in the forest, and learning new languages. But more than anything, I care about human connection and understanding.
I like to dance and play the piano, though I have not had much time for that lately. And I love connecting the dots."*
Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you Agnes, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in this Spotlight series!”
Agnes de Lods: "Thank you so much for letting me share my story. I am so glad to be part of this community of sensitive souls. I feel good here."
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Agnes a little bit better. We certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #29 in July!
~
Jun 1, 2025
Jun 1, 2025 at 4:03 PM UTC
~
May 2025
HP Poet: Todd Sommerville
Age: 60
Country: USA
Question 1: A warm welcome to the HP Spotlight, Todd. Please tell us about your background?
Todd Sommerville: "I was born and lived in Fenton, Mi until I was 8 years old then moved to Florida and on to N. Carolina at age 15. I've called N. Carolina home ever since. Worked most of my life in the furniture Industry. Literally from sweeping floors at 16 to programming CNC Machines and designing furniture by the end of my career, and every job in between. I have one son named George, 27, who is the pride of my life and a talented musician and song writer."
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Todd Sommerville: *"I have dabbled at writing both short stories and poetry since I was in grade school, but didn't start writing seriously until I was about 50 years old after the breakup of my marriage. Sadness, depression, and copious amounts of alcohol just seemed to bring out the poet in me. (Does it get anymore cliche?) LOL.
Anyway I was writing constantly during that time, even self-published a short poetry book (A Relationship in Verse) available on Amazon. (Shameless Plug), not really it was mostly drunken crap even though I was proud of it at the time.
Anyway to make a long story a little less long, I spent about a year getting myself together, quit drinking, and repaired the relationship with the girlfriend I have today. I started writing seriously again about a year ago. I think I started posting on HP about September of last year. And started my You Tube Channel in November, which I absolutely love doing."*
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Todd Sommerville: "What inspires me? Well, originally I would say Heartache and Romance, once again (Very Cliche) but I think looking at the world differently, and finding some inner peace has allowed me to be more creative in my poetry. I look more towards nature and solitude for inspiration as well as trying to interject some humor into my poetry as well."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Todd Sommerville: "Poetry is my outlet, it is my voice. As a shy quiet guy I always found it hard to express myself verbally. A problem I don't have when writing."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Todd Sommerville: "Honestly I'm not well versed in the classics. I've been more or less self-educated, I dropped out of school at 16. But I do remember reading Robert Frost when I was a kid and I loved Poe's stories, Annabel Lee being my favorite. But to be real some of the poets right here on HP are some of the best I've ever read. Shout out to Rob Rutledge, Anais Vionet, Thomas W Case, Emma, Immortality, Abbott J Hardison, You, Traveler, and a couple dozen others. I hate leaving anybody out."
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Todd Sommerville: *"My other interests? Traveling, riding motorcycles, neither of which I do nearly enough. And of course my you tube channel which I'm determined to make successful.
(Last Shameless Plug) https://www.youtube.com/@tsummerspoetry."*
Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you Todd, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in this Spotlight series!”
Todd Sommerville: *"Thanks for Honoring me with this spotlight. I hope I wasn't to boring or long winded HP is my go to place to get feedback on my poetry and inspiration for future writes.
Thanks So Much.
Todd"*
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Todd a little bit better. We certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #28 in June!
~
May 1, 2025
May 1, 2025 at 6:06 PM UTC
Grow! Grow! Grow!
Or you'll be left behind
How productive was your week?
Are you accountable for your time?
Tell me just what it is-
You bring to the table
How much would you profit me?
If you are even able.
Next! Next! Next!
Could you command a room?
Can you read context?
Tell me your greatest weakness
Is it also your greatest strength?
What exactly is your worth?
When you include your height and weight.
Are you reliable?
Do you think you're personable?
How do you work with coworkers?
Would you share bathrooms with her?
How flexible is your time-
when in truth its actually mine.
Good answer, sign this line,
No need to know what this implies.
See you Monday, watch your breaks.
