“Poetry will always have my heart and soul. That is a non-negotiable’
Originally published in Stabroek News on 30 August 2020.
Born and raised in Georgetown, Guyana, Jamella Chesney has been a lifelong writer and storyteller. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, and Creative Writing and Literature from Stony Brook University. During her time there, she was an active member in the Stony Brook Poetry Society and participated in the 2016 Southampton Writers Conference. Recently, she earned a master’s in Climate Change Policy from the University for Peace – UN Mandated. She particularly enjoys blank verse and prose poetry and is presently working on her first book.
The Writers’ Room: You describe yourself as a lifelong writer. If you could sum up your relationship with writing in one sentence, what would it be?
Jamella Chesney: When my voice fails to interpret the complexity of my thoughts, I can always depend on my writing to be my salvation.
TWR: Do you remember the first poem you ever wrote?
JC: I’m not sure. It was probably an acrostic poem for my dad on his birthday a long time ago.
TWR: The Empty Rocking Chair is a very personal piece for you, inspired by the passing of your grandmother. What are some of your favourite memories of her and what aspects did you most seek to bring out in the poem?
JC: My granny was the strongest woman I ever had the pleasure of knowing. She had a heart as big as the sky above and was willing to sacrifice anything for the well-being of her loved ones. She was the spiritual anchor of the family and the leader of the home. Everything revolved around her because she was the sun in our solar system. I wanted to cast a vivid picture of how heavy her passing felt and the emptiness remaining. One important stylistic choice I made was to show reverence in capitalising only her nouns and pronouns.
TWR: Your academic background is interesting to note; your undergraduate years in fact saw you taking two very distinct paths. How did this come to be and how has it been striking a balance between the two disciplines as you build your career? Have you ever felt like you had to sacrifice one for another?
JC: The path I took was not entirely up to me. I was initially set to study Literatures in English at UWI Mona right after sixth form, however the arts were not completely embraced as legitimate job prospects back then, so I relegated to the physical sciences. For the sake of my sanity, I minored in Creative Writing to have an escape from the lab. Though I found a way to incorporate both science and writing in my climate change policy work, poetry will always have my heart and soul. That is a non-negotiable.
TWR: Have you performed/done poetry readings before? What was the experience like?
JC: I have! During my undergraduate years, I performed at several open mics and poetry readings. Presenting one’s personal story to a group of strangers requires a great sense of vulnerability and courage. Although it was equally comforting to know that
everyone in the room is just as anxious as you are.
TWR: Who are your literary inspirations?
JC: Not so much who, but what. I am inspired by tragedy, by my dreams, by nature, and injustice. I am inspired by that which is non-physical: humility, compassion, the comma between life and death.
TWR: Tell us a bit about the book you’re working on and your plans for publishing.
JC: My very first poetry anthology is called, “Indignation”. It documents my journey into womanhood and centres on three themes: femininity, family and identity. At the moment, I am making final edits to the manuscript, submitting my work to poetry competitions, and contacting publishers.
TWR: What’s on your reading list currently? Are there any books/authors you’d like to recommend?
JC: I just finished “Purple Hibiscus” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. What a work of brilliance that was! The novel gives a raw and desperate insight into the life of a fifteen-year-old Nigerian girl whose life is not her own. Chimamanda has a way of blending the figurative and literal so seamlessly that you lose yourself entirely in the story. I highly recommend it. Next on my list is an English translation of a Korean novel about political unrest and the universal struggle for justice called “Human Acts” by Han Kan.
