Voices behind the words (An Interview series with writers, Interview #7 (Aston Kamunde)

• New poem in the works. It could possibly be a collaboration with my homie and fellow writer Patrick @mycreativepatience so stay tuned for that.

 

Welcome readers to another entry in this series I call Voices behind the words (An interview series with writers). This was the quickest turnaround I’ve gotten for an interview following the previous one I uploaded no more 4 days ago. Having said that I’m grateful that the last one made a little bit of noise with the comments and likes pouring into not only my page but my previous guest Sara’s page. Anyways, this time around I spoke with Aston Kamunde of @AstonKamunde on WordPress. We spoke about the poetry scene in his home country of Kenya, his approach to uploading content on WordPress which I found we share similarities on, his aspirations to publish, and how he would describe his writing in one sentence. I ditched the traditional question of asking writers to describe it in one word because it’s challenging when we’re very detailed and complex with our writing. If you have not checked out his writing on WordPress I encourage you to and leave likes, comments, and a follow on his fascinating blog. As mentioned before his WordPress handle is @AstonKamunde.wordpress.com and on Twitter @AstonKamunde. I present to you our interview. Peace

 

     1. What is your writing process like, do you hand write or type a draft? Or do you think of a theme and immediately start typing?

Aston: Once struck by the need to write a poem, I normally troubleshoot my ideas by typing or scribbling them on a piece of paper.  After words, I create a theme from the resulting content whilst formatting the poem with relevant stylistic devices.

     2. At what age did you start writing poetry and have you been consistent with it ever since?

Aston: I started doing creative writing when I was 8 years old. However, I was not exposed to poetry and therefore, I wasn’t able to accurately tell the exact genre. I only realized I was a poet a few years later and I have never stopped writing ever since.

   3. What are your favorite book genres? Who are your favorite authors?

Aston: I am an ardent fan of crime and mystery novels. Some of my favorite authors include; Wilkie Collins, Ken Follett, John Grisham, Tana French. Nevertheless, I am always compelled to pick any novel that has the theme of mystery.

   4. When you’re not writing how do you spend your down time?

Aston: If not writing, I coil down with a good book or movie besides spending time with family and friends.

  5. What advice would you give to aspiring writers who love poetry but don’t know how to start? I have some days where I can’t of something to write so, do you believe in writer’s block?

Aston: Well…having the interest to write poetry is very essential. Any aspiring poetry writer shouldn’t be demoralized by established poets or popular works. I earnestly believe that poetry offers an individual the opportunity of exploring his or her own individuality. Unlike other types of creative writing, poetry is never limited with standardized writing styles thereby, offering one with the chance of creating own style depending on what feels comfortable.

And yes! I believe in writers block. It happens to me so often. There are days that I can’t write any poem in spite of wanting to. Other moments I get this overwhelming desire to write that I am unable to concentrate in anything else.

6. These are 3 unrelated questions all one. How has your WordPress experience been since joining? In Kenya are there any spoken events or other poets you interact with because here in the U.S. slam poetry is a large platform for poets to expose themselves to the public? Lastly, would you ever consider doing it even though it seems daunting to some?

Aston: Since joining WordPress, my experience has been so great and quite enjoyable. There is so much encouragement from the support and the poetry community. Kenya is increasingly embracing spoken word events, which are organized and attended by my many poetry enthusiasts. Moreover, I normally meet and interact with fellow poets on a weekly basis in social media platforms such as Twitter.

I have considered engaging in spoken word but I still need a lot of cheering

7. Would you ever considering publishing your writing, and if you have how was the reception and reviews? Are you familiar with any publishing literary sites that you’ve been looking into publishing with?

Aston: Publishing my poetry will be beyond my wildest imagination! I am optimistic and navigating the chance of getting such an opportunity.

 8. What other social media platforms do you use to promote your content other than Twitter? Do you have any tips for bloggers when it comes to promoting their content?

Aston: Besides Twitter, I promote my content through Facebook. However, I hope to explore other social media platforms which will offer me with more exposure. WordPress is excellent in promoting individual blogs through various platforms.

9. How often do you post throughout the week because I follow you and I look forward to whenever you post, so I’m assuming it’s weekly right? I post at least twice a week and my approach is quality over quantity, I don’t want to post daily for the simple fact I don’t want to half -ass something just to increase my visibility in the WordPress community. Would you agree with the statement?

Aston: I definitely agree with your statement. I normally post twice or thrice per week depending on how I feel about my post. I cannot make new posts unless I am completely satisfied with the content. For me, it is not about visibility because such a notion will compromise the quality of my content and ultimately distort the very purpose of owning a blog.

 10. If you could describe your writing with one sentence how would it go?

Aston: I am more into ethereal poetry; connecting nature, natural sceneries with the human soul.

• Shout out to Aston for taking the time to do this interview with me, and I look forward to reading more of his work and I believe you should too. Until next time when I interview a new guest lets keep on writing to stave off the stress. PEACE