Liberian Literary Magazine
tenured and been for the
last ten years.
2) Why writing?
Well, I never decided to
write. Writing decided on
me, so I write. I have been
writing since I was a child, in
my father’s house, probably
before
then,
but
by
fourteen, I was writing
seriously. I think I got the
talent from my mother, who
was a very good story teller,
funny, witty, and intelligent
although she only got a six
grade education before
becoming pregnant with
me and dropping out of
school. As a child, I wrote to
survive in my stepmother’s
home, wrote because they
kept telling me to shut up.
Writing has always been my
way of fighting back, of
finding healing, of finding
my place in the world.
Writing is a disease I was
born with. I have a son who
is a visual artist, and I see
him doing to art what I do
with writing.
3) What books have most
influenced your life/career?
Many, hard to name them
all. But I have always been
drawn to poetry, so to
name a few titles, so
Ugandan
poet,
Okot
p'Bitek’s Song of Lawi no,
John,
Pepper
Clark
Bekederamo’ s play, Ozidi
and his poetry also, by e.e.
cummings, and of course a
long list of novels by African
writers. I could not list a
small portion of them here. I
am drawn to stories that
Promoting Liberian literature, Arts and Culture
explore the African oral
tradition, which I believe is
the foundation of African
literature.
4) How do you approach
your work?
Since I write mostly poetry, let
me stick to it. With poems, I
write on inspiration. I write
when I feel like it, anywhere,
anytime,
dropping
everything to write. I can
decide to write a poem, and
even in class when I’m
teaching creative writing, I
can
compose
poetry
instantly just from trying to
inspire my students. I have
learned so much and written
so long, I know what makes
poetry what it is, and can
come up with images, the
most important element of
poetry, without thinking. I
approach a poem like I
approach a piece of art, the
image of the thing I want to
say, staying close to me, and
where I want the poem to
go, the effect I want to
create, whether I want to
create
anger,
tears,
laughter, all of those staying
close to me as I compose
the poem. I may edit the
20
poem a little, but I rarely write
poems that need over
editing. If a poem is good, I
know it from its first creation,
and I know the effect on my
audience. To me, Voice is as
important to a writer as
breathing. If you do not
discover your voice, you
cannot be a good writer. It is
your “YOU,” and every writer
must find that person that
they are, what makes them
tick, the inner person that has
been shaped by the larger
environment. Where you
come from is important to
discovering that “YOU.”
5) What themes do you
find yourself continuously
exploring in your work?
My country, Liberia, the
small country some feel is
not so significant. I learned
early that where you come
from is who you are no
matter how far away
you’ve been. And I stay
close to that West African
shore in my writing. I believe
that you cannot write too
much
about
your
homeland. So, I explore
Liberia, its troublesome
wars, its cultures. I am proud
of my culture, of my people,
Liberians, and the Grebo
people whose culture has
shaped my philosophy of
life, and I write in that
strength. I was sent to live
on the Tugbakeh Mission
Boarding school in my
hometown, and there, for
three years, I learned the
culture of my people, in the
town and among my
family. So, I explore those