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 Neela Sakaria: Thank you for your time, Mr. Hill. Can you please tell our readers about your background and what inspired you to write A Book of Poems?
Elton Hill: Well, I graduated from Coldwater High school in May of 1975, and I attended Rust College. I wrote poems for the college paper, and later decided to write a book and see how it would turn out. It took me about seven months to write all of the poems and to get the book published. It is self published.
Neela: Can you talk a little bit about the self-publishing process, and any advice you might have for other authors considering it?
EH: Well the way I came about self publishing it was that I came across an article from the Morris Publishing company, regarding self publishing. I called to find out more information and they sent me a package in the mail about self publishing books. According to their information, you had to have at least 40 pages in your book, so I set out to write at least 40 poems. That's what I did, and I sent the information back to them. They printed the book up for me.
Neela: A few of your poems seem to have religious influences. Can you tell us what part religion plays in your writing and in your life?
EH: I wrote those for people who might want to use the poems for prayer or something. I also wrote one that is called "I Live On" for a friend that was killed in a car wreck. So, I wrote that for people who might have experienced a death in their family.
Neela: You talk about using rhyming words and how that was a large part of your life as you were growing up. Can you tell us more about that?
EH: The thing about rhyming words is that we always played nursery rhymes when I was a kid. That kind of stuck with me as I grew older. At the time, I didn't really understand what poetry was, we just used to put words together that rhymed. Then later on in life, I began to understand poetry. So, as I began to write, I tried to use rhymes that would fit in the right places, saying the right thing at the right time.
Neela: In thinking about the writing process for this book, which of these poems was most difficult to write, and why?
EH: I think "I Live On" was probably the most difficult because it took me the longest amount of time to put together. I can write most other poems in a day or two, but this one took me longer to put my thoughts together, because of the subject matter, as I mentioned earlier.
Neela: Which, if any of the poems, are your favorite?
EH: One of my favorites is "Troubled Times." People often go through tough times and feel that they have no one to turn to. I try to give people the sense that there is a god you can turn to in times of trouble. Hopefully that poem will help someone to get out any depression that they may be in.
Neela: At what point do you know or feel that you have finished a poem and that you won't go back and rewrite it any more? How does that process work for you?
EH: Usually I set a standard as to how many versions I will write. Most times, I can think of the ending of a poem before I even know the beginning. That's how I go about it. I will think of how I'm going to end it, and then I'll go from there. Once I decide how I'm going to end it, I know that's as far as I want to take it.
Neela: Are you working on any future writing projects?
EH: I have started writing a second book, but I am still just working on trying to get this book out.
Neela: Who is your target audience for this book?
EH: I was targeting people aged 20-40, and possibly a few elderly people who may be able to relate to some of the more religious connotations in the book.
Neela: I was struck by the poem entitled "Stay in School" which seems to be written for a younger audience. What inspired that poem?
EH: I know that a lot of children these days think about dropping out of school. I tried to write that poem to encourage them to stay in school and get as much knowledge as they can, instead of dropping out and wandering the streets. Without an education, you can't find the type of job you need to find.
Neela: Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?
EH: Just one more thing about the poems that I write -- I have a cousin who takes the poems and turns them into songs, which he puts on CD. That was another thing I was writing for. He is going to take the book and turn these poems into song as well.
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