A.H. Lewis : part five

Why is poetry important?

Poetry is the purest expression of self that exists with written words. It is art and honesty and freedom and sound and light and everything in between. Its boundlessness and inclusivity invite people to bleed themselves dry of all that plagues them and offers them a hug at the end. Whether you’re reading poetry, writing it, or both, you’re drawn into the arms of every person who has ever felt anything and you’re reminded that as long as poetry exists, you’re never alone.  Poetry is the ubiquitous articulation of the human condition and there is no element on earth more unifying than that.

A.H. Lewis : part four

What poets changed the way you thought about writing?

When I found the poetry of Lang Leav and Nikita Gill and Lauren Eden, to name a few, I was blown away by the sense of empowerment some their poems emulated. I’d never come across poetry that succinct and powerful before and it made me want to write my own poetry in a similar vain. There are also a number of poets, whom I will not name, whose poetry I absolutely cannot stand because of how little I agree with their messages/form/etc. and their work instilled in me that if I want a poet to represent my voice more accurately, that poet would have to be me.

A.H. Lewis : part three

What do you feel poetry can accomplish that other forms can’t?

There’s a brutal intimacy in poetry that no other form offers, and in that way, every poetry book is a poet’s diary. Every poem is a diary entry. The allowed lack of structure is like strolling through a poet’s mind because thoughts themselves are oftentimes random and nonsensical until you arrange them in a way that make sense to you. Poetry allows us to put those thoughts onto paper as raw as they appear in our heads in order to share that visceral self with the rest of the world. The beauty of poetry is that simultaneously it’s polished and it’s not, it’s intentional and it’s exploratory, and that’s something that only poetry can truly achieve.

A.H. Lewis : part two

How do you know when a poem is finished?

As an editor, I love to tweak my writing until I consider it absolutely perfect—and then even after that. For poetry specifically, I focus on a poem until I read it and sit back in awe as if I read a stranger’s work. I know a poem is done when the flow is easy and natural, the words are painting the exact picture I see in my head, and the message I’m conveying is clear and honest. The best kind of poems catch the reader off-guard; that is especially true when those words are your own.

A.H. Lewis : part one

A.H. Lewis is a writer and poet living in Pittsburgh, PA. After earning a BA in English from Allegheny College, she went on to pursue her passion for literature by creating her freelance editing business, Happily Edit After, and publishing her first book just shy her 27th birthday—the first, undoubtedly, of many. She is a fan of all things related to summer and nighttime, especially during the clearest of starry skies, and more often than not she is wearing all black, from her combat boots to her lipstick.

How did you first engage with poetry?

I took a poetry class in college and absolutely hated it. I was terrible at it and I felt like I didn’t learn anything; I didn’t feel that I improved or found my voice or created anything worth reading. Fast forward about five years and I went through things in my personal life that tested my strength and patience, and this is when I revisited poetry. I found that the poetic form was the only way I could purge myself of anger, sadness, grief—everything, really—in a way that left me better than when I started. Poetry, and only poetry, offered me the catharsis I desperately needed.