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Hello readers,
Interviewing one of the fellow writers is always fun. So this time, we interviewed Dan, one of our most friendly and encouraging and wonderful poet.
Let's see what he has to say.
1) Good Evening, Mr. Daniele. Your writings make us curious. Could you please tell us a bit about yourself?
Good Evening, TMS Team! Aww, I’m very glad, thank you, you honour me. Oh, yes, I can definitely tell you more (feel free to scold me, if I will exceed in verbosity [smiles])!
2) Wonderful, dan. Who else are in your family? Can you share some details about your parents, and sibling(s), if any?
I live with mom and dad. They’re in their 60s and they both work in our little family-based business in the field of industrial automation. I help too, in this or that thing, computer-related. We also have a number of cats, variable between two and four: two are indoor, the others come and go. P.S. Actually, I’m Gemini... could this count, as “siblings”? [giggling]
3) Tell us something about the place you live in. Your city, you favourite places to visit, your liking or dislike there, anything?
I live in the town of Bologna, famous for Europe’s most ancient University, two towers (318 ft and 157 ft) at its centre, and endless porticoes. (Well, and for food, too: like tortellini, a stuffed pasta). In Middle Age there were many more towers (up to 100), but, sadly, they ended up crumbling down, or demolished for safety issues or, much later, for excess of modernism. We have beautiful museums. And yummy restaurants! There’s an Indian one I really crave to pay a visit to!
4) What inspired you to start writing, in the first place? Any incident/memory/ desire et al.
In primary school, assignments like “write ten sentences” used to scare me: I couldn’t find ideas (now, instead... [laughs]). I started writing creatively (horror fiction) when I was 15-16, I think. For a few years, before, I had been devouring novels by Stephen King. I find story-telling fascinating and back then I decided I wanted to try, so... I tried!
5) Since you have started writing, how has been the response of your family? Your near and dear ones?
I’ve occasionally read or given to read my writings (especially narrative) to my mother. She’s always been very supportive... and she’s always been warmly inviting me to win my shyness and try to publish. My friends who had the chance to read a first (unpublished) novel are very positive about it.
6) Do you follow any poet or author currently? We mean, who is/are your inspiration(s)?
There’s a lot of wonderful wordsmiths, on Instagram, whom I follow, admire and respect. About authors... my myth is Italo Calvino, an Italian writer and intellectual published worldwide, who experimented a lot with literature and whose writing is gracefully balanced between technique, imagination and depth. I love his works!
7) Do you prefer a particular genre while expressing through poems, or you explore whatever intrigues you?
Aside from some songwriting in my late teens and in my 30s, I started writing poetry when I landed here on Instagram, a couple years ago. I’ve no theoretical/technical knowledge about it (I never attended a writing course). I started with rhymes, then I stopped doing it... once in a while I like to play with the layout, like the Italian movement called “Futurism” used to do.
8) Tell us something about your style of writing. Or more so, how do you think a poem should be?
I vaguely know there are many styles of poetry, with coded rules. But, personally, out of genres’ requirements, I think there shouldn’t be rules. On Instagram, there are poets who write with lots of metaphors and their poems are hardly decipherable, rationally... yet, are beautiful. Ok, just one rule: a poem should transmit something. I write both prose and poetry. Whatever I feel writing. No fancy words. I love to invent simple tales with deep meaning.
9) Your recent works, titled ‘soul’s asymptotes ‘ are my personal favourite. What made you write on that? And why the specific title?
Ah, thank you! [big smile] An asymptote is a line getting infinitesimally close to a curve, yet never touching it. After a previous series, “Chants for love” (will be in my first book), often sad, I wanted something uplifting... and to talk about our soul, about how we’re stronger and happier than we think/feel, seemed beautiful to explore. Soul is infinite. These poems only get few facets, here and there: that’s why, the title.
10) Considering you read books, what is your favourite genre? Tell us something about different authors you like.
The only poetry I read is from Instagram’s wordsmiths’ community. Books about dinosaurs/prehistory/sea. I love essays, once in a while, about literature, society, religion, philosophy. I’ve read lots of horror (King), but I’m not into it, now. Tolkien’s works. I love novels, but I’m not into crime / financial / political / romantic ones. I adore books about books! And interactive fiction!
11) Do you think reading should be restricted to one genre, or should one read whatever one gets his/her hands on?
I think we should, once in a while, probe the different genres, so to discover our tastes. But, our time is limited, so I’m not so persuaded that “whatever” is a very effective criterion. It’s true that we can learn from a book badly written how not to write, but... For example, I personally avoid any book written not for the love of writing, but just for to sell (you can guess them, usually).
12) Poets, authors all have a specific liking to a particular spot at their home, or at any nearby place. Do you have any such? Where do you prefer, if so.
I must be the exception which confirms the rule, then, because I’ve no rituals, no favourite places, no particular habits. Just hand me a screen and keys to type on, an idea, and my head (I usually have it on my neck, but I sometimes leave it somewhere, dismounted, and this doesn’t exactly helps writing, I’ve discovered... [giggles]), and I’ll merrily stay in my bubble typing my way to the writeup!
13) So you believe the atmosphere of the place we sit and write at, has an effect on the thoughts?
Any place, its atmosphere, can possibly provide me with inspirations and ideas... But I can be at a noisy party with dance music playing and having an idea about a mysterious temple in the forest and taking notes about it... or even writing about it, if I haven’t any conversation going on. Not that I go to parties often. Very rarely, actually.
14) What are your hobbies,Mr. Daniele?
I’ve been playing guitar since my early teens, on and off (currently, off); I compose music for orchestra and rarely do some amatorial music production; graphic editing (my forthcoming book’s illustrations are all mine); basic origami; YouTube videos making (currently off, but with the book out I’ll reprise); reading; rarely cooking (I’m “just a man who follows the recipe”); ancient stuff; everything sea.
15) You said once that you are trying to learn Hindi. How is that experience so far?
Marvellous and rewarding! Thanks to my teacher, in first place, who makes it easy and manageable, with lots of words and just gradual glimpses of grammar; and thanks to the Instagram’s Indian/Pakistani wordsmiths’ community, always encouraging me and kindly advising/correcting me when needed. I started, on my own, last year, but I got stuck on the Sanskrit alphabet (similar signs, different sounds). I’m now learning the transliteration of Hindi and I’m very happy and grateful for this (sudden and unplanned) restart!
16) Would you like to give any suggestions/advice to the up and coming writers , those who are just initiating this, as well as those who are in this interest for a time now?
* Read your soul, heart, mind, life, and discover who you are. * Read, in order to discover styles and genres. * Write what you feel like writing; don’t fear to break some rules; don’t follow trends; don’t try to imitate other writers; be yourself, unapologetically. * Remember, going against the rules of the majority only to follow the rules of a minority isn’t a change: stand out! * Remember, your words will be read and will possibly have an impact on some. And it’s a gift you got: use your conscience, so that your words may turn into a gift for anyone, and not a curse. * Write for yourself, in first place, because you need it.
Daniele : danbergram ( instagram )