Category Archives: poems

5 minutes 5 questions with, poems, poet, poetry

5 minutes, 5 Questions With… Cedrine Marrouat, author of Project: Heartbeats and Elevation

July 5, 2009 Joey Pinkney 4 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Cendrine Marrouat, author of Project: Heartbeats and Elevation
(Lulu)

Project: Heartbeats And Elevation is not your regular collection of poetry. It is a celebration of Life, Love and Spirituality. Word after word, line after line, poem after poem, let your heart and soul commune with God…

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Project: Heartbeats and Elevation?

Cendrine Marrouat: God is my main inspiration in everything I do. I wanted to write about my belief in him and how it helps me to see Life and Death as a continuum of the same process.

I always pen my best poetry at night. But, before I can actually start writing anything, I need to find a title. Otherwise, inspiration will not come. So, one night, while finishing a poem, the title Project: Heartbeats and Elevation popped out without warning. I wrote it on a piece of paper and thought: “Wow! That would make an awesome poem!”

I set about writing something and, before I knew it, I had ten poems. They were short but powerful. The next day, I showed what I had done to a friend, and they were ecstatic: “You absolutely have to write a book. The message will give hope to many.” That is how the book was born…

JP: What sets Project: Heartbeats and Elevation apart from you other collection of poetry?

CM: When I wrote my other books, I was three years younger and in a different frame of mind. My belief in God was already strong, but not as strong as it is today. I have grown a lot since then.

As a translator, I love to translate what I write in French, my mother tongue. Sometimes, I do the same in English, with my French poems. I find this to be a very good exercise, as it forces me to detach myself from my work.

Hence, I can say that what sets Project: Heartbeats and Elevation apart from my other collections of poetry is the sense of joy and hope that emerges. I am confident that those who will read it will agree.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Project: Heartbeats and Elevation getting out to the public?

CM: God as a motivating force is the key to my success. I was given a wonderful gift through him: poetry. As such, monetary gain is of secondary importance. It is the reason why I chose self-publishing. Although this process takes time, patience and dedication, it also gives me enough freedom to go at my own pace and promote my books the way I want.

I just want people to see that Spirituality and God are not some vain words. They can actually help you to overcome the greatest hurdles and make you a better individual. If I can reach one person and have them realize that, then my job is done!

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Project: Heartbeats and Elevation?

CM: I do not write often. Sometimes, I will spend weeks without penning anything. And when I work on a poem, I like to take my time. I choose my words carefully, making sure that they reflect the person I am deep inside.

In the case of Project: Heartbeats and Elevation, I started sometime in the middle of 2008. Then, I took a long break and resumed work in February 2009. A month later, I had it proofread. In April, the book was ready for release… VoilÃ !

JP: What’s next for Cendrine Marrouat?

CM: I want to continue writing, of course. I plan on releasing my two plays in book format through Lulu or other means. Also, I have just started working on a poetry CD/DVD project.

My objective is to release it within a year. I have created three videos so far, and they can be watched here: http://www.youtube.com/soulpoetrysite. They are also downloadable for free on Itunes. Obviously, I need to improve their quality, but they are good examples of what the poetry CD/DVD will be about.

http://www.soulpoetrysite.com/
http://www.myspace.com/cendrinem
Facebook: search “Cendrine”
http://twitter.com/soulpoetrysite

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5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books, blogtalkradio, criticism, interview, poems, poet, poetry

Don Durant interviews Joey Pinkney on BlogTalkRadio’s Living, Caring, Learning, Sharing

June 15, 2009 Joey Pinkney 2 Comments

Press play to learn more about me and my goings on with this website and also http://joeyisinit.com.

When you listen to this interview, keep in mind that it takes more than a two-year-old hopping in my lap begging for candy or a storm in New York to stop me from making my segment a success!

Towards the end, Don kicks a poem for me. That inspired me, and I had to share my poetic inclinations. You’ll get a sneak peak at the poem that can be found at the end of my short story “Like Father, Like Son” from the anthology The Soul Of A Man.

Please leave a comment below and let me now what you think about the interview.

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5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books, interview, poems, poet, poetry, romance

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Patricia Neely-Dorsey, author of Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia

February 22, 2009 Joey Pinkney 4 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Patricia Neely-Dorsey, author of Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia
(GrantHouse Publishers)

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia?

Patricia Neely-Dorsey: I didn’t really intentionally try to come up with an idea for a book or intentionally try to write a book. It all sort of just fell/landed in my lap. I woke up on Valentine’s Day February 2007 with a poem dancing around in my head. I quickly got up and scribbled it down. The rest, as they say, is history. After that day, poems just started pouring out. They just keep coming and coming day after day. In about two months, I had well over 200 poems. A friend of mine was very instrumental, and I guess you would say inspirational in encouraging me to publish them in book form.

JP: What sets Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia apart from other collections of poetry?

PND: I think that all poetry is very unique and individual like a fingerprint because of where it comes from. Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia is a collection that essentially chronicles my whole life up until this present time. The book includes poems about things that happened to my parents before I was born, my early childhood growing up in Mississippi, my college years in Boston, meeting my husband on a blind date, love, marriage, my son, and thoughts about mid-life…where I am now ( the Fabulous Forties). Specifically, it is my life in poems. Generally, it is a true celebration of the south and things southern. One reader called it a “love letter to the South”

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia getting out to the public?

PND: I always rely on what I call Patricia’s P-Attitudes: Positivity – staying positive, believing in the dream, believing in myself and the book. Perseverance – never giving up. Persistence – being relentless and never taking no as a final answer. The forth one which was something I have had to really work on and learn is Patience, but it pays off in the end. The answer or outcome that you seek may take a minute! You just have to hold on. These P-Attitudes translate, of course, to every area of life.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia?

PND: That’s funny. I don’t really have a process. I just write the poems down as they come. That can be at any time and any place (very often in my car). The entire process from writing my first poem (Feb 2007) to the actual publication of the book (Feb 2008) took exactly one year. The actual publication process which included the submission of the poems, editing, proofing, cover design, and all that took less than two months. The poems was submitted the first week of January 2008 , all of the appropriate changes and additions were done and the book arrived at my door February 22, 2008

JP: What’s next for Patricia Neely-Dorsey?

PND: To infinity and beyond! (LOL) Well, I’m hoping that this book will have widespread, mass appeal and be wonderfully successful. I have enough poems for several books, so those are certainly down the line. My publisher would like for me to do an illustrated children’s book with age-appropriate selections from Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia. That is definitely a possibility in the near future.

www.myspace.com/patricianeelydorsey

http://www.patricianeelydorsey.webs.com/

Excellent printing brochures available at PsPrint

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