Be on time, don't clock out late.
Remember there's no overtime.
My door is open anytime.
Welcome to the family.
Weekly breakdowns guaranteed.
Tour our facility, get to know the faculty.
We've had to lock the balcony,
apart from that small tragedy,
here we live quite lavishly.
First day's always the hardest one
Keep your head down till it's done
If you can bare the powderkeg
You can expect your weekly check
See you soon and don't forget,
You haven't even started yet!
Apr 18, 2025
Apr 18, 2025 at 2:18 AM UTC
~
April 2025
HP Poet: Nishu Mathur
Age: 54
Country: India
Question 1: A warm welcome to the HP Spotlight, Nishu. Please tell us about your background?
Nishu Mathur: *"I was born in Delhi, a somewhat chaotic yet majestic city with an interesting and rich historic past. Had a lovely childhood and loving parents. Simple, honest and hard working folks. My late father was with Indian Airlines (senior executive management). My mum is a retired Professor. She taught in Delhi University for 41 years. I have a younger brother who is an economist/ professor. I spent a few years in NYC as a child in the 70s. Impressionable years. My love for reading started in school in NYC. We moved back to India in 1979. Did my undergraduate and Master’s in English Literature from Delhi University, St. Stephen’s College. I used to be a voracious reader. Read a lot till I was in school. Had finished reading most classics by the time I was in 10th grade. After that, I started reading contemporary works.
My husband is a technocrat. I have two lovely, kind-hearted daughters, one is an investment manager and the other, a budding lawyer. We love dogs. We had an adorable saintly pug, Now we have two incorrigible beagles.
I have travelled a bit. I have lived in Japan and Canada for a few years and have stayed in different cities in India. I have met incredible people from all over, experienced different traditions and cultures. Learned so much.
I used to teach once upon a time. I’ve also worked as a corporate trainer. Now I work as an editor and content creator for a non profit organization."*
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Nishu Mathur: "I wrote a bit as a child. Then for a little while around 2000. But finally, I really started writing when I took a break from work in 2011. Have been on this site for almost 9 years. I posted my first poem on Hello Poetry in 2016."
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Nishu Mathur: *"Nature — trees, flowers, the sun, the moon. A moment in time. Something I read that I love. Memories. Something around me that I notice that leaves an impact. I used to write happy-go-lucky, cheeky poems too. Really silly stuff. I once wrote a poem on Indian moustaches. On double chins. Mosquitoes. I wrote parodies. Would love to get back to writing poetry like I used to.
I mostly write when I am at peace. For the longest time I found it hard to express sadness and grief. But I think I am getting over that."*
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Nishu Mathur: *"Poetry is my go-to-place. A friend, a companion. It is a feeling. It is catharsis. It inspires. It is an outlet for creativity. I am very happy when I am able to write something. I feel rejuvenated. Like I can breathe.
I have learned a lot about poetry over the years. Poetry has also given me an opportunity to know myself and others better.
A poem can say so much in a few words. We can all have our own takeaways and interpretations. Words become magical and beautiful when woven together in poetry. I find that fascinating.
I am not a big talker. So I find happiness and comfort in written words. Poetry helps me to connect with people — thanks to online websites such as HP."*
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Nishu Mathur: "Rumi, Emily Dickinson, Vikram Seth, Maya Angelou, Ruskin Bond, Wordsworth, Yeats, Shel Silverstein, Pam Ayres. I love reading the work of fellow poets too."
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Nishu Mathur: "Besides poetry, I enjoy music. I am trying my hand at painting. I love walking, going for long drives. I used to love travelling but haven’t been able to travel much these past few years. Love watching feel good, happy movies."
Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you Nishu, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in this Spotlight series!”
Nishu Mathur: "Thank you Carlo for Timetabling me and for your support. Grateful for the encouragement and inspiration I have received and continue to receive from this wonderful community of poets on Hello Poetry."
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Nishu a little bit better. We certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #27 in May!
