Q & A with Summer Festival Speaker Gill Sotu and San Diego Writers Festival

SDWF: Tell us about the importance of the spoken word to you, and about finding your voice and how it relates to each of us  

GS: Spoken word is one of the freest forms of artistic expression. It communicates directly to your audience. You can be as convoluted or as clear as you want to be with your audience, and it can implement, but is not slave to traditional poetic devices or time.     

SDWF: Which writers or poets have influenced you most? 

GS: Saul Williams (poet), Malcolm Gladwell, Sherman Alexie, Toni Morrison, Stephen King, Walter Mosley, Buddy Wakefield (poet), Anis Mojani (poet), Tshaka Campbell (poet), and Donnie Jackson (poet) 

SDWF: What’s the last great poem or book you read?  

GS: Last book that really got me excited was Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell. Also Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer. 

SDWF: If you could give a piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?  

GS: Get into the HABIT of writing daily.  Hit as many stages as you possibly can.   

SDWF: What writing resources have been most helpful to you? 

GS: Recently, masterwriter.com (great all in one thesaurus,dictionary, etc) scrivener (for organization)…But most of my writing comes from listening to people and being open to becoming inspired.  Inputting as many different resources/mediums of expression as I can inside of me and enjoying the process of discovering what gets spit back out through my pen.   

SDWF: How has poetry changed your life?  

GS: Poetry has changed my life because it has enabled me to take provide for my family.  

SDWF: What was the first piece of writing you shared with someone else?  

GS: Short Stephen King-esque stories in freshmen year of high school. There was a girl I trusted enough to let her read them. I was heavily into reading then. 

SDWF: Is there a line from one of your pieces you’d be willing to share? (opening sentence(s) or something that gives flavor of the piece?) 

GS: “Lord keep me peaceful, cause sometimes this mirror malfunctions and I don’t feel so beautiful somedays…” 

SDWF: Where can we find your blog/website or any other online links (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)? 

gillsotu.com 

SDWF: Thanks, Gill!