Dialogue with Memory Chirere
Arts Initiates has published an interview Memory Chirere did with me. Powerful.
Excerpt:
Zimbabwean poet based in the US, Emmanuel Sigauke has published his debut anthology - Forever Let Me Go - and below he talks about his works and aspirations.
Sigauke grew up in Zimbabwe where he started writing at the age of thirteen at Mototi Primary School. In the 90s he was part of the executive team of the Zimbabwe Budding Writers Association, which is instrumental in nurturing young writing talent. He worked as the National Secretary of the association in 1994, 1995 and part of 1996.
Memory: Congratulations Manu on the publication of your first book, this colorful poetry collection called Forever Let Me Go. How long did you take to write and have these 46 poems published?
Emmanuel: The poems were selected from works I wrote between August 2006 and January 2007. But they capture themes I had thought about for a very long time. The collection was initially put together for a series of readings I did at several venues in Sacramento, California.
Memory: Why have you chosen to publish FIRST in the poetic voice ahead of other forms? I know that you write short stories and drama as well.
Emmanuel: I went through a phase of not writing much, focusing on establishing myself in the United States, but when I resumed writing, I opted for the intensity of expression that poetry affords. I think I wanted to reconnect with the music of words, to say much in fewer words.
Memory: And your short stories?
Emmanuel: I have since begun working on the short story, a form that seems to be expanding on the issues my poetry has introduced. I am also working on a novel entitled Babamunini, Do I Have a Mother? which is semi-autobiographical. I stopped writing drama in the nineties, but I may return to the genre in the near future.
Memory: In ‘What Words Conceal’ there is a poet suffering from insomnia, writing on and while his wife is alone in bed. Do you write at night? What is your working style?
Emmanuel: I write any time; at work, between classes, if I am not grading papers or attending meetings; at night; and any place that I can hook up my laptop to the internet. Sometimes, I conceive the works in unusual places, for instance when I am working out at the gym, or while jogging at the park, then when the time arrives, I will put the ideas in a written form.
Memory: I see that you work with various blogs, maybe much more than any Zimbabwean writer that I know.
Emmanuel: In 2006 I started a poetry blog called Chisiya Echoes: New Zimbabwe Poetry, which has contributed to the production of 600 poems. I find it easier to create drafts of poetry on the blog, since I am online most of the time. I blog the poems, leave the drafts displayed for a number of days; then when I see one that can be turned into a more polished piece, I remove it from the publicly-viewable blog and start the revision process in private. Read More
Excerpt:
Zimbabwean poet based in the US, Emmanuel Sigauke has published his debut anthology - Forever Let Me Go - and below he talks about his works and aspirations.
Sigauke grew up in Zimbabwe where he started writing at the age of thirteen at Mototi Primary School. In the 90s he was part of the executive team of the Zimbabwe Budding Writers Association, which is instrumental in nurturing young writing talent. He worked as the National Secretary of the association in 1994, 1995 and part of 1996.
Memory: Congratulations Manu on the publication of your first book, this colorful poetry collection called Forever Let Me Go. How long did you take to write and have these 46 poems published?
Emmanuel: The poems were selected from works I wrote between August 2006 and January 2007. But they capture themes I had thought about for a very long time. The collection was initially put together for a series of readings I did at several venues in Sacramento, California.
Memory: Why have you chosen to publish FIRST in the poetic voice ahead of other forms? I know that you write short stories and drama as well.
Emmanuel: I went through a phase of not writing much, focusing on establishing myself in the United States, but when I resumed writing, I opted for the intensity of expression that poetry affords. I think I wanted to reconnect with the music of words, to say much in fewer words.
Memory: And your short stories?
Emmanuel: I have since begun working on the short story, a form that seems to be expanding on the issues my poetry has introduced. I am also working on a novel entitled Babamunini, Do I Have a Mother? which is semi-autobiographical. I stopped writing drama in the nineties, but I may return to the genre in the near future.
Memory: In ‘What Words Conceal’ there is a poet suffering from insomnia, writing on and while his wife is alone in bed. Do you write at night? What is your working style?
Emmanuel: I write any time; at work, between classes, if I am not grading papers or attending meetings; at night; and any place that I can hook up my laptop to the internet. Sometimes, I conceive the works in unusual places, for instance when I am working out at the gym, or while jogging at the park, then when the time arrives, I will put the ideas in a written form.
Memory: I see that you work with various blogs, maybe much more than any Zimbabwean writer that I know.
Emmanuel: In 2006 I started a poetry blog called Chisiya Echoes: New Zimbabwe Poetry, which has contributed to the production of 600 poems. I find it easier to create drafts of poetry on the blog, since I am online most of the time. I blog the poems, leave the drafts displayed for a number of days; then when I see one that can be turned into a more polished piece, I remove it from the publicly-viewable blog and start the revision process in private. Read More
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