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Apr 1, 2025
Apr 1, 2025 at 4:24 PM UTC
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March 2025
HP Poet: Mike Adam
Age: 66
Country: UK
Question 1: A warm welcome to the HP Spotlight, Mike. Please tell us about your background?
Mike Adam: "Slum east London, dysfunctional violent childhood, playing on bombsites. School, dungeons and kidnappings, sad little boy. Love of dogs and plants and rocks. School: Beckett Shopenhauer, work, college, work university, 1st love lost, travel Asia beaches and mountains, monasteries, monks, Bhodidharma. Work, work, work, Lady J (published collection), retirement, happy at last."
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Mike Adam: "Began writing 10 years old, HP about ten years."
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Mike Adam: "Poems gestate and arrive unbidden, laid like turtle eggs, a little hole, sand flicked and forgotten."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Mike Adam: "From 1,000 posts perhaps start with the latest few. I call them "mercifully short," easy to read but, given time, you may unpack a great deal."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Mike Adam:
*"Ryokan:
Why ask who has Satori, who has not?
What need have I for that dust, fame and gain
Montale:
Life that seemed vast
Is briefer than your handkerchief"*
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Mike Adam: *"Amidst the first suicidal mass extinction in history I am grateful to read new poetry and garner hope from young poets still expressing themselves in beautiful combinations of words so thank you all for that...
Who am I?
I don't know"*
Carlo C. Gomez: “Thank you so much Mike, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in this Spotlight series!”
Mike Adam: "With gratitude, Mike."
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Mike a little bit better. We certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #26 in April!
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Mar 2, 2025
Mar 2, 2025 at 4:45 PM UTC
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February 2025
HP Poet: Lizzie Bevis
Age: 40
Country: UK
Question 1: A warm welcome to the HP Spotlight, Lizzie. Please tell us about your background?
Lizzie Bevis: *"Hello Carlo, So, my actual name is Elizabeth, but I have always been known as Lizzie since I was a little girl. Elizabeth quickly became my naughty name if I got up to mischief! I was born in Lincolnshire, England a month early in November 1984, I was meant to be a Christmas baby, but I did not want to wait! That was a smart move on my part. I have 2 brothers and a younger sister. I am the second oldest of the brood. I also celebrated my 40th Birthday last year quietly with family and friends.
I also love unicorns. My best friend Samantha often tells me that I should have been one because I am just too nice. Oh boy, I am going to try my best to condense this down as much as I can because I can write for England, Carlo! I have not always lived in Lincolnshire, I lived in Yorkshire from the age of 1 until I was 8. I was sad to leave my friends behind when we moved back to Lincolnshire to be close to my grandma who I adored. My lovely mum is sadly not a particularly good cook, so when I was 10, I told my grandma that my mum overcooked pasta to mush again, so my grandma discreetly taught me how to cook and bake on weekends. I quickly became the family cook, and I think that everyone was relieved!
I was independent in my teenage years, I got myself a paper round at the age of 14 and got my first proper job at the age of 17 in a shop and started saving up my wages. I was also quite sporty growing up, I enjoyed playing football with the boys, and I eventually became an FA-qualified football referee. I also discovered archery, and I became a Grand National Archery Association Archery Instructor. I also wanted to climb mountains, so I did. My first mountain climb was Mount Snowdon in Wales, I then went to Aviemore, Scotland to take on the Cairngorms and fell in love with the outdoors all over again, I remember seeing the Northern lights for the first time and they were breathtaking.
At the age of 19, my adventures took me all over Europe, and I visited Italy, The Netherlands, France, and Spain. My travels eventually took me to America where visited the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and I climbed up Pikes Peak; I then changed direction and toured New England. I enjoyed New England so much that applied for a 3-month work visa, and I became a head archery counsellor at a Summer Camp in Rhode Island, what a fun experience that was!
