BOOK REVIEW
“I want to stop screaming poetry into the atmosphere where words crash and burn.”
“The Art of Staying Lost is yours to read and process the way you feel right,” Sakshi Narula writes as a creative release knowing healing is never linear, or a one-size-fits-all. And her work in this particular poetry collection is outstanding. She explores the stories within the book intensely, yet electrifying bringing the reader’s emotions along for the journey.
As the book progresses telling tales of lust, heartbreak, and letting go - the pain is front and centre, etched on each page. It’s clear to see that she was brutally honest with herself and her work, holding nothing back. There were a lot of dilemmas throughout the collection that are relatable - wondering if she wanted to feel the pain of being replaced, or to let go and be forgotten. It all leads back to the never-ending battle between head and heart.
Lover: The Art of Staying Lost is a two-part poetry book series diving into the depth of her emotions, while finding a ray of hope. Discussing through poetry and prose, there’s a truthful account of the intimate journey to healing, repairing a soul, and finding oneself after any heartbreak. The earth shattering and despair feelings, while eventually coming to terms with what happened to realising suffering is not permanent. Although it’s important to heal at one's own pace, this book will help - it gives the reader permission to stay lost, to grieve until there’s nothing to grieve anymore, and be found once they’re ready.
Sakshi Narula is the author of the celebrated poetry collection, Loveish. Born in New Delhi, India she has since lived in over eight cities and three countries. Passionate about art and culture she finds happiness in writing and sketching. With her raw and relatable words she has managed to gain over 30k followers across Instagram and Twitter. Music, sketching, and cooking are some of her other passions besides poetry. She calls the beach and the museum her happy place. Sakshi currently resides in Muscat, Oman with her family.
Words by Danielle Holian
INTERVIEW
Tell us a bit about your writing background.
As a child we always had books and music in our home. I would often find myself making notes in the last few pages of my school notebooks and writing down my feelings in my scrapbook or a rough book at home. I always had trouble expressing myself properly in English which is something I worked hard to overcome. I graduated and started working in 2002 which is when I started writing seriously. I was a content writer and product trainer at work. I started ghost writing articles for websites, also had a blog for a few years which I later discontinued. I started writing poetry at a point in my life when I hit rock bottom, it is just something that came organically to me.They say the poem finds the poet and that is exactly what happened with me. I wrote primarily for my own healing but I started sharing it 4 years ago on social media. Since then I have published two books. Loveish and Lover. My work is also published in the anthology Yellow which was released by Yellow Penguin NYC in 2018 and I am also looking forward to the anthology by Magesoul Publishing, Survival, which comes out in December 2020 and will have some of my poems in it.
What, or who, inspired you to start writing?
I am going to be specific and talk about poetry here. There was a stage in my life when I felt broken and I didn't know how I was ever going to be okay and happy.I had to do something to start healing somehow so I started writing to just release what burdened my soul. I think sometimes just being vulnerable on a sheet of paper helps. When I started sharing it on social media is when I realised that people could relate to it or had similar experiences. Over the years, my writing has changed because I am constantly reading and trying to learn and improvise. Poetry is a powerful medium and has the ability to heal not just the poet but also the ones reading it.. Growing up in India, I used to listen to a lot of ghazals (poetry with music) and read poetry in Hindi, Urdu and English and they always spoke to me. My early influences were Amrita Pritam, Rumi, Gulzar, Maya Angelou, Mary Oliver, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton and Pablo Neruda to name a few. I also discovered poetry by Kim Addonizio recently and it blew my mind.
And what influenced your latest book Lover: The Art of Staying Lost?
We are all a sum total of all the experiences we have had, the books we have read, the music we listen to,the art that speaks to us, the poetry that can crack our hearts open, all the people we have met in our lives, people who have left a lasting impression on us in one way or another. All my books are influenced by what I have seen and been through in my own life.
This is book one of a series, can you give us any spoilers on what to expect from future content?
Sure. Book two is called Lost. While Lover was more about being nostalgic and remembering a Lover fondly while dealing with a heartbreak, Lost is more about the journey within and how loss in some way is a gift too. Sharing a quote from Lost here:
"Today wasn't easy, today I washed off hope from my hands and your last promise."
And how do you find the balance between writing about your own personal experiences and exploring topics that may not necessarily be autobiographical, but still speak ato so many people?
I don't ever force myself to write about anything that I don't completely understand or have not experienced myself. I don't think I can do justice to a subject that way. Which is why I find writing on prompts challenging. Also my writing was always a way for me to heal or express my deepest thoughts and fears. The topics I write about are pretty universal and almost like a story being told in verse. We have all lost the people we love, had our hearts broken, tried to heal ourselves while discovering facets of our own personality that we never knew existed.
What makes a piece of your writing right to post on your Instagram, versus the ones that stay in the book only?
Instagram is a visual medium. Pictures work better on Instagram. Shorter poems and quotes get a larger audience than the longer pieces. I have however posted all kinds of poetry on Instagram. I always wanted it to be my safe place to share what I want and be creative. My longer poems mostly go into my books.
And finally, what advice would you give to aspiring writers?
I think most of the writing we see on Instagram especially is writers trying to be like someone who is successful or has a poetry book on the shelves at the moment. As a writer, I feel, though it is good to be inspired, one should write their heart out and tell their story in an authentic way. We are all unique and have distinct writing styles. Our words should be in our own voice and not influenced or governed by the commercial aspects. So be yourself and just write, the right people will always find your book.
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