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I got interviewed by Maia Wilson about my projects, creative process and more. You can read the interview here.

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Jo is currently revamping her website. It is not ready but it has some information about her and her projects. She posts regularly on Instagram @jobahdo and share the most interesting things on her newsletter.

Primary Poems is available both in paperback and ebook, worldwide. You can order it from Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble, Austin Macauley and many more. A big thank you for the invitation for this interview and for your readers to make time for me.

Tell us how you started writing poetry.

First, I want to thank you for asking me to do an interview. It is the first one I do that is related to my writing :)

I usually get asked when I started, and that is quite easy—when I was twelve years old, and my father left for the first time. How I started, however, I am not quite sure. I remember having the urge to write and going to an “everything for 2 bucks” kind of store – the only kind I could afford – and buying my first notebook (which I still have).

I remember being very firm on writing just with pencil. I remember having no real intention towards content or form. I just needed space, so I made myself some within each little square of the notebook’s pages.1 I started writing every day and I considered my writing as journal entries. Only later, I noticed that I wasn’t writing in full sentences and my “paragraphs” were stanzas, with rhythm. I am going to sound very cheesy and maybe even presumptuous now. But the truth is that I never really took the active and conscious decision to write poetry. It just happened out of necessity.

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What are the main themes that you touch on in your poetry?

My writing is usually autobiographical. I touch on anything I experience. When I first started, I wrote a lot about family issues but also my everyday life and friendship— especially my longing for friends. Then I wrote a lot of “broken-hearted love poems” (a selection of which made Primary Poems). I am currently writing about my body and mental health issues, especially about trusting my body and being able to feel at home in it.

How has your writing style evolve?

I think there are two main differences that can be observed. The first is in the language. I shifted from writing in Italian to writing in English in 2017. The second is in the structure. I used to write up to five words per line. Now my sentences are longer and also disposed in a more creative way on the paper as I experiment with formatting more.

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Where do you get inspiration, except the themes you often touch on?

I mostly write about what I experience. I journal daily, which helps me to keep track of what I do and how I feel. Sometimes these notes are the main source of reference and inspiration. Other times, when I don’t really know where to start, I search for new words to explore and play with.

How was the process putting Primary Poems together?

Rushed.

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