Going back to my childhood, my mum’s family hail from Yorkshire so living there meant that I could visit my aunts, uncles, cousins, and my grandpa. My grandpa used to work in the coal mines so naturally his lungs were in a bad way, and he was in and out of hospital most of the time. This was a life-altering moment and at the age of 4, I decided that I was going to become a nurse when I grew up. I would visit my Grandad at the hospital dressed up in my nurse's costume and help the nurses on the ward do the little tasks like filling up and distributing patients' water jugs and chatting with the patients. Grandpa would always give me his strawberry ice cream, he said that he didn't like it, but I could never understand why?! I have many fond memories of those days.
Ironically, I learnt that some things are not meant to be. I enrolled in university to study Adult General Nursing in 2015 but made national media instead for all of the wrong reasons; In July of that very same year, I had a cardiac arrest when my mum's little dog Daisy was put to sleep at the veterinary surgery. After surviving my brush with death, I spent 3 long weeks in hospital, and I was diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome. I also learnt that stress kills and that Adult Nursing was probably not the best career choice for me! I am now Employed as an Adult Care and Wellbeing Advisor and love every minute of it."*
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Lizzie Bevis: *"I have been writing poetry since I was 11 years old, I was inspired when studying my English Language & Literature GCSEs at Secondary School. I remember the first poem that I ever wrote, it was called My Dog Sam.
My Dog Sam
He is as fast as the wind
Running through fields of green,
He is the smartest dog that I have ever seen.
He is black and white, an epic sight,
With eyes so keen and a mind so bright.
My Border Collie, my good boy Sam,
My loyal friend who understands
Every whistle and all commands.
By Lizzie aged 11.
At the age of 12, I had my first poem published in the National Poetry Anthology and I have had many other poems published since. Writing poetry has become a refreshing pastime, and I am often writing about something daily. I have been writing new material and adding my poems to Hello Poetry since September last year."*
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Lizzie Bevis: "Inspiration for me can be as simple as an experience or emotion, it can come from a joyous occasion with family, feeling sad, being in love or from something far less complex; such as when reading a book, looking out of my bedroom window in the morning or walking through the churchyard. One of my poems ‘Epitaph’ was inspired by walking past a worn gravestone when I was visiting my grandma to lay flowers on her grave. I am fortunate to live in the Lincolnshire Wolds and be surrounded by history, rolling hills, farmland, and picturesque countryside."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Lizzie Bevis: "Poetry, personally for me is an outlet for creative expression. It is healing and it is cathartic. I find that I can write about anything on my mind and feel like a weight has lifted afterwards. I can convey my feelings and emotions freely. Poetry can be emotive, startling, inspiring and thought-provoking. I feel like I am giving my readers a little sneak peek inside my very vulnerable soul. I also like to experiment with humour, it makes a nice change to try something different sometimes and I enjoy making people smile."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Lizzie Bevis: "The first poem that inspired me to begin writing was a poem called 'I Am Very Bothered' by Simon Armitage. Being from Lincolnshire and living a hop and skip away from the birthplace of Alfred Lord Tennyson, it would be rude not to include his wonderful poem - 'The Splendor Falls.' I have enjoyed reading and have been inspired by many of Maya Angelou’s works in the past, I recall reading this poem to my daughter when she was 5 years old – 'Life Doesn’t Frighten Me.' Alice in Wonderland was one of my favourite books to read growing up, here is another one of Lewis Carroll's splendid pieces of work - Dreamland. I was also a science geek at school and was fascinated by Physics, Chemistry and Biology. I love the work of Sarah Howe, and this is especially one of my favourite poems - 'Relativity.'"
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Lizzie Bevis: "I am a woman of simple pleasures, I enjoy spending time with my family, and games night is always a blast! When I am at home and not working, I often listen to music or watch a good documentary on TV. I adore my cats Timmy and Sooty, Sooty is a sleepy old boy now, but Timmy is such a rascal and there is never a dull moment at home, he has recently learnt how to open drawers! I also like to pass the time sitting in my armchair (usually with a cat on my lap) next to my log burner to work on the occasional embroidery task, and I do of course, enjoy cooking and baking lots of delicious treats, which I usually share with my family, friends and neighbours. I love being outdoors, I often go on long walks, breathing in the fresh air, and clearing my thoughts."
