Oormila Vijayakrishnan Prahlad : part one

Oormila Vijayakrishnan Prahlad is an Indian-Australian artist and poet, who serves as an editor for Authora Australis. She is a member of Sydney's North Shore Poetry Project. Her poetry has been published in various print and online journals and anthologies including Cordite Poetry Review, Bracken Magazine, Black Bough Poetry, and Eunoia Review. Her art has been featured on the covers of several journals including Amsterdam Quarterly yearbook, Pithead Chapel, and Stonecoast Review. She won the 66th Moon Prize awarded by Writing in a Woman’s Voice Journal. She was shortlisted for the Glass House Poetry awards, and nominated for the 2022 Pushcart Prize. Her art has been nominated multiple times for the Best of the Net.  She is the author of two micro-chapbooks published by Origami Poems Project. She lives and works in Sydney on the traditional lands of The Eora Nation. Find her @oormilaprahlad and www.instagram.com/oormila_paintings

How important is music to your poetry?

Musicality in my writing is very important to me. I like to experiment with word pairings and rhythms, and I always read my work aloud to hear how the words and phrases sound. I play improv piano and I have written many poems about the music that has inspired me at different points in my life. That said, I like to write in complete silence. Absolutely no music when I write. I have to literally hear myself think and I cannot do that with background music on. I was at a pub once with some poet friends and someone came up with a writing prompt for all of us to work on, and I had to plug my ears with tissue so that I could write. This is not the same process when I paint though - music doesn't interfere with my creative process there. I always have classic rock playing in my studio when I paint. Really loud too!