PriskaMohunsingh:APassionateYoungWriter

ByNaomiKeuschBaker

For some, poetry is a mysterious art form. It can be a foreign language that is impossible to
translate. To other readers and writers, poetry is like breathing. Priska Mohunsingh, a senior
vocal major, made her writing debut earlier this year, with her poetry collection
The Unspoken
.
She categorizes her poems in a Desk of Contents with three drawers: memories, sentiments,
and bitterness andagony.Severalofherpoemsareaccompaniedbyher ownillustrations,butthe
writingitselfiscaptivating.IinterviewedPriskaabouthercreativeprocessandemotions.

1)

Congratulationsonyourfirstpublishedwork!Canyoudescribetheprocessofcompiling

yourpoemsandgetting
TheUnspoken
published?
Thankyousomuch.Inallhonesty,therewereseveraltimeswhentheprocessseemedvery
difficultandlengthyhowever,Ineversteppedbackasmymindwassettopublishmycollection
andhelpothersbecomeinspiredtofollowtheirpassions.Theprocesstookmesomefourorfive
monthsinediting,formatting,sketching,andreevaluatingifIamsureaboutpublishingthis!I
beganwritingthesepoemsbackinDecemberof2011,whenIwasintheseventhgrade.In2014,
afterfindingmyoldcollectionofpoetry,Idecidedtoenhancethemandmakethemintoamore
sophisticated,intricatecollection.

2)

Inyourtitlepoem,youwroteTheUnspokenthoughtsaretheonesthatkeepus

inquisitive.Yourlanguageisverypersonal.Whatmotivatedyoutowritethispoem?Mostof
thebooksIwrite(andcurrentlyamwriting)arefirstwrittenandthentitledhowever,Ititledthe

collectionTheUnspokenevenbeforeIfinalizedandformattedthepoems.Thisanomalycan
besupportedwiththefactthatIgenerallywantedtowriteacollectionfocusingonsocialissues,
personalmemories,themesandthoughts,andsituationsthatarerealistic.Mymotivationforthe
titlepoemwassolelybasedonaphaseIwentthroughinmychildhood,whenIwastryingmy
besttotransitionintoanoutgoing,outspokenpersonasIwastiredofbeingquestioned,made
funof,andbulliedforthepersonIwas.Plus,Iamgenerallyaveryinquisitiveperson.

3)

Someofyourpoemsareemotionallyprovocative,whileothersfocusontangible

activities.Iaddabitofphenolphthaleintothebase,inatitration,isfromJustonesimpleday
inchemistry.Howdoyoudevelopyourwritingstyle?
Iagreethatalotofmypoemsareemotionallyprovocative,inasensewheretheyaredarkand
produceathoughtprovokingaftermath.Isimplyhavethiseffectinmypoetrytochallengemy
readerstointerpreteverywordintheirownway.ThatspecificlinefromJustonesimpledayin
chemistry,forexample,isbothliteralandmetaphorical.Inmyinterpretation,thislineis
supposedtoexplainthatIdontusuallyfollowrestrictedrules,thebasebeingafoundationand
myopinionsbeingaheresy.Itwasverynaturalformetofindmywritingstyle,Ienjoyreading
thriller,romantic,scientificfiction,andfantasy.Inmycollection,Iaddthesegenresindisguise
ofstyle.

4)

Sinceyouknewotherpeoplewouldreadyourpieces,didyoufeelyouhadtocensoryour

material?Wereyounervousaboutexposingyourself?

Iwasatfirstwonderingifmycollectionholisticallywastoodarkhoweveritwasmystyleof
writingthisonecollectionthatissupposedtoanswerallofthequestionsIhaveeverbeenasked.
Itisaresponsetoallofthenegativityandoptimisminmylifeandothers.Iavoidedlanguage
thatdidnotsuitthestyleofthecollectioninsteadIfocusedonmakingmywordsmorepoetic
anddark.Iwasactually,verynervousbeforeandafterpublishingthiscollection.Iwas
wonderingifitbrokesomerulesorreallymadepeopleuncomfortable.Nevertheless,afew
acquaintancesmentionedhowthisbookdidindeedchangetheirnegativeperspectiveonthings.
Sometimesyoudonthavetoshinelightinpeopleslifetomakethemrealizewhattheyre
missing,infact,expandinguponthetypesofpessimismandTHENshininglightintotheirlives
iswhatmakesthefeelingofaccomplishmentmoresuccessfulandappreciative.Ifpeopleare
nervousaboutwhattheywrite,theycannotmoveforward.Weallhaveourownstylesofwriting
anditvarieswitheachbookandgenre,solimitingourselveswillnotcompletelydefinewhowe
are,aswriters.

5)

SomeEnglishclassesarebeginningpoetryunits.Tostudentswhofindpoetrydifficultto

understand,whatadvicedoyouhave?
Firstofall,Ithinkitsfantasticthatsomeclassesarestartingpoetryunits.Itisreallysomething
teachersshouldhelpstudentsdiginto.Ivemetmanywhostrugglewithunderstandingpoetry,or
evenhatepoetry.Icannotblamethemasweeachhaveourdislikesandlikes.But,Idothinkthat
everyoneshouldbeopentotheirinterpretationandshouldpracticewritingtheirownpieces.
Evenifitisinthestyleofrap,songs,spokenword,orevenjustwords,poetryisinalmost
everythingandthereisnoescape.Ithinkstudentsshouldreadmorepoetryandwritemore

poetrytoexpressthemselves,eveniftheygenerallydontlikethestyle.Itcomesfromtheheart,
notfromthemind.IfIhadntwrotepoetryfromtheheart,thenIwouldhaveneverwritten
poetryinthefirstplace.Iwishtohelpothersfindtheirhappyplaceinpoetryorliteraturein
general,servingasaninspiration.