Carlo C. Gomez: “Thank you so much Lizzie, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in this Spotlight series!”
Lizzie Bevis: "Thank you Carlo for taking the time to plunge me into the February Spotlight! I would also like to thank everyone who has ever shown me kindness, support, and encouragement on Hello Poetry. You are all a wonderful bunch of poets, and I feel truly blessed to be amongst you. Keep writing and keep your visions alive because, without our creativity, the world would be a very dull place indeed."
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Lizzie a little bit better. We certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #25 in March!
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Feb 2, 2025
Feb 2, 2025 at 5:31 PM UTC
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January 2025
HP Poet: Rob Rutledge
Age: 35
Country: UK
Question 1: A warm welcome to the HP Spotlight, Robert. Please tell us about your background?
Rob Rutledge: "Hi, thank you for having me. I’m Robert Rutledge. I’m 35, the youngest of three boys (sorry mum), born in the south of England to Irish parents who emigrated to the UK just before I was born in the late 80’s. At nine years old we moved to Manchester in the north of England where I would find a love for music, literature and general mischief before moving back down south in my 20’s. Where I have been creating mischief ever since."
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Rob Rutledge: *"I started writing poetry in secondary (high) school, I was really lucky to have some excellent English and Drama teachers who made it an easy subject to love. But like everything it was a journey, one very much entwined with my love for music and lyrics. At some point or another I realised I enjoyed playing with words, annoying everyone around me with puns and questionable jokes. Poetry became a natural extension of that while also providing an invaluable creative outlet. At home we had a framed poster of IF by Rudyard Kipling which seemed to mean something new every time I read it and really helped my appreciation of the written word. I often found the same joy in coming up with a riff on guitar as writing a stanza that I thought sounded epic and quickly realised there was a lot of crossover with rhythm, themes and metaphors between poetry and music.
I joined Hello Poetry in 2012 and have seen many ups and downs with the site but I also found an incredibly welcoming community, and I can say with all honestly if it wasn’t for the kindness and feedback of users here I doubt I would still be writing today."*
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Rob Rutledge: "Inspiration can come from anyone and anywhere but more often then not I find a single line or two may come to mind. Most of my work will contain a nod or a reference to a line that I’ve either borrowed or downright plagiarised from a book, a song, a rhyme and I use that as starting point. Iain M Banks is one of my favourite authors so when I’m struggling for inspiration I will pick up one of his many excellent books and will find a beautiful phrase or image that I can use as a starting point."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Rob Rutledge: "Poetry to me is an opportunity to create, to convey a piece of myself and share it with the world. To have made something of meaning even if it only means anything to me. A painting on the wall of the cave, a contribution to the world and something that says I was alive. Its the art of putting emotion into words and if I can impart that feeling to even one person the way other poetry has made me feel then it’s even more worthwhile."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Rob Rutledge: "I tend to love poems rather than poets the notable exception would be William Butler Yeats. There is something about the romantic idealistic nostalgia of his writings that has always spoken to me. The juxtaposition of his Anglo-Irish heritage hits close to home and I think is reflected in his wistful writings. T.S Eliot, William Blake and H.P Lovecraft (only his poetry, not a very nice chap) deserve honourable mentions as well, Eliot references feature heavily in Iain M Banks’ work and helped bridge my interests between literature and poetry."
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Rob Rutledge: "Other than Poetry, Music is my jam both playing and going to gigs / raves, I love everything from classical to jungle and everything in-between. I also enjoy computer games and sci-fi in particular. I used to play a lot of Rugby."
Carlo C. Gomez: “Thank you so much Robert, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in this Spotlight series!”
Rob Rutledge: "Thank you for the opportunity."
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Robert a little bit better. I most certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #24 in February!
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Jan 1, 2025
Jan 1, 2025 at 2:13 PM UTC