An Interview with Ohio Author Robin Lynne Melet
Meet Ohio Author Robin Melet, the author of a new poetry collection Flying on a Golden Moon: Poems from the Eyes of a Dreamer. This collection is engaging and endearing as Robin writes of life, love, and her ambitions. Recently I caught up with Robin and we talked about her writing career and more.
Welcome, Robin!
GM: What is the premise for
your new poetry collection?
RM: I wrote a cute, short poem about a
treasure I found when I was twelve years old. It was a beautiful rock with
sparkles. I liked the poem so much that I decided that I would write and
publish my own poetry book one day. That day has finally come to fruition and I
am literally "livin' the dream!"
GM: The cover is beautiful!
Does the cover have special meaning to you?
RM: Thank you for the nice compliment on
the cover. Yes, I agree, it is quite beautiful. The cover is Annie M.'s
creation. She designed it after she read my signature sestina poem, "Flying
on a Golden Moon." I expressed to her my idea and she came up with her
interpretation.
GM: When writing poetry, do
you have a muse or other motivation that fuels your creativity?
RM: Yes, I always pray to God with my
hands open before I create anything. I say, "God, use my work to glorify
you. Thank you for my hands, God; they are the lyrics of my soul." I love
to look at pictures of friends smiling in pictures. And, I have a favorite
photo of my high school English teacher, Mrs. Lillian Keith, giving me a hug
and a rose at my graduation. That meant THE world to me. When I was failing my
best and favorite subject in her English class, she requested I come to her
desk. She said, "I believe in you. I will help you bring up your
grade." I will always be grateful for those heartfelt words.
GM: Do you have a favorite
poem from this collection? Why is it your favorite?
RM: I truly love every single one of them,
but my absolute favorite is definitely the sestina. It is unique and a definite
poetry masterpiece. A Sestina is a formalized kind of poetry. It contains six
paragraphs, with six words, all used separately in each of the six sentences of
the paragraphs. The seventh paragraph only has three lines, using all the
words. I learned how to write this while I was in a college writing class. I
love the final outcome. It is very inspirational to me.
GM: What other books have you
written?
RM: I wrote my autobiography, "Through
the Sliver of a Frosted Window-A Story of Hope and Faith." It launched
in 2020 and is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and through Higher Ground
Books and Media. It's all about my journey with bi-polar disorder and how I
have coped and learned to manage this mental health challenge for twenty
God-given years. It is truly a book about being a survivor, thriver and
perseverance.
GM: Congratulations on NAMI
2021 Volunteer of the Year! What is NAMI and what is your volunteer role?
RM: Thank you so much for the kudos! NAMI
stands for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is wonderful non-profit
group located all over the United States to provide support, education and
advocacy to people with mental health challenges, as well as their caregivers,
family and friends. I am a facilitator and public speaker for NAMI. I
lead peer-to-peer groups and everyone who attends these particular groups have
a mental health challenge. I present speeches about my journey to police
officers, correctional officers and C.I.T. (Crisis Intervention Team) members
with the intentions of finding better solutions about handling people while
they are in crisis. "Help, not handcuffs" is the main theme.
GM: Now that your poetry book
is out, are you writing anything new?
RM: Yes! I have had the honor and
privilege of caring for the elderly population and my specialty has been with
people who have brain challenges, like forms of Dementia such as Alzheimer's,
Aphasia, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, just to name a few. My next book is dedicated to
the wonderful "in" moments that bring joy and laughter to people at a
quick glance. The short stories are so fantastic. One lady was a
"runner." She put her white tennis shoes on early in the morning. I
was working an overnight shift and I heard fussing in the bedroom about 4:34
a.m. I ran out to find her heading toward the door, so I ran in front of her
and said, "Where are you going, Annie?" She replied, "I don't
know, but I'll tell you when I get there!" I had to quickly re-direct her
attention and bring her into the other room where I encouraged her to sing with
me and then she forgot all about the run.
GM: List 10 things your fans
may not know about you...
RM:
1) I enjoy being alone to write.
2) I'm a super photographer.
3) I'm very loyal to my fans and friends.
4) I am cranky in the morning for the first hour
after I wake up.
5) I love to encourage, empower, enlighten and
inspire people to live their dream. Whatever their dream is, then do it.
6) I love applause.
7) I still love classic rock and roll, jazz and
70's disco music!
8) I love to learn about people and their
stories.
9) I am a super listener and I pay attention to
what people say.
10) I have always had golden blonde hair. Now, I
bleach because I like to. My childhood nickname is "Shinepunim." It
is actually spelled differently in Yiddish, but that's the way I learned
it, so it stuck. It means, "pretty, smiling face."
Connect with Robin…
No comments:
Post a Comment