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Hello! Please tell me about yourself. You may start wherever you'd like.
I always try to use three words to describe myself and they're constantly changing, but right now 17-year-old me would best describe myself as this quirky, eclectic, jumbled-up puzzle that is floating so to speak. Aside from being 17 and floating, I love writing poetry and creative writing. I also like journalism. Another fun fact is that even though I try to fight it (and I try hard) I am a cynical hopeless romantic, and no matter how hard I try my feelings always seem to run away from me, which is really special, to say the least.
My top 5 things in my life are probably family, friends, food, books, and music because I just love these things. I call myself a poet/writer/journalist and if I could say one thing in my intro it is that I'm constantly changing and becoming quirkier, and weirder, and honestly these are some of my best traits, and my advice is to ALWAYS consider weird a compliment. I also am filled with wanderlust.
2. Why do you enjoy doing poetry?
I enjoy poetry because it is calming and fun, and it lets me create these super fun poems that I can make whimsical or serious and still express my feelings and intentions. It is such a creative way to use my voice, and I like it because I feel like sometimes it's more personal than other forms of creative writing.
3. When did you realize that you enjoyed writing poetry?
I realized I enjoyed it when my English teacher gave us a writing assignment to write a poem about our names, and something about this just reminded me of the importance of my own voice. How important it is to speak and how cathartic it can be to put your ideas down on paper and share that with the world.
4. How does expressing your creativity make you feel?
Expressing my creativity makes me feel proud, enthusiastic, inspired, and just plain happy. It also makes me feel brave and unapologetically myself which is very fun because even with the way I speak, my words and sentences always take on an animated and lyrical lilt. To be able to express that and share that with the world and hopefully bring a little sunshine to someone's day, well that's just an incredible feeling.
5. Tell me a story where you created the first piece that you were proud of.
I was reflecting on why I started writing and why everything felt different this year and I just put all my emotion into this slam poem, and it helped me process so much stuff. The slam was "Ignited" and if you check my Instagram @sarahdiane_writes you can find it, but um it just made me so proud because it felt like I was being this person I had been afraid to be for a while. The other story is about when I started my second novel because I always wanted to write something that felt like me so to speak, and I feel like this character just embodies that feeling of wanderlust that I have all throughout my soul.
6. Is there anything that gives you inspiration for your work?
I take inspiration from different poets and authors in general. Most recently Elizabeth Acevedo and Ariana Brown because their slam poems are beautiful, but also older poets like Audre Lorde whose work I feel has a really strong voice. I also take inspiration from other slam poems I just hear and happen to like, and now that I think about it Ebony Stewart is another amazing poet who I absolutely adore. Other times I take inspiration from the people around me and what they've taught me or how they inspire me.
7. What do you do when you have writer's block? How do you overcome it?
When I have writer's block (and believe me it's often), I pick up my pen and just write literally anything. Like even if it's two lines of something or just ramblings I find that it will lead me to something I find inspiring for my next piece. Also, when I have writer's block, I go looking for inspiration I look at Instagram, I will pick up a book and dedicate the next 2-3 days to reading it, I will text friends, and I'll just reflect, and most of the time this will shake something loose. I would also say don't worry if you have writer's block at the moment. It can be frustrating and infuriating but believe me when I tell you.
8. Do you have a future dream job related to poetry? If not, what would you like to be when you're older?
My definite dream job would be as an author and writing novels in verse, performing slam poems, and probably maybe teaching poetry. I also wouldn't mind being an author in general, and a journalist too because I enjoy writing about worldwide issues that are close to my heart. I am currently working on two works in progress, one is a novel-in-verse, and one is a traditional novel and I really love them. I just hope someone wants to read them and hopefully publish them in the future when they're ready.
9. Finally, what advice would you give to young creative trying to craft their ethic?
I would say a) just write and write for yourself... don't write what you think will be popular because that's not written from the heart. Trust yourself and trust that sometimes there will be flops, but that just means you need to appreciate them all the more. b) experiment all the time if you can and READ, READ, READ because it's inspiring, introduces new perspectives, and is downright fun. Trying new things and learning what you like are part of the journey. c) look at poetry programs near you there are so many free online poetry & writing workshops and open mics that just offer these super fun opportunities to share your work and get inspiring messages from poets just like you. Most importantly, I'd say have fun with it and put yourself first no matter what because it is difficult to create and just be if you're not taking care of yourself. Oh, and be kind to yourself, everyone is constantly learning something new and believes whatever mistakes you make, others have made, are making, and will make the exact same ones.
Creative work:
Interviewed by Erika Chiu
Cover page and illustration by Brianna Paulino
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