Liberian Literary Magazine
Two Faces, Two Phases
(Speed-o-graphics, Liberia
1984) includes poems that
reflect my first impressions of
Liberia. “Tropic Dimension”
a poem from this collection
w as republished in Sisters of
Caliban:
Contemporary
Women Poets of the
Caribbean, a multilingual
anthology, edited by M.J.
Fenw ick, Azul Editions, 1996.
In Beyond Dreams: The
Ritual Dancer (Sabanoh
Press, Liberia 1989), there is
a poem about a market
w oman called “Ma Massa,”
w hich
has
been
republished
in
Yellow
Cedars
Blooming:
An
anthology of Virgin Islands
Poetry, 1998, and another
entitled “The Sande Bush
Graduate,” republished in
An Anthology of PanCaribbean Poetry, Harcourt
Brace College Publishers,
1995, and Liberia: Leben wo
der Pfeffer wächst, Bremen,
Germany, 1989.
If Only the Dust Would
Settle, is my last poetry
collection,
w hich
was
published in 2009, UK. This
collection
is
semiautobiographical.
I t is
about my journey as an
immigrant
from
the
Caribbean to the USA,
Liberia
England
and
Sw itzerland. The title, If Only
the Dust Would Settle, is
inspired by the section on
Liberia and Liberian Civil
War. Aren’t w e still w aiting
for the dust to settle? I n it is
a
poem
entitled
“Revolution and Reggae”
w hich is inspired by the
Promoting Liberian literature, Arts and Culture
General
Quiw onkpa’s
failed attempt to ov erthrow
the Doe’s regime.
I no longer hav e copies of
Shu-Shu Moko Jumbi, and
Two Faces, Two Phases.
Somehow ,
they
were
forgotten w hen w e fled
Liberia at start of the civil
w ar, but I managed to
pack a copy of the others.
The
next
poetry
collection, entitled, The
Nakedness of New, could
be out next year. The cover
has been designed. It
consists of poems and
essays. The title comes from
the
section
on
the
immigrant and refugee
experience.
What inspired you to write
this title or how did you
come up with the storyline?
The Nakedness of New is
inspired by some of my own
experiences
as
an
immigrant child, and being
a refugee/immigrant in
England
after
fleeing
Liberia, and the experience
of liv ing in a culture alien to
you—culture shock really. I
hav e addressed these
issues in essays as w ell as in
poetry. The Nakedness of
New, picks up w here If Only
the Dust Would Settle leaves
off. I t continues the subject
matter of how unsettling the
life of an immigrant or
refugee can be. You can
be
empow ered
or
defeated
by
this
experience.
11
Is there a message in your
book that you want your
readers to grasp?
You can be empowered
or
defeated by
this
experience. I n the end, it is
up to you not to allow
circumstances, no matter
how overwhelming, to beat
you dow n.
Is there anything else you
would like readers to know
about your book?
If Only the Dust Would
Settle can be ordered on
Amazon.com,
Author
House.com, and
other
publishers.
Do you have any advice for
other writers?
I f you hav e something to
say, say it w ell. Your work
once it is out there w ill be
your representative, your
ambassador to the w riting
w orld. No one is perfect.
Writing groups and w riting
w orkshops hav e served me
w ell and hav e made me a
better w riter today than I
w as tw enty years ago. Be
w illing to learn and grow.
Your next w ork should be
better than your last and
should reflect your growth
as a person and a w riter.
What book[s] are you
reading now? Or recently
read?
I hav e just completed
Bound to Secrecy by
Vamba Sherif, and reading
See, Now, Then by Jamaica
Kincaid.