I have been tagged by Liberian poet, Patricia
Jabbeh Wesley, to give this interview for an expanding blog project called The
Next Big Thing. She is the author of
several poetry collections, Where the
Road Turns, The River is Rising, Becoming Ebony, and Before the Palm Could
Bloom. You can read her interview by clicking on this link.
Patricia Jabbeh Wesley (L) and Lola Koundakjian (R) at the International Poetry Festival
in Medellin, Colombia. July 2010
TNBT: Where did the idea
come from for the book?
Lola: For about 20 years I was a visual artist and clay
was my medium. After making the leap to writing, I started working on my first
manuscript -- similar to preparing for an exhibit. That first manuscript wasn’t
picked up, which was good and bad simultaneously. Good because I needed more time
to work on my craft, and bad because I needed to have something at my readings.
TNBT: What genre does your book fall under?
Lola: Poetry
Cover of my first poetry collection, published in 2011
TNBT:
What languages do you write in?
I write in both English and Armenian, and I have a few of pieces in French.
TNBT: What actors would you choose to play the
part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Lola: I just got the news that my second manuscript was chosen (Jan 15, 2013) as a finalist
at the Orange Book Prize in Armenia. It’s bilingual -- Armenian and English --
and entitled Advice to a Poet. It evolves around a young author’s experiences,
and a muse who drops in once in a while. I would like Jake Gylenhaal to play
the author, and Salma Hayek to be the muse. For my other poems, I’d like Anouk
Aimee to play me.
TNBT:
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
Lola: Advice to a Poet is for those who need reassurance that
with time, with the right experiences and continuous hard work, our writing improves.
TNBT: Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Lola: It
followed a lengthy conversation with a poet overseas, who is about 10 years
younger than me.
TNBT:
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
Lola: Two days.
TNBT:
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Lola: It has tongue-in-cheek passages to
remind some of us to keep our sense of humour, and how to enjoy every moment of
life. And, every stanza is beautifully illustrated by Yelena Bryksenkova.
A plate from my manuscript, Advice to a poet.
Illustration by Yelena Bryksenkova
Will
your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Lola: If I win the Orange prize,
they will publish 500 copies of it. Before
I found out about this competition, I started sending the manuscript to various
publishers in the United States. I hope to win, and negotiate a North American
edition in the near future.
The Writers I will be tagging include:
Shahe
Mankerian, California
