An Interview with Heini Talip
Heini Talip is a Texas-based Finnish author and poet. She has been published in several anthologies and three solo books, the latest being her poetry book Burn and Pronounce Your Name. She also enjoys writing fiction, currently testing out her storytelling skills on various online platforms like Inkitt. Heini lives in Texas with her husband and cat. She publishes her work regularly on her poetry account on Instagram @missfinnpoet.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
It brewed for quite some time, as most of my poetry does. I was collecting and putting together some poetic pieces that all came to be from everyday life, questions, general ups and downs, hurt and ache. I think it was just that writer’s urge to get your words out there, even if no one would ever read them. I always feel poetry can be quite complicated for most people, but I wanted to explain life in a poetic way but still be relatable.
Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
Burn and Pronounce Your Name is the title of one of the poems in the book and it just felt like it wanted to be the book title as well. It has a certain sting and sadness to it which summarizes the whole collection quite well, so it felt like an easy choice. As far as the sentence itself, I suppose it just came to me in some poetic haze. One of those frustrating moments in life when you want to boil down what life is all about, really deep in its core. To burn, to live, suffer, and pass. And to speak, make your mark, announce yourself, whether it’s a scream or a whisper. I think it’s quite a good title that contains a lot.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
I’m a writer in my free time. Being a writer has always been my dream vocation, but I have always made a living doing other things. I still chase the dream though. I currently work for a software company, which I enjoy. It’s a good opposite to the creative flows in my head.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
Ever since I was young, I think I expressed myself the best by writing. It came very easily and naturally to me, and I could use my imagination to build worlds and places of my own. I was a big reader as well (still am) so many books inspired me, but I think Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was one of those turning point books for me. I fell in love with Pablo Neruda as well and his style of poetry, specifically Book of Questions. As an adult, I think growing up in a very changing and uncertain world, moving to the other side of the world, and becoming vegan influenced my writing – it got more melancholic, sad, and demanding. Poetry became a way for me to filter and understand the world around me.
Where is your favorite place to write?
At home on my laptop on a lazy Sunday morning. But I do a lot of writing work in my head pretty much everywhere, be it the grocery store or sitting on an airplane. I put my thoughts down on paper and untangle it later.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
I hope that people read my poetry and feel some homeliness and weight from the little words I have jotted down. That it touches them somehow, makes them smile, flutters somewhere in their soul in a very soft way in this harsh world.
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