1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
My name is James W. A., I was born in Tampa, Florida and moved to Kansas City, Missouri about a year ago and it’s been such an adventure in between. I think I’ve always enjoyed writing to some degree, but I really started taking it seriously in 2007, maybe 2008. I’m the kind of guy that has strong emotions and especially in younger years, writing was a good outlet for those emotions, both positive and negative. I kind of struggle with sticking to long-form projects like novels, but the school librarian once recommended a book of poetry to me and while I can’t remember the name of the book or author now, that sent me down the rabbit hole of falling in love with writing poetry over prose and the rest is history.
2) What inspired you to write your book?
A lot of the poems in Finality of the Heart are based on real experiences I had (obviously sometimes dramatized) and stages of my own development spiritually and romantically. Given my longtime fascination with love poetry and matters of faith and spirituality, I wanted to sort of immortalize those experiences and chronicle at least some parts of my journey in a beautiful way. That said, the character “Ella” isn’t really a real person, but sort of an amalgamation of a few women I’ve been involved with (or not). I think a collection of my love poetry was always inevitable, but certainly turned out in a way I didn’t expect, which is kind of cool in a way, feels more authentic, which is something I strive for.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
Humans are social creatures, which is kind of cliche, but true, and the desire to be in relationship with someone is powerful for many. So there’s two big takeaways from this book I hope is conveyed clearly enough and they kind of depend on where any given reader is at in life. Firstly, if you have that kind of love in your life, cherish it, nurture it. That vocation in life is such a blessing and should never be taken for granted, even when it’s easy to do sometimes.
If you don’t, then that’s okay, genuinely. A lot of people put an astronomical emphasis on “finding someone” and settling down, having kids, American Dream-type stuff, but there’s more to life than that and not having that lifestyle doesn’t make you any less of a person. I’m not saying any given person won’t ever find the relationship that maybe they really, really want, but in the meantime there’s so many beautiful things you can do for yourself and for the world. If things work out, awesome, but if they don’t, you’re still awesome and no one can take that away from you.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with poetry about love and spirituality and in much younger days, it was pretty much exclusively all I wrote about. Granted in those days, it was all awful, but the more I wrote, the better I got, so I guess it paid off somewhere along the way. As to why that is, it’s hard to say. It might be because that was the sort of art that inspired and really spoke to me (The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes is to this day my favorite poem of all time) or my Catholic upbringing that drew me closer and closer to a more truthful (in my estimation) relationship with God or some kind of deep-seated attachment issue that psychologically manifests itself in my wanting to find comfort and belonging in the affections of others or maybe some combination of all those things.
Regardless, as a writer, I follow the inspiration as it leads me and it often leads me back to romance and spirituality, so whether it’s innate to me or picked up somewhere, I try to work in those genres in a way that’s genuine, skillful, and as innovative as I can.
5) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
I’ll be honest, I don’t like social media much, so my strategy is to use the one(s) I like and are convenient and hope the readership follows. Which is awful advice if you want to build a following, but helpful if social media stresses you out. Specifically, I use Instagram and Facebook, with the former being actually pretty useful in my opinion. I’ve heard TikTok is currently the way to go for poetry though and I’m sure I’ll jump on that before long.
6) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
My biggest advice to aspiring or new authors would be to keep honing your own style and follow your dream your way. Every poet and writer has a way they like to tell stories, themes they like to write about, and experiences they want to be immortalized and that’s valid. Don’t try to be what someone else wants you to be (even if it’s someone you respect) and don’t just try to be an imitation of someone else. Be you and it’ll pay off in your writing.
That said, don’t use that as an excuse to be lazy or lackluster. Always strive to better your craft and write in a way that’s better and more beautiful than before, but in a way that works for you. Think of being a writer like an RPG character. You are the “class” you are with the stats for it and as you level up, you’ll gain new abilities and skills, but always in pursuit of being the best of what your character can do, what only you can do. I hope that analogy makes sense, maybe I’m just a nerd lol.
7) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
I have a vague idea for another poetry collection, but much like with the last one, the way life took me led to a totally different realization than originally intended, so who knows what the future holds lol. I started my own publishing company/label (Willheart Publishing) earlier this year though, so I want to take this next season of my life to try to build it and help other emerging authors, particularly local poets and writers here in Kansas City, and their books find a home and success.
About the Author
James W. A. was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area in Florida and now happily lives just outside Kansas City, Missouri. After graduating from the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg’s Honors College, he published his first book, In the Library, in 2015 and his second, the award-winning poetry collection Desolation and Epiphany, in 2023.
Poetry from James W. A. has also been featured in the literary magazines Neptune, Nectar,and The Secret Society of Poetry and he has showcased and facilitated workshops locally through KC Poetic Underground. With his newest collection, Finality of the Heart, James W. A. capitalizes on his long-time love for romantic poetry and penchant for dramatic melancholy to share a meaningful tale of duality he hopes will last through the ages.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finality-of-the-heart-james-w-a/1147699460?ean=9798218700492
