"Q&A With Anya Wolf"

August 18, 2018

Photo Courtesy of Anya Wolf

Poet: Anya Wolf

Poet Bio:

The moment she first learned how to write in English, Anya fell in love with words. She has been writing short stories and novellas since childhood, but poetry had always been the one thing she held a passion for the most.

Fast forward to January 2018, Anya Wolf started an Instagram poetry account, sharing her words with eyes from all over the world to see, and hearts to feel along with her as she continues on this exciting journey.

Fan Questions:

From Follower: April (@inspire_imagine0)

1. I suppose I would like to know Where she draws her inspiration from?

Would it be too vague if I said everywhere? It’s true though! The other day I was driving home from work and saw a turtle in the middle of the road. I pulled over to the side and helped it cross the busy street.

That turtle inspired me to write a piece about not being alone. You wouldn’t know though unless I told you… which I guess I just did, haha!

2. If she could spend a day with any poet who would it be?

Just one poet? Oh, that’s just not fair. So many beautiful souls exist in the poetry community. My save tab is filled with thousands of pieces from hundreds of poets who moved me with words, can’t I just spend time with them all?

From Follower: @marijuanasuede

3. What is your favorite poetic style?

Personally, I prefer to write freestyle. I really admire anyone who can write a good haiku, a sonnet, or any other writing styles that require a specific type of structure or rhyme.

I tried it in the past and I’m really not all that great at it. It ends up sounding really silly, and the feelings I try to portray sound forced because I am too focused on trying to make something rhyme rather than evoke a specific feeling. The people who can do both are just amazing in my eyes.

4. What emotions do you hope to provoke in your poetry and why?

I think that right now the pieces I put out are a mixture of love, hope, hurt and mental health. I want to show that it’s okay to feel and it’s okay to hurt. I also want to inspire change and well-being.

Mostly, I want people to understand that whatever they are feeling, others can relate and understand it too. I cannot tell you how much of a burden was lifted when I first started posting my writing and saw the number of people who understood those feelings I was experiencing. I just hope I’m helping back in some way.

5. Why do you always end your poems with, “With Love?” And what does that phrase mean to you?

When I am working on a piece, I imagine myself writing a letter or a note to someone. “With Love” just seemed to fit because the words come from the heart.

6. What made you get back into poetry after stopping for a long period of time?

Well, that’s a good question. I can’t really talk about what actually happened, but last summer I was faced with one of the hardest and terrifying times of my life.

Once it was finally over and I had time to reflect, I realized that I have been neglecting the very side of me that I promised I wouldn’t. Life is short, and things can happen so unexpectedly… why was I chasing dreams that weren’t my own?

So I picked up a notebook and put pen to paper. I’m glad I did it, it was actually very therapeutic during a dark time.

7. Does the vulnerability of publishing your poetry publicly give you a rush or do you just do it more for self-expression?

Can it be a little bit of both? It definitely excites me when I see that other people have read, enjoyed and can relate to my work. I love connecting with people and better yet, see real proof that the hardships I have gone through are no different than what others have too.

At the very same though, I do it for me. I still have quite a few layers to go before I can be brutally honest with my work. Some pieces may not ever be seen by eyes other than my own, but what I do bring out, I do it for both the rush of others seeing my work and the comfort of having a place for self-expression.

8. What is your best advice for getting through writer’s block?

If I am having a day where nothing wants to come out, I normally let it be. If it’s been a while, I seclude myself without any distractions and put myself in a sort of meditative state.

I close my eyes, breathe, and poke around my brain for any words, feelings, or memories that might come up. If that doesn’t work, I think I do what most people do: I just write. It might be gibberish at first but eventually, something decent comes out!

9. What is the best advice you have ever received on happiness?

Happiness is a choice. I know we all have bad days, I certainly do (probably more than I would like to admit), but if I am not actively trying to be better or heal in some way, that was my choice.

10. Do you plan on releasing a poetry book in the future?

I really hope so! The thought of others liking my work enough to have it as part of their book collection is just a feeling beyond words! I cannot express it well enough.

11. Fan Question: I just want to ask her what steps she takes to overcome self-deprecation, self-doubt, and just the overall feeling of not being worth it?”

I love this question. I love this because if I knew the answer to that I wouldn’t feel that way either. I think it’s natural for us to doubt ourselves at some point. Fear of not being good enough is a big show stopper for a lot of people.

My biggest advice is to acknowledge those fears but do it anyway. It might take a while to get to that point, but as long as you keep trying, no one will be able to stop you, including yourself.