An Interview with V. Walker

V. Walker is a poet and indie author whose work dives into the depths of the human experience. Exploring themes of grief, loss, love, and mental health, her writing seeks to connect and heal through raw storytelling. Walker was raised in the Southern United States and currently resides in GA with her husband, an Englishman from Birmingham, UK.

When not writing, she indulges in her love for traveling, baking, reading, and immersive video games. With creativity as her cornerstone, she continues to weave art that sparks introspection and empathy.

What inspired you to start writing this book?

I was originally inspired by seeing how fragile but simultaneously resilient people were during the pandemic. I continued to find inspiration in the people around me. My poems are never just looking inside, they’re woven by the threads of people I know and people I don’t. I felt inspired to tell the stories of those who have been through the worst but still came out on top.

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

It was 2020 and the pandemic was sweeping the world. Vaccines were still TBD but every day was filled with news about death counts and how covid was affecting people. The more I heard, the more apparent it became that apparent that at our core, humans are fragile. I had just gotten an Apple Pencil for my iPad and drew dozens of a single phrase “The Fragile Humans We Are.” The title was easy for me. Filling it with the poems and ensuring there was a journey? Much harder!

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

Oh, I love music, so this is a perfect question. I have a poem in this book titled “oceanic divinity” and which I wrote while listening to “Ocean Eyes” by Billie Eilish. Some other songs that would be on the soundtrack: “If I Had A Gun…” by Noel Gallagher, “Hurt,” the Johnny Cash cover version, “Dark Times” by The Weeknd & Ed Sheeran, “Ghost” by Justin Bieber, and “In The End” by The Cranberries.

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

I’m currently working on my second poetry book and I’m reading a ton of poetry books both for comfort and inspiration. One of my favorite poetry books this year was Between The Dark and The Light by R. William Parmenter.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I currently work in EdTech for a Legal Startup, so I spend the day surrounded by brilliant people! Before that, I worked at a larger corporate EdTech company, where I supported adult learners who were upskilling. Access to education is incredibly important to me, so my career has allowed me to make an impact, even if small, on the lives of others.

I would love to be a full-time author one day if that’s in the cards. Something else I do is create interactive fiction games that are available to play on itch.io. It’s essentially a choose-your-own-adventure game. I’ve always loved reading and these types of games are like reading a book where you are the main characters.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

As an only child, I participated in a lot of solitary activities like reading and writing. My dad bought me my first journal. And many, many more after that. I would not have found my love for writing at such a young age without my father’s influence. He would be tired from work but never complain and take me to Barnes & Noble, letting me browse for hours and find the perfect book to bring home. And now, my father and my husband are my biggest supporters.

As for influence on my writing, I find inspiration in so many places. But there are three books that I believe have influenced my writing: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho by Anne Carson, and The Quatrains of Omar Khayyam translated by Edward Fitzgerald, Justin McCarthy, and Richard Le Gallienne.

I first read Wuthering Heights a decade ago in AP Lit during my senior year of high school and I completed a visual craft project on it. But Bronte’s writing captivated me and despite the negative elements of the story and plot, I yearned for the kind of love where souls recognized each other.

I read If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho around five years later during my senior year of college, where I was reading a lot of poetry to inspire my own work for my senior project. Although Sappho was a musician, her fragments live on in poetic form and are hauntingly beautiful. I revisit them often.

The last book, The Quatrains of Omar Khayyam, would likely have not been on my radar but it was my grandfather’s book. He passed away on Christmas day from covid in 2020. But a few months before, he showed me this book and told me that it was his favorite poet. When he passed, I held onto his copy. The poems are fascinating and reading them brings me comfort as I can remember my grandfather through them. I had a complicated relationship with my grandfather and when he died, I felt like there were unresolved feelings there. But ultimately, he was one of my supporters when it came to writing. I still remember bringing home a newspaper from my university where I’d written my first article and he cried because he was so proud of me. He called all his friends on the phone and told them about it. And he kept the copy by his side for a while.

I’m inspired by books, art, and people who embody elements of the human experience. Like, I can look at a piece of art and say with confidence, “This embodies struggle at the most basic level,” or I can look at a person and know, “This person is proof of hope.”

Where is your favorite place to write?

My favorite place to write is wherever inspiration strikes. Admittedly, I write a lot from my bed. But some of my favorite pieces have been on planes, trains, or in foreign cities. Travel is an important part of my life and I don’t go out of town without a journal and a pen.

Do you have any writing rituals?

I’m probably a bad author for not having any! My only ritual, if you can call it that, is using a very specific pen. I prefer to write my work in journals, though I do rely on my Notes app sometimes. I don’t know why, but I must use the EnerGel Liquid Gel Ink needle tip 0.3 mm tip. If I even try to use a different pen for my writing, my mind cannot flow. I never travel without this pen because inspiration can strike anywhere.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

I want anyone who reads The Fragile Humans We Are to understand that human beings are fragile. But we’re also resilient. Incredibly so. My perfect reader is someone who is open to facing the hard truths—because that’s what brings healing. If you’re someone who poses questions to the universe and doesn’t get answers, take a look. If you’re someone who has a toxic parent or who has suffered from other toxic relationships, you will likely find some poems relatable. And if you’re someone who feels the weight of the world crushing you, this is for you.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.