Contributor Showcase: Happy Memories Interview Series with TOTI
Stripes Literary Magazine Happy Memories issue is inching close. Did you publication is set for October 27, 2023? Today, we bring you an interview with one of our contributors, TOTI.
What inspires you?
Emotion. Growing up, I was a chronic introvert and absorbed anything and everything around me specially pain nut when I touch a piece of paper it translates to so many things and by the time I have scribbled a word on a page, it is such a cathartic experience that all I want to do is keep writing. If we are speaking in the non-abstract sense then people and food. Music sometimes and definitely a strong glass of wine or gin gets the creative juices flowing.
Is there a specific event or experience in your life that you always return to whenever you hear the word happy?
Oh yes! As kids we spent most of our holidays at our grandparents’ and there was this huge raspberry tree in the middle of the compound. We’d go sit there in the afternoons, pluck a bunch of red and dark ones, mix them up with water and some sugar and shake them so hard until it looked like actual juice! We’d drink it from the bottle top in turns, including our grandparents as we practiced a few songs and dances until we ran out.
That’s beautiful. Tell us two of your favourite books and movies.
I shall give a bonus on each but of course the favourites will start. My favourite books are; Shadow of the wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. This book literally broke my heart. I have only read it once and dread reading it again. I fell in love with Miguel from the very first mentions and for him to die such a tragic death, never having been loved truly like he loved was it for me (sobs)! Next would be the Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini. Now, this man can write, period! Lastly, a book I recently read and related to the main character in so many ways than I could count- Rootless by Appiah. Efe felt like a twin with every turn of the pages.
With movies I automatically go to action films and the whole James bond franchise takes the cake. I am such an action junkie that I never watch just one movie in a whole set. It’s either all or none at all. Bad boys too! Then, I would say someone greats. I know I have been called out before about this. The leap from adrenaline to sobs just doesn’t make sense but it does to me. My last one would be Call me by your name. Cinematic films have an allure that cannot be replicated haphazardly. (I mean have you watched blue is the warmest colour?!)
What are your favourite writing tools?
I am an old soul. That means my primary tools are pen and paper. However, when I have to make a submission, I type up my work on Microsoft word and then send it out to my chief editor before sending it to the relevant publisher.
Which poet sharpens you into a better writer every time you read him?
Honestly, I have a lot of influences and most are women. I read and learn a lot from Sylvia Plath, Upile Chisala, Edgar Allan Poe, Langston Hughes-especially how colourful his words are Emily Dickinson and plenty more. I recently got into Middle Eastern and Asian writing and Rumi, Mahmoud Darwish, Haruki Murakami and Khalil Gibran are teaching me a lot!
What writing habits do you have that may be referred to as weird if a non-writer comes to know about it?
Oh lord! I would say how I would get random lines written down and if anyone asks I say they are book titles I am trying to come up with but in reality I sometimes have writer’s block and these lines consolidated, give me a ridiculous poem that sparks me back to life.
TOTI is a writer of poetry and prose. She also enjoys writing letters to her friends and family. She has been previously published in anthologies like Qwani, Where Do Broken Hearts Go and has been nominated for the 5th edition of Sondeka Awards 2023. She is a passionate reader, action movie junkie and hopeless romantic in equal measure. She loves everything friends, family and looks for any and every reason to party even in a crowd of two! A multilingual enthusiast, music lover and literal bubble of sunshine when with people, she is a whole universe of life and love.
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