The Whim of Words | Of Oceans and Rivers by Anella D. Shillingford

Tongue and teeth, sea, and shore, cacoa and bakes; poetry and expression. One of our very own writers Anella D. Shillingford debuted with her collection of poetry called ‘Of Rivers And Oceans’. Shillingford is a Dominican poet who studied History and English Literature at the Dominica State College. With much perseverance and dedication, she published her collection of poetry encompassing healing, heritage, and home. We had the privilege of speaking with Miss Shillingford and the following is a review of that interview.

Q: What was the inspiration for the pieces you wrote?

A: I like to think of this work as a journey. I wrote those pieces for myself and my healing. It was my way of walking myself home and in the process, I found joy in my history and heritage. ORAO is my gift to the world and others on their journey to healing.

Q: How did you come up with the title?

A: I wanted to capture as much of my childhood, history, past, present and future in one phrase. I loved the river as a child and so did those before me. As an adult, I have come to realize just how cathartic the ocean is. It brings me great peace and inspiration at times. The title is a metaphorical expression of all the people and places I come from as well as the vastness that resides in me. I am of the river and the sea.

Q: The writing process, what was it like?

A: Writing for me is never a chore but a habit. I try to write every day. Perhaps this was why some of the poems came so effortlessly. There were some poems I had to wrestle with my muse for but in the end, she always showed up. I consider writing as my act of bravery and this collection as one of the bravest things I’ve ever done. I wrote and compiled these 297 poems over the course of two years. My editor, Steinberg Henry, and I then laboured for almost six months to get it to its final stage.

Q: Tell me, how did self-publishing work out?

A: Publishing was always something I imagined I would have done some time in my fifties. So to be 30 with two books to my name is truly my wildest dream. Self-publishing is so much more empowering than we think. I tried other routes when the idea of publishing first occurred to me, but they just didn’t work out. You will have to believe in yourself before others can believe in you. You have to take a chance on yourself before others can. That has been very liberating for me. This is why I always encourage other writers to believe in themselves and take a chance at self-publishing. You never know how many lives you’ll inspire by believing in yourself.

The End Product:

I am truly grateful for my team. My editor did an exceptional job. As did my Sarama Rolle, the artist who worked on the cover art. I told her the vision I had for the cover and she certainly delivered. Seeing everything culminate was nothing short of a miracle. Sometimes I wondered if I would even meet my deadlines. I wondered how everything would come together. But I’m the end all things worked out fine. Sometimes we have to do big things just so we can experience our own miracles. I wrote That Table as a dedication to all the misfits and the places we don’t belong. All the places we have been but didn’t belong; the communities, churches, workplaces etc. It is okay to leave places and people behind. It is okay to shed skin. Everyone should be free to sit at tables and commune wherever they feel celebrated and loved.

Anella spoke about three of her poems from Of Oceans and Rivers:

I Wonder if You Know:

Is one of the most terrifying yet necessary poems I have ever written. Heartbreak is something all of us will experience sometime in our lifetime. To know love is to know pain. Sometimes it is the ones we love the most that hurt us the most. Sometimes it can also be the ones who break our hearts who save us.

This poem has been pivotal in my healing journey and ORAO would not be the same without it.

Records:

Must be one of the most riveting poems in the collection.

I have always been a daddy’s girl but I had never written my father poem until then. As I sought to immortalize him in ORAO I realized just how similar we are, how much he loved music, how much he changed for love and how many records he broke, as a cricketer and father.

So. Be. It. :

Is about the every writer’s resolve to save the world and tell their story. It is no easy task but those of us who are called and chosen to do this job know the pangs that accompanies such a profession.

Anella D Shillingford, a Dominican poet, is a member of the Waitukubli Artist Association and Waitukubuli Writers. She was featured in Caribbean Literature Day 2021 Stand & Deliver hosted by the NGC Bocas Lit Fest. She attended the Dominica State College where she majored in English Literature and History. She continues to be an advocate for mental health and human rights. She enjoys painting and writing poetry and prose. She is the author of “Bonfire”, available on Amazon. She has a monthly blog, where she shares personal experiences with a unique spin. Anella is also an educator and teaches English Language and Literature to secondary school students. Some of her more recent work can be seen on her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC427psxN5dzsw1UQZorbw9g or on her blog: https://ashillingford.blogspot.com