Interview with Afrihill Press

Interview with Afrihill Press

by Olaide Oluwafunmilayo Soaga (Features Editor, Afrihill Press)

As a poet, what is your writing process?
My writing process is the same regardless of the genre. It goes one of two ways after a profound thought worth exploring comes to mind. Sometimes, I ignore it and refuse to write until it’s fully formed. Other times, I write down the idea and scraps of any relative thoughts, then return to edit later. I am not the type of writer who sits down for a dedicated number of hours to write daily. It’s unrealistic for me. Moreso, the most tasking part of my writing is editing and revisions to make a single clear meaning of a piece.
For example, yesterday, I had an idea for a poem about the devil as a designer and jotted down the punchlines that came to mind. Then, during my break today, I spent an hour reading aloud repeatedly and editing until it was unified, concise, and coherent to pass the intended point.

Do you enjoy poems that convey opinions you disagree with?
What matters in my principles of knowledge acquisition is if I understand what the other person or work is communicating; if it is reasonable, meaningful, and applicable. Especially knowing how feelings are highly unreliable and implicated by other things happening in a person’s life, I don’t think it’s fair to oversimplify my reaction or relationship to any work of art or literature to my ability to enjoy it whether I agree or disagree with the opinions it conveys. Ultimately, I like to be conscious of what the creator is trying to achieve (if such information is available) and if it aligns with the outcomes of my engagement with the work.
​

Read More