Aria Ligi interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

Aria Ligi is an award-winning poet who has been writing for over fifty years. She has a great love of history, particularly the English Romantics. She has a B.A. in writing from San Francisco State University. She is the author of the pushcart nominated Hammer of God (2019, Poetic Justice Books), Temple of Love: Poems for Marie Antoinette, and Blood, Bone, and Stone. She was the Senior Poetry at New Poetry Magazine and October Hill. A folio of her work is accessible at https://arialigi.com/.

When did your love of books begin?

At a very young age. I started reading when I was two. From there, it just never stopped.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

I have been writing for so long, I really can't recall. It seems that was what I always wanted to do.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

The process is constantly evolving. When I started out, I began with music, composing songs as a child, and painting. I loved painting and drawing. I believe poetry (that is, writing) comes naturally from music; if you have an ear for it, the meter flows. I began with free-verse in elementary school. In college, my major was screenwriting. However, poetry was always there. After college, I was still writing, but for about twelve years, I was unable to write anything at all due to personal reasons. In fact, the entire idea of writing poetry or anything was the very furthest thing from my mind. All my notebooks were stowed away, and in truth, I did not think about them at all.

Then one day, I went down to our garage and found my old cosmetics case in which all my work was stored. I went through about 300 poems, and I saw seven that I felt were worth saving. I used those as a springboard for my book, Blood, Bone, and Stone. While I was writing that, a miraculous thing happened. I was at our local library searching for a book to read in the dollar bin and happened upon Sena Jeter Naslund's Abundance, A Novel of Marie Antoinette. Naslund's book is so heartfelt and poetic that it inspired me to write poetry for Marie Antoinette. It started out first as only a few poems, and then it started to take over all of the free-verse book I had been writing. At this point, I realized I was writing two books instead of one. And indeed, in 2012, I published Blood, Bone, and Stone, and Temple of Love: Poems for Marie Antoinette. That one book set me on the course that I have been on now for almost eleven years, writing poetry for historical figures. Now, I did not stop there because it is imperative to challenge yourself. For quite a while, I wrote a mixture of meter and free-verse. Still, last year, I had a sudden again epiphany to try classical verse without mixing in any free-verse at all. This was, again, a considerable challenge. I was unsure I was up to the task, but I held my nose and dived in. I was honestly intimidated, but as I grew comfortable with it, the writing has become not foreign but intuitive. I liken it to putting on a corset or building a cathedral. The meter is your foundation for the work, but all you see is the beauty before you when you appraise the finished product.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

Go for it! Trust yourself and your instincts, be willing to accept criticism and be mindful that there are folks you will never please. Still, sometimes, if you sit back and mull it over, you can find helpful tidbits. It's essential to be honest with yourself, though, and not feel, as many writers and especially poets do, that once they are done, no editing is necessary. With that, you will get a lot of rejection; it's part of the gig. Don't take it to heart. It's not a personal slight against you. Also, and this takes time, realize that while your poetry/ or writing is your baby, having a certain sense of detachment with it helps you deal with the naysayers.

Tell us about your book/books:

I have written thirty-eight books so far; three are in print. There are six collections, the Romantic Series, which is a fourteen-volume series starting with Wordsworth and ending with the Bluestocking women. In addition to this, there is the Renaissance series ( Volume one consisting of poetry written for specific pieces of art and for of the great Renaissance artists beginning with Bellini and ending with Michaelangelo). Volume two is for the female Renaissance artists starting with St. Catherine of Bologna and continuing with Artemisa Gentileschi). The French Series consists of five books. (which includes Temple of Love Poems for Marie Antoinette) starts with Joan of Arc and concludes with Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (the personal portrait painter of Marie Antoinette). The Classic Series is a two-volume set of sonnets for Shakespeare and Petrarch. Currently, I am working on a new series for ancient warrior women starting with Sappho. (By Warrior, I do not mean necessarily out on the battlefield, though some were, such as Queen Zenobia of Palmyra, but women of incredible strength both physical and mental). At this time, I have completed volume three for the ancient Roman women, starting with Fulvia and ending with the Severan Dynasty.

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

I love everything. There is a lot of support on social media, which is really great. This is a lonely business, and it's easy to get caught in a web of negativity; therefore, networking with others is essential.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Stay tuned. Sometime in January, my Kickstarter will be posted. I hope to launch my press and finally get all of my work out there from this. There is a lot to release so, buckle up! If you love art, are interested in politics, want to transport yourself mentally away from our current climate of unrest, or gain insight, again, stay tuned. What I have is a smorgasbord guaranteed to make your heart sing! Even if you think poetry is not for me, give it a try! I am betting it will surprise you, and you'll be surprised at how delightful it can be.

Where can people connect with you?

You can send me a message on arialigi.com or through Twitter @arialigi