Stories Heard from the Heart’s Whisper is a collection of lyrical free verse giving readers a raw, poetic mosaic of memory, pain, love, and spiritual reckoning. What inspired you to write this particular collection of poems?

I think the origins can be traced back to when I released my first book ‘Marching with a Broken Shadow’. I put a lot of emphasis on releasing that book within the parameters of being thematically linked and conceptually realised; a work that wasn’t just a collection of poems, but that told a story from start to finish. When considering ‘Stories Heard from the Heart’s Whisper’ I wanted to chase something more ambitious – something that still existed as more than just a collection of poems, and that tapped into storytelling… almost in a cyclical nature… but that was grander and more of a risk in terms of style. I think this was what eventually led to the idea of having chapters, and focalising the storytelling through the mode of epic poetry; but then still using some shorter punchy poems to kinda of capitalise on the overarching narrative. I think mostly it was probably a symptom of reacting against what I perceive to be a very boring environment in the contemporary poetry world… where there is this battle between highly emotional poetry that is of poor quality vs overly sophisticated and patronising poetry that is just a weapon for a guy with a moustache sipping a latte with a poodle at his feet. Hopefully I at least created something unique.

Can you share a bit about your writing process? Do you have any rituals or routines when writing poetry?

For this particular collection I found songs and music to be very inspiring. Everything was hand written first. Apart from that I wouldn’t say there were any particular rituals or routines. Perhaps what made this collection more challenging in that context was the fact that I had to write specifically for certain chapters/themes, so there wasn’t as much scope to write on pure whim – which is perhaps why I released two shorter poetry collections, ‘Wings’ and ‘Fists in the Eye that Blinks on a Pin’, whilst writing ‘Stories Heard from the Heart’s Whisper’.

Did you write these poems with a specific audience in mind, or was it a more personal endeavor?

I’m glad this question was raised. I really appreciated the review by Literary Titan, and in particular the realisation that is portrayed by the line “Russell doesn’t write to impress; he writes to bleed. There’s an unpolished sincerity here that I admire”. This endeavour was certainly aimed to challenge myself, and to create something unique… something that broke convention. I don’t see a point in writing to be palatable to a specific audience, or writing to meet a reader’s expectations… I think poetry as an art form should be aiming to challenge readers, and to invoke questions and doubts. I remember studying poetry at school and it being so highly analytical; looking into the structures of poem, the syllables in the lines, the double meanings, the plays on language etc. To me, poetry isn’t just supposed to be something to read and garner a brief emotional reaction, it is meant to be something that you unpack, and solve… It was funny, I got a very poor review from someone who said that I had overlooked the patience of the 21st century reader… and I thought, what a funny criticism; I’m not tying anyone up forcing them to read it – this was the mode of artistic expression that I wanted to convey, fully aware that most people aren’t going to want to read 1000 word poems… but why should anyone, following any artistic pursuit, be beholden to the comfort zones of people who’s main endeavour is to criticize.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in putting together this poetry collection?

Certainly the editing process was the biggest challenge with this collection. Given the sheer lengths of the epic poems, it was very difficult to sit down and ensure that there was consistency with my reading and interpretations; and even concentration level. I did so many rounds of editing, and if I didn’t release it when I did I would probably still be making adjustments now… but that is the beauty of art I think, is that it is a snapshot of a moment… imperfect, but perhaps perfect in what it reflects of that moment in time.

Author Links: GoodReads