Writer Feature: Ela Kini
The Writer's Notebook
*
The Writer's Notebook *
Ela Kini is from New York, USA. She is one of IHRAM Press’s treasured writers. In this interview, she shares her musings, inspiration, and honest thoughts on her experience with us as an author and activist.
Her latest publication with IHRAM Press is featured in IHRAM Quarter 1 Literary Magazine: Resilience Amidst Displacement.
Thank you for all you do, Ela.
Now be honest, how has your experience been with IHRAM Press? How did you find us and why did you choose to publish with us?
Publishing with IHRAM reminded me of the value my words have. Not merely because I was compensated for my work, which is rare for a young writer, but because of the powerful language of the writers whose work surrounds my own in this publication.
Would you recommend IHRAM Press to other writers/artists?
Yes.
Share a quote from your poem published in IHRAM Literary Magazine 2024!
I to be, I to be chasm
for bruised army.
I to be ragdoll of night
and of battle cry, I to be body
splintered into caves.
Now for the fun questions! What compels you to pick up a pen or open your laptop to free-write? And what inspires/influences your writing, particularly when it comes to addressing human rights issues?
I am inspired by my heritage, my experiences, my family, my city, my country, my diaspora. Life is a stained glass mural of inspirations we as artists may draw from. I am reminded of Kintsugi, the Japanese art of emphasizing cracks in ceramic with gold paint. Art draws out the beauty and resilience to be found from histories of community suffering—it is poignant and essential.
How do you personally connect with our mission? Particularly on the power of art and literature to influence social change, and our values of beauty as a fundamental creative principle, sincerity, vulnerability, celebrating diversity, and opening doorways of engagement.
I firmly believe we can use beautiful images to help the reader envision heartbreaks, no matter how far those are from their own lived experiences. The dance of sincere language is something ethereal and far-reaching in impact; creativity is one of the most impactful yet accessible means we have for encouraging social change.
The IHRAM magazine aims to celebrate authors contending with their identities within the context of their environments. How does your environment influence your view of the world (your home country, city, and surrounding culture)?
I am an Indian-American. Being both brown and American, especially at a time like now, raises many questions. How do you balance different elements of your identity? How do you uplift your community? How do you find standing? These are questions my work constantly attempts to answer.
Support Activist Writers
*
Support Activist Writers *
Read and enjoy all of Ela’s previously published work:
“For Fish to Swallow Oceans” on AAWW The Margins.
“Euphemism” on Rust & Moth.
“where time dips meets horizons” on Palette Poetry.
You can find Ela on Instagram.
