In this interview, SEVHAGE author, Amaka Felly Obioji, development enthusiast and author of Mother, Did You Call My Name? is in conversation with Jola Ademola on her writing and much more. Enjoy:

JOLA: What inspired you to compile and publish “Mother, did you call my name?”

AMAKA: I have always been writing short-form poetry that I usually share on my social media pages, magazines and online journals. After many years of publishing online, I decided, since I have actually written a lot, that it would be nice to put everything into a collection, but before that, It has always been my dream to become a published author. So first, I separated my works into four themes for the collection, the collection aims to share poetry that is raw and close to the heart. Also, because I love poems that cater to emotions, I wanted to create themes that everyone could relate to, and that is how ‘Mother, Did You Call My Name?’ was birthed.

JOLA: Could you share with us a bit about your writing journey and how it led to this collection of poems?

AMAKA: Most of these poems were written as far back as 2017, and I’m not sure what I was feeling at that time, but I write best when I am trying to interpret my emotions or someone else’s. Some of the poems were written to reflect every day vulnerable feelings. As someone who advocates for mental health and self development through poetry, I wanted to write a collection that is a reflection of our everyday life, the joys, the sorrows, and the act of living in the modern world, I wanted the work to be bare without trying to hide any form of feelings, I want people to read it and be able to relate to it.

JOLA: What theme do you explore most in your poetry, and why is it important to you?

AMAKA: The collection focuses on themes like feminism, depression, hope, womanhood and migration. I didn’t really set out to explore these themes, the collection is generally topics I am interested and passionate about, which sort of became evident in my work.

JOLA: Are there any specific poets or writers who have influenced your work?

AMAKA: First I would say my mother, my earliest memories of reading books were because my mother had this mini library in her bedroom while growing up, and I would always go through them to look out for novels I could read. Then she started getting me more books from the public libraries, my passion for literature grew and I started exploring other genres and connecting with other writers. One of the authors I believe inspired my love for African literature is Chimamanda Adichie, then for poetry, poets like Rupi Kaur, Ijeoma Umebinyuo and Ocean Vuong were other writers I enjoyed their works and they also inspired me as well. Also, there is a network of young Nigerian poets on Twitter who write incredibly well, and I enjoy reading their works, this has equally inspired me to continue writing.

JOLA: How do you hope readers will connect with or be impacted by your poetry collection?

AMAKA: I describe my collection as ‘poetry of the heart’ this is because the themes explored and the writing style used was to be able to connect to a reader’s emotion. I wanted to carter to readers emotions, connect to their everyday life. I added illustrations to the collection to be able to give readers an imagery to the lines they read, to create a memory, I don’t just want them to read a poem, I want them to read a feeling.

JOLA: Can you tell us about your creative process when crafting these poems?

AMAKA: I don’t have a strategy for how I write, I simply write, some times I scribble ideas on my phone or notepad, and then I finish up the idea when I have the time. Another thing that helps my writing is writing prompts, I belong to a writing group where we share writing prompts from time to time, this has also helped me to write more diverse topics. While having a set-out time can work for many people, I think writing for me is more like something I enjoy doing when there is no timeline to it. I simply write when I feel like it, which is mostly often.

JOLA: Were there any challenges you faced during the writing or publishing process, and how did you overcome them?

AMAKA: I think the first thing I realised was, that it was difficult getting literary agents who are interested in poetry, especially for emerging writers who are still new. For many young poets, they often rely on self-publishing. I experienced these difficulties as well. However, the first step most times is to get your draft ready, send it to many publishers, and then find which publishing package works best for you. Then follow through.

JOLA: Are there any particular poems in the collection that hold special significance for you, and if so, why?

AMAKA: The poems that focus on womanhood are significant to me, especially the poems that were featured in the theme ‘Goddess’ which reminds me of my mother. Like I mentioned earlier, my mother is one the people who inspired me and the first literature book I read was given to me by my mother. I loved that I was able to capture my mother in my collection especially poem XLV on page 53 in the collection.

JOLA: Having come this far with your work, what would be your advice to other writers out there wondering about the next step to take with their craft?

AMAKA: The advice is to just write, to always write regardless, no matter how bad you think you are. I think most times, it is fear that holds people back, people are mostly worried about how their work would appear to others but it doesn’t matter. Share your work, get feedback, improve and keep writing.

JOLA: What’s next for you as a writer? Do you have any future projects or ideas you’re excited to explore?

AMAKA: Currently, I am writing poetry that borders on social issues. I’m still at my earliest stages so fingers crossed at the moment.