By Prisca Sam-Duru

Born in August 1997 in Bendeghe Ekiem, Cross River State, Nigeria, Enare Abang is a human resource specialist, entrepreneur, and poet.

The Les Cours Sonou Universite Benin (Human Resources Management, Class of 2019) is a gifted creative writer, a hodophile and one very expressive of her thoughts and views about life. In addition to her love for travelling, Ena as fondly called, loves to write.

In this interview, the young author of “Roses And Thorns”, tells us more about her creative writings, her poetry collection and much more. Enjoy!

Professionally, when did you take to writing?

I wouldn’t say I took to creative writing. I think writing found me. At a tender age, I enjoyed reading novels and articles starting with “My Book of Bible Stories”. And I just started creating my own short stories.  I didn’t plan to write poetry. I wasn’t very confident in spoken words, so I thought the best way to express myself would be to put them underneath my pen.

I started writing at 15, with The United States of Hope which is an NGO in the US for veterans. The founder, Samuel Redfern Pascal, found me on Facebook and I started working with them as an editorial writer and a social media manager.

What genres help you express yourself better and why?

Button poetry and haiku. They’re forms of writing that express feelings and emotions with the use of metaphors usually for spoken word poetry. I write button poetry and haiku because it gives more life to my thoughts and holds more depth as well.

What thematic concerns do you usually deal with?

I write from a stream of consciousness. My writings embody deep emotions with the use of metaphors, which make them more enjoyable to readers.

How many books have you published so far?

In my head, I’ve published hundreds of books but in real life, I just released my first book titled “Roses & Thorns”.

Could you tell us about it?

“Roses and Thorns” was published on the 3rd of August 2022 in Nigeria, and on the 13th of August 2022 on Amazon. It is a poetry collection that reflects feelings of life, love, hurt, affirmations and reminders for everyone on a self-love journey.

 How long did it take you to compile the poems?

It took me about a month to compile, but most words were written years ago.

What challenges did you encounter before publishing the book?

The most reoccurring challenge I experienced in the process of writing my book would be to fix my poems into different parts. My book covers four parts: Pests, Prickles, Pruning and Petals. And having to separate them into these sections was a huge challenge because I just write, I love to write and I don’t want to categorise my poems.

I want them to mean separate things to different people. Also, I don’t want people to experience me in my own words, I want them to find and experience themselves rather and I feel that categorising my poems would make that a little difficult.

You do Spoken Word; how was the first time and have you ever forgotten your lines?

Yes, I do spoken words but not with my voice. Haha! I know that sounds funny, but it’s the truth. I do have a Spoken Word poem that’s currently on Spotify but with a friend’s voice. Nevertheless, I am working towards being more comfortable with performing spoken word for my poems. I am just stepping out of my shell with this new book and I’m looking forward to the futuristic awards.

What are your dreams as a creative writer?

My dream as a writer and an individual is for my words to impact souls and inspire people all over the world.

Are there books/authors that motivated you to become an author?

Of course, my primary inspiration is Rupi Kaur. And her book “Milk and Honey” inspired “Roses & Thorns”.  Catherine Assam, Leonie Anderson, Victor Samuel, and Tyler Jones are also great writers who inspire me.

What inspires you to write?

I would say, life inspires me to write; traveling, reading, conversations with people, personal experiences, love, hurt, anger, tears and pain. It’s all life happening to us and that’s why I can’t stop writing. Because I’m still living. This is why I write poetry every week on my Instagram page @enawrites