What inspires you to write poetry?

It is usually life itself, as it unfolds; whether in the personal space, within my immediate surroundings or community, or as it plays itself out on a national and global scale. And sometimes the inspiration comes from the music I listen to, books that I read and those big and small moments in time that make up our lived experiences. 

How does it make you feel to be part of a published anthology?

For me this particular publication is extra special. While my works have been accepted and published regionally and internationally, the local market has not been the easiest for me to penetrate, more so in poetry. So my inclusion in this publication, that identifies itself as a collection from Zimbabwean writers, sort of places me somewhere in Zimbabwean literary history in its making. And it is reassuring. 

Do you face any challenges as a Zimbabwean woman poet?

I cannot think of any challenges that I face that are unique to me as a female Zimbabwean poet. The challenges I face would be the same challenges that my Zimbabwean male counterparts face in the same space. Challenges like lack of investment in poetry, the absence of opportunities that are conducive for the creation of an income generating and sustainable poetry industry.

Briefly describe your writing journey, from how you started to where you are today.

My writing journey began with hip-hop. I started off writing rap verses because I loved the art form and it was an immediate form of emotional release. I only started writing poetry when I got to varsity (the University of Limpopo) and the closest thing to the hip hop community I had left back home in Bulawayo was a poetry society. I started off reciting my rap verses as poems but the exposure I got at the poetry society gave me the confidence I needed to actually start writing poems. 

From spending so much time at the performing arts Centre,  I developed an interest in writing  plays which I never really finished.  But in 2011, the Intwasa Festival made a call for entries for the then Yvonne Vera short story competition and I converted one of my incomplete plays to a short story and submitted it. When the story became one of the 14 shortlisted stories out of 104 entries, I started taking writing seriously. Since then, I’ve gone on to participate in writing residencies in South Africa and Uganda and I’ve also published a shorty story collection, “Bringing us Back” which won the 2022 National Arts Merit Award for 1^st Creative Published work for books published in 2020 and 2021. My short stories and some poems have also been published nationally, regionally and internationally. Today I hold an MA in Creative Writing and I’m still writing.

How do you want your work to be remembered?

I want my work to have a significant impact on the causes that I am passionate about and advocate for, and it is that impact that I want my work to be remembered for. I also want it to be remembered as unwavering, honest and sincere. 

Would you like to share anything about yourself to help your readers connect with you?

Yes definitely. Apart from writing as a natural response to either what life throws at you, pain, or the politics of my surroundings, for me writing is a form of advocacy. It’s my mouth piece in every genre I engage in. With that said, I don’t just write poetry and fiction. I also use hip hop as my mouthpiece under the stage name, Sista X, and my music is available on all streaming platforms. 

Who is your favourite poet and why?

There are quite a number. But the one who immediately comes to mind is Tumi Molekane. Most would probably identify him as a rapper. I never liked poetry when we studied it at school. What we were exposed to did not speak to me and was just plain boring for me. It was through my engagement with hip-hop that I was introduced to spoken word as a performance art-form, presented and performed by people of colour who spoke a language I spoke and of realities I could identify with. And Tumi’s song ’76, was that one spoken word piece that got me loving poetry. It’s not just in the rhythm and how he brings words to life and paints pictures. It’s the journeys he takes you through just listening to his renditions. I also love Mbonisi Zikhali and Modise Sekgoethe. Again it’s in the journey, the foreplay with words. The magic and universes they create out of words in a gentle and emotive way. 

What are your future writing aspirations?

To be able to make writing my main gig and regular 9 to 5 and be financially comfortable while at it, as opposed to what my writing reality currently is (something I squeeze in on weekends and after work when I’m already tired). Writing is what makes me happy and fulfils me. It however currently cannot pay my bills. 

What is your biggest dream?

To be able to make an impact with my writing on a grassroots level and to establish a writing resort for writing residencies and retreats for underprivileged and marginalised writers.