Oluwa Olamiposi Omoyele is a young poet and freelance writer from Lagos State. Omoyele is passionate about the arts and humanity, hence her love for poetry in which she captured moments around her in deep imagery. She is a graduate of Law and a lover of knowledge.
How did your romance with poetry start?
My journey into poetry started with appreciating poetry.
What kind of poems do you write?
I write any kind of poem that I feel I should write. My scope is not in any way narrow.
What will you term as your muse, that thing that inspires your poems?
Muse. I’ll say words muse me. On a second thought, solitude and somberness, the silence of any room does. Reflection does. Ok. In better words, I choose what muses me.
What would you say is your biggest achievement so far in the poetry field?
Achievements. Talking about achievements. I believe they are relative. In my definition of achievements, I would say I’m just starting.
Does literature put food on the table for you?
Yes, writing puts food on my table, giving me a comfortable chair alongside [thought] I am not centered only on literature.
Does Yele consider herself established as a poet? Are you there yet? If not, what are you doing in order to get there?
As a writer of poetry, I won’t say I am established as establishment is also relative. I’m not there yet, but I’m far from where I started. Getting there has been intercepted with distractions but I am getting closer – if we ever get there.
I write to improve my writing. I read, think, and isolate myself and travel.
How often do you write? How often does your muse visit?
I write as often as I want to. My muse? (s)he/they visit when I invite them.
Do you have a role model in poetry?
Models, mentors. I have a whole lot of people who I appreciate their mastery of the art. I don’t know if I’ve emulated or picked anything from them in the course of appreciating them. As a person, I do not look up to a particular person or people. I don’t know if they do either.
Are you published?
Publi…not yet. But should be very soon.
Poetry aside, who exactly is Yele? Cool? Calm? Introvert? Extrovert? Who is Omoyele?
Yele, ‘yell hey’, Yels, Moyele… I am different person to different people. I can be very nice, gentle, playful and so on. I am also a very shy person. Even on social media. It takes great courage to indulge a person in a conversation.
There is this argument among poets. Some are of the opinion of writing poetry raw, putting it down the way it’s gotten from your muse. While others believes in following laid down rules, patterning their poems after invented forms and styles of poetry. On which side of the divide do you stand?
I break rules, make rules, and flaunt them by obeying them perfectly and so on.
But then I like writing raw poetry but there are instances where you have to obey who you are writing for. Sometimes, rules are very necessary. However, you can write raw and obey rules and also write ‘cooked’ and flout rules.
About rules or no rules, do the right thing for the purpose of the write.
What’s your view of writer’s block? Have you ever been blank since you found poetry? If yes, what did you do to get out of it?
I was blank at a time. I had no time to myself, hence I couldn’t invite my muse. When I decided to invite her during that period, she wasn’t in her house. I had to keep seeking till I found her. Writer’s block is real sha. And I got out by doing conscious things that revived me.
What are your goals? What do intend to achieve in the long run writing poetry?
My goals are centered on making every of my goal an achievement. Writing goals – make a form of poetry I decided to start writing official.
A piece of advice for prospective poets…?
Don’t force it. Learn it, do it, live it.
Contact:
Facebook: Oluwa Olamiposi Omoyele
Twitter: @YeleWrites
Phone: +2348063348863
