Poetic Inspiration with Hana Shafi
Next up in our “Poetic Inspiration” series is Hana Shafi, author of People You Know, Places You’ve Been!
B*: Please share up to three poetry books or poets that are important to you, and helped influence the writing of People You Know, Places You’ve Been. Please also share how they influenced your book.
HS: The books Sex Magick by Ian Young, even this page is white by Vivek Shraya, and City Poems by Joe Fiorito, have been hugely influential to my journey and growth as a poet. For me, they changed my perceptions about what poetry had to look like, or what subject matter could be broached in poetry. I discovered these three books years apart, and they each came to me at a time when I needed them. The latter title especially served as one of my inspirations for People You Know, Places You’ve Been.
B*: Please share a writing prompt for aspiring poets that you have used to start composing a new poem.
HS: My writing prompt is: go people watching. Go to a coffee shop or a bar or sit on a park bench, watch people, and pick one person to write about. You’ll have to create a story about them in your head, maybe you’ll even include something you’ve heard them say whilst eavesdropping. This is one of my favourite things to do!
