Today is my stop on Lidy Wilk’s Can You Catch my Flow? blog tour! Lidy writes poetry and her debut chapbook is available now. 🙂

Lidy was kind enough to answer some questions (see Q &A below), but the first, most important question I like to throw at authors:

Why do you write? What motivates and inspires you?

I write poetry to laugh, reflect and to say all the things I’m unable to say. Sometimes it’s a line, an event, a news source, an image or a sound that prompts and inspires a poem. And allows me to discover a little more about the differing views of myself and of others.

Take for example, “Baby Rhapsody”, a poem featured in my poetry chapbook. At first glance, it’s a humorous poem but it brings to light the dichotomy about raising a family. By focusing on the opposing views and reactions of husband and wife about the new baby.

In the poem, the husband can only think of the hospital, diapers and formula, daycare costs, etc. He’s more concerned with the cost of living which will now be higher with an extra mouth to feed. The wife is overjoyed to have another child and sees only the advantages. Their first child will be an older sibling which will improve his interpersonal relationships. And teach him responsibility.

The wife also hopes to have a girl while the husband wishes for a boy. Because we all have heard it before, the claim to get a shot gun once daddy to be finds out he’s having a girl.  The Kevin Hart Hyundai 2016 Super Bowl commercial even capitalizes on how fathers are extra protective with their daughters. And if you haven’t seen it already, here’s the link.

By the end of the poem, the husband gets his wish. And funnily, yet not unexpected, the wife wants to try again for that baby girl she wants. Yet the underlying issues of the poem is never resolved. After all, the cost to raise a child, one child, today is a quarter million. So is it wrong for the husband to care more about money than the new life coming into the world? Is it wrong of the mother to disregard the cost of raising a child? And should the gender of the baby really matter, as long as they’re healthy, have ten fingers and ten toes?

What are your thoughts on this complex question of having a baby proposed in “Baby Rhapsody”? Does it matter to have a boy or a girl? Or should being financially ready be an important factor in starting a family?

 

~Q & A Interview ~

 

Tell us a little about yourself.

Well, I like to read and write fantasies and poetry. I got my first book worm bug before the first grade when I discovered and devoured Little Women and Moby Dick for the first time. And I’ve been a goner ever since. Despite my love of stories, reading and writing it, it took many detours to get here today. Publishing my book, submitting my writing to literary journals and magazines and drafting manuscripts to submit to literary agents.  Only thing missing is a fully stocked cabinet of chocolate.

How did you get into writing?

I started writing because I also wanted to write amazing stories and poetry like I’ve read. I was a fan of Edgar Allen Poe, Fear Street and loved Halloween when I was younger. So my first foray into writing were horror greeting cards. After that, I handmade and illustrated a series of fairy tales about twin princesses who’d run away from the castle in search of adventure.

How did you come up with the idea for your chapbook?

At first, I wanted to do a short poetry collection showing the change of my poetic style. But a different theme evolved after gathering, reading and sorting through which poems to include or take out. “Can You Catch My Flow?” features poetry of the changes that happen in life while growing up. From the poem “Arrival of the Monarch” to “Got to Give it Up” you’re taken from adolescence to adulthood. From the feelings of social anxiety, peer pressure and dating. To the independence and freedom of being a young adult. And finally to settling down, establishing a home.

Who are your favorite authors?

My favorite authors are Louisa May Alcott, Ray Bradbury and JK Rowling. I also love the poetry of Thomas Hardy, William Butler Yeats, Sylvia Plath, Langston Hughes, Rita Dove and Rumi. Ray Bradbury for his lyrical power with words. JK Rowling for her ability to make you believe in magic again. Thomas Hardy and William Butler Yeats because I’m a sucker for allusions. Sylvia Plath’s courage in not hiding who she was in her poetry. Langston Hughes for his use of simple words that evoked powerful emotions. The theme of womanhood explored in Rita Dove’s poetry. And Rumi’s poems of love and inner reflection.

If you could only recommend one book, which would it be?

As a book lover, I couldn’t fathom choosing one book to recommend. Really, it’s just too hard for me. Can I recommend mine? Just kidding. If I have to recommend one book, then: A Stranger in the Kingdom by Howard Frank Mosher, Forever by Judy Blume, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Dracula, all 7 Harry Potter books, Her Human Costume by Cynthia Marie Hoffman, the Fullmetal Alchemist graphic novels, Immortal Rain by Kaori Ozaki, Kanata Kara/From Far Away by Kyoko Hikawa, Silver Spoon by Hiromu Arakawa…

*Bonus * What one person (living or dead) would you share a meal with? And why?

Definitely JK Rowling and not just because she’s the author of my favorite book series. But because she first wrote the books during a very difficult time in her life. Yet she never gave up and gave the world one of the greatest fantasies about love and magic. And I’m not talking about spells like wingardium leviosa or expelliarmus. I’m talking about the magic of friendship, loyalty and working together for the greater good.

Interested in a signed copy? Click here!

Lidy’s also hosting another giveaway of prizes. Click here to check them out!

Thanks for stopping by, Lidy! And good luck with your chapbook!