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 </div><p></p>Our Poet of The Week (#POTW) is Iyeomoan, Emmanuel Ehizogie, a young, aspiring African writer and Performance Poet whose works have featured in many literary blogs/sites like <em>Words Rhymes &; Rhythm</em>, <em>Lyriversity</em>, <em>Write Paragraphs</em>, and several others.
<p>Iyeomoan was first runner-up in of <em>Korea-Nigeria Poetry Festival</em>; Winner of an online poetry challenge for the book,<em> ‘What Can Words Do? </em> He was also recently awarded the third-prize for the best submission for <em>Speaking Pen International Concept</em>’s (SPIC) anthology, <em>We Cry For Peace.</em></p>
<blockquote><p>Simply put, Iyeomoan is an emerging force, a concave mirror of new African poetry, so much that readers of his Afro-centric poems have tagged him<em> “the-man-with-a-menstruating pen”.</em></p></blockquote>
<p>WRR’s Sam De Poet caught up with Iyeaomoan for a quick chat. Here are excerpts from the interview:</p>
<p><em><strong>We will like to know you, tell us your names Sir?</strong></em></p>
<p>My names are Iyeomoan, Emmanuel Ehizogie</p>
<p><strong><em>What prompted you to begin writing poetry?</em></strong></p>
<p>I can’t categorically pin-point the exact incidence. I just started writing from age 8 after my brother’s demise. May his soul remain in me</p>
<p><strong><em>What inspires your writing?</em></strong></p>
<p>My writings are inspired by life experiences, historical findings in books, happenings in the society, and most especially from observing the beauty of nature. Smiles…</p>
<p><em><strong>Do your poems have any predominant themes?</strong></em></p>
<p>Yes, but that depends on the direction of my muse. For instance, if my muse is tilted to the Nigerian polity, themes like <em>“suffering and smiling”</em> in the midst of plenty is focalled on the apex of ‘hope’.</p>
<p><em><strong>Why is poetry important to you? Do you get satisfaction from them?</strong></em></p>
<p>Reply: Poetry is the fuel of dying spirit. It helps me express myself in such a way that others who may be frustrated in the ‘Nigerian dream’, catch the fire of hope. I read pieces of poetry just to feel at ease<br>
again.</p>
<p><em><strong>Are there any specific poems or poets that have influenced your style as a poet?</strong></em></p>
<p>Reply: Yes. <em>Robert Frost</em>‘s <em>‘The Road Not Taken’</em> struck me when I started writing. Then, my poems were philosophical. <em>Odia Ofeimun</em>‘s many poems also influence my style. But the works of <em>Kenule Saro Wiwa</em>, defined my love for Africa.</p>
<p><em><strong>How much do you think life experiences influence our writing?</strong></em></p>
<p>Incalculable. That’s is word cause I can’t measure it.</p>
<p><em><strong>How much of yourself do you inject into your poems?</strong></em></p>
<p>I inject a bit of myself in my poems.</p>
<p><em><strong>Are there certain condition in which you write better?</strong></em></p>
<p>I write better on the computer or through other mobile devices</p>
<p><em><strong>What role do you think poems and poets should and can play in society?</strong></em></p>
<p>The healing role. Saying it the way it is, with a little caution though. (<em>Laughs!)</em></p>
<p><em><strong>Most poets write in English. Now, what is your position about traditional poetry written in local dialects?</strong></em></p>
<p>It depends on what the Poet-personae feels. I sometimes write in pidgin and a blend of the three major ethnic languages, Ibo, Yoruba and Hausa. This can be noticed in my poem <em>‘We are Afrikans’</em>. Pidgin poems are sometimes difficult to craft, but it reaches a wider range of the Nigerian populace.</p>
<p><em><strong>A word for young, aspiring poets?</strong></em></p>
<blockquote><p>Poetry is more than just expression. When you write, allow your muse dictate your flow. Poets are world<em> inspirers</em>. Write to right the wrongs of our fathers.</p></blockquote>
<p>Keep penning for change, someday your works would speak.</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p><strong>Contact:</strong><br>
<em><strong>Facebook:</strong></em> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ema.ternity?fref=ts" target="_blank">Iyeomoan Emmanuel Ehizogie </a><br>
<em><strong>Phone:</strong></em> 07033709829<br>
<em><strong>Email:</strong></em> poetehizogie@gmail.com<br>
<em><strong>Blog:</strong> </em><a href="http://creativity.ematernity.wordpress.com" target="_blank">Ematernity</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://poetry.wrr.ng/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/1417503_676114859078774_650961381_o.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-13646" src="http://poetry.wrr.ng/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/1417503_676114859078774_650961381_o.jpg" alt="1417503_676114859078774_650961381_o" width="485" height="278" loading="lazy"></a></p>
 
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