Spotlight On Writers
Ingrid Wilson
- Where, do you hail from?
I’m from Carlisle in Cumbria, close to the beautiful English Lake District: Wordsworth country. In the UK I have lived in Manchester, Newcastle and London. I moved to Barcelona in 2016, Malaga in 2018 then Slovenia in June of this year. I’m grateful to have sampled life in so many different places and experienced some extremely diverse cultures and traditions.
- What is the greatest thing about the place you call home?
I am incredibly lucky to have been born and raised in a land of wild and wonderful scenery, and to be living in one now. Slovenia’s most celebrated poet, France Prešeren, was born quite close to where we live, and it’s hard for me to imagine how anyone could grow up around here and not become a poet.
- What turns you on creatively?
Nature. It always has. I can take a walk in the mountains or on a beach and have poems gifted to me in these circumstances. But that can also happen in the shower. Wordsworth said in his preface to ‘Lyrical Ballads’ that “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.” I write best when in a meditative state of mind: some kind of mental detachment is vital, so that you can hear the words sing.
- What is your favorite word, and can you use it in a poetic sentence?
That’s a tough choice, but I’ll go for onomatopoeia:
“When it sounds like what you hear/That is onomatopoeia!”
- What is your pet peeve?
I try to avoid peeves, but I do not like aggressive drivers. I only got my driving licence recently, and as a result I guess I’m cautious. And man plus machine adds up to some kind of automaton wielding a fast-moving ton of metal. I think this sums up a lot of the problems of modern society: we have become ‘mills with complicated wheels’ who ignore our humanity and drive roughshod over others in the pursuit of material gains. I once saw a Hawaii number plate which read: ‘Drive with aloha!’ I try to use this as my motto when driving, and can extend this further into a motto for life: ‘Live with aloha!’ You’ll get a lot further, and enjoy the journey much more too!
- What defines Ingrid Wilson?
- The Summer of Love and Fresh Air - August 24, 2022
- Fading Autumn - March 1, 2022
- Star of Wonder - December 18, 2021
