Creative Poet, Author, & Magazine Youth Ambassador – Elizabeth O. Ogunmodede (Nigeria)

Elizabeth O. Ogunmodede is a Nigerian teenager, Poet, and Author. She is also a Product Designer and a Graphic Designer. Elizabeth began to write at the age of eight. She is an outstanding teen author and award-winning poet. In 2020, during the Corona Virus, she was able to publish the collection of short stories, she wrote back then in her elementary school titled ” Lessons for Grandma, and the same year, she self- published a poetry book for elementary kids titled “I love to go to school ” both books are available on Amazon with five – star rating and review.

Her first book was approved by Ondo State’s Ministry of Education in Nigeria for 7th graders in Ondo State’s secondary schools for the 2021-2023 academic sessions. She was also featured in book reading session on Channels Book Club , Channels Television, Lagos State. She has been interviewed by an FM Radio Station in Ondo State, Nigeria, called FUTA Radio, Akure.

Interview

Q1:What inspired you to start writing poetry?

Ans: Writing is my inborn talent that I discovered when I was eight years old, although, I only wrote prose as at age eight. Poetry is a heritage in my paternal maternal family (The Brights) because my dad’s maternal grandfather was a poet, so are his offsprings and we had co-authored a lovely poetry anthology titled Wisdom and Voices, a collection of poems in 2020, during Covid. When I was eleven years old in high school, I wrote my first poem and I remember that my first poem was inspired by a popular animated story titled “Shrek”, the story of an ogre, Princess Fiona and other fairy tale creatures. Up until then, I had always read about poetry and wanted to be a poet.


Q2: Who are some of your favorite poets? Why do you like their work?


Ans: Some of my favorite popular poets are Ms. Maya Angelou, Mr. Dylan Thomas and Mr. Robert Frost, some contemporary poets on the online literary scene whose works I absolutely love are Ms. Annette Tarpley, Ms. Jill Sharon Kimmelman, Ms. Zaneta Varnado Johns, Mr. Sarfraz Ahmed, Mr. Robert Bradley, Ms. Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld, Ms. Kay Bradley, Ms. Elizabeth Esguerra Castillo, Ms. Renee Drummond Brown and my dad, Mr. Richard O. Ogunmodede, to mention but a few.
There are many things to love about the works of the poets I listed, ranging from their writing styles, to their tones, their use of rhymes and poetic devices and most often, the reality or fantasy that they convey in their works.


Q3: What is your favorite poem and why?


Ans: I can’t put a finger on one poem that I deem my favorite, it’s like giving a child many candies, dinks and cakes and asking him to pick just one, it is extremely difficult. I have a lot of favorites from several poets but I can say that ‘Caged Bird’ by Maya Angelou has always held a very special place in my heart because of the theme of the poem, Ms. Maya’s use of diction, the story telling style of the poem, the use of many poetic devices and overall, the brilliant use of imagery.


Q4: Do you consider yourself primarily a poet, or do you write in other genres?

Ans: I am equally a prose writer as well a poet, although, prose was the first literary genre that I wrote in, before I ventured into poetry. I have authored two published prose works (Lessons From Grandma, a collection of short stories by Elizabeth O. Ogunmodede and Ladder To The Top by Elizabeth O. Ogunmodede, my debut novella for young adults) and I am working on my next novel which will be titled Halloween In Africa…Fantasy of The Realms.
With regards to poetry, I have only published one poetry book titled I Love To Go To School, a collection of poems for kids, although, I have one unpublished poetry manuscript awaiting publication and I am working on another collection of poems.


Q5: What’s the best advice someone has given you about writing poetry?


Ans: I’ve received quite a lot of poetry tips and advice from poet friends around the globe, which I truly appreciate, but, my dad always tells me that my poems should be able to touch the mind of adults and impart in them, even though I write as a youngster. This has stuck to me and I try my best to employ this advice in my poetry, making my poems as enjoyable and as mature as I can.


Q6: Do you think poetry is still relevant in today’s society? Why or why not?

Ans: From my view, I believe that poetry isn’t relevant anymore in today’s society. I’d like to cite an example of the high school setup, even though we read literary books and poems at school, most students do not fancy poems as much as they cherish other literary genres. Even in my immediate society, people barely read poems, compared to the rate at which they read other literary genres. This could be as a result of people not being able to figure out the beauty of poetry or the fact that most poets generally haven’t been promoting their works and themselves. I think poetry is the richest of all genres with regards to the use of language and creativity. Poetry is so unique and in depth, but in the society today, it is barely appreciated and considered of no relevance, which is pretty sad.


Q7: What advice would you give to someone who wants to write poetry but doesn’t know where to start?

Ans: The first advice that I’d give a poetry aspirant is to read a lot of poems in order to gain inspiration, this applies to my writing career, generally. Whenever I encounter a writer’s block, I often resolve to reading books that would inspire me, so any poetry aspirant should try this. Most times, writing free verse that would not disrupt the flow of inspiration helps in poetry writing. Most importantly, I’ve learnt that a beginner poet should write about nature and other relatable themes that would not be too difficult to ink.

“We also thank these Creatives for bringing forth this AMAZINGLY talented, young Creative from Nigeria: Zaneta Varnado Johns, Elizabeth Esguerra Castillo (President), & Shahid Abbas (Vice-President).” ~Maxwanette A Poetess aka Maxine A. Moncrieffe Owner/Founder/Editor-in-chief Poetry, Language Of The Soul {P.L.O.T.S.}~Creatives Magazine