I spoke with Maanarak about her soon-to-be debut book. As authors, we always give a lot of ourselves in our stories and many are biographical.
Maanarak goes even further by writing poetry and these are powerful words that she spins into a tale of past experiences. She opens up her heart and leaves it on the page. Such a gift many would love to possess. Not only does she write this amazing poetry but she illustrates using her unique style to tell the story of the poem. And she doesn’t stop there. With each poem, besides it, she tells the truth behind the words.
If it wasn’t bad enough bearing your soul in poetry, to then write the story of where the words came from, is truly inspiring and terrifying at the same time and I take my hat off to her, (if I was wearing one) for being brave enough to let it all out. She doesn’t hide behind make-believe she tells it exactly how it is and that makes it so raw and honest. Come and meet Maanarak, the lady Behind The Pen.
You can find Maanarak on Instagram and listen for the announcement of when this more than poetry book will be published. https://www.instagram.com/maanarak.4/
Actually, Jonathan isn’t just a poet he’s a storyteller and a bloody good one as he just came second place in the prestigious Electric Eclectic Novella Contest and will be having his winning story, ‘Below Torrential Hill,’ published as a pocketbook this winter and will be part of the Electric Eclectic branding.
Back to Jonathan.
He’s a poet, an author and also an editor.
Jonathan Koven grew up on Long Island, NY, embraced by tree-speak, tide’s rush, and the love and support of his family. He holds a BA in English and Creative Writing from American University, works as a technical writer, and is Toho Journal’s head fiction editor and workshop coordinator. He lives in Philadelphia with his best friend and future wife Delana, and cats Peanut Butter and Keebler.
Take a look at his debut book.
Palm Line’s heartfelt poems speak to a transformative journey “to rediscover love as both a question and an answer.” Seeking hope, honoring family, finding love, accepting time’s passage, and understanding gratitude are all major themes explored in this dreamlike collection.
“Palm Lines invites one into a sensuous natural world . . . [Koven] is a writer of tremendous skill.”—Tracey Levine, author of You Are What You Are and Asst. Professor of English at Arcadia University.
“These are ecstatic poems which wrestle with surrender. Even as they reach outward, they are reflecting back, mapping the story of our own hands.”—David Keplinger, author of Another City, winner of 2019 UNT Rilke Prize.
“In Palm Lines, everything is humongous because of the gravity of the beauty and emotion observed—and language is the catharsis . . . This accessible collection offers the reader an opportunity to take a deep breath and reflect.” —Sean Lynch, editor of Serotonin
These heartfelt poems speak to a transformative journey “to rediscover love as both a question and an answer.” Seeking hope, honoring family, finding love, accepting time’s passage, and understanding gratitude are all major themes explored in this dreamlike collection.
Art
Now I must mention this amazing book cover above, which was illustrated by Tyler Lentini. It almost like a representation of a moving painting. And there is more of Tyler’s art work throughout the book.
Take a look at another illustration from this artist.
Just visualising this image, I can see a bird, a naked woman and a tree, but then I can see a cave with water rushing down into a waterfall and a forest. Art has so many concepts and it’s up to the eye of the beholder to take what they can from the image.
I chat with Linwood Jackson, a poet and author of an upcoming YA fantasy novel. But Linwood is more than just a writer. He’s a speaker of philosophy a teacher of love but not the literal kind of love. His thoughts and beliefs can be confusing to some but he has a clear vision and that comes out in his poetry and across in the chat we have.
BIO:
Linwood Jackson Jr. is an author writing on mental and spiritual health, and on its life-altering benefit. He is someone who believes in the power of the Bible’s words when sincerely exercised and studied. Through his books, speeches, and discourses, he encourages to think and feel for self, that self-love may bloom into self-possession through the knowledge acquired from experience. This, he says, betters the personal and devotional life not only for the person but also for all around them.
Explosive Writer 