One On One with Ojonugwa

Exclusive Interview with Joseph Hope

Ojonugwa: Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another blessed episode of "one on one with Ojonugwa"
and tonight we will be talking poetry
Join us swiftly as we travel on this journey

Guest's biography
Joseph Hope is writing from Nigeria, a student of Usman Danfodio University. His works are either forthcoming or already published in Reckoning Press, Evening Street Press, Zoetic Press,  New Verse News, Praxis Magazine, AfroPoetry, Gemini Spice Magazine, Spillwords, SprinNG, Writers Space Africa, Nthanda Magazine, 5th Chinua Achebe Anthology, Ariel Chart, Best "New" African Poets 2019 Anthology, and many more. He's a young man running away from his name. How absurd! He tweets @ itz_joe9

Ojonugwa: Good evening sir, we are honoured speaking with you tonight, so can we know more about you? Your childhood and what it was like?

Joseph Hope: Thank you so much for having me. Growing up for me was nothing strange. I was born into an igbo christian family. My father is a preacher and my mum a supporter. Missionary works took my parents away from our home town in Enugu to Kogi state, the Yoruba part of the state. So I was born there and had my primary and junior high school education there. So now you know why most people can't tell if I am Igbo unless I tell them so, because the environment I grew up in contributed enormously to my psyche.
Growing up was Filled with experiences. Some where pleasant some where not . But now my heart sings but a greatful song for these experiences did nothing but made me strong. I have great parents that really made my childhood memories memorable and pleasant. As an Igbo boy I learned a lot of stuff growing up in a place with a different tradition. Different is not scary after all. Now schooling in Sokoto state I got to understand that Nigeria is not all about Igbo//Hausa//Yoruba alone, that there is Nupe, ijaw, tiv etc. Beautiful smaller tribes that still contribute to the welfare of the nation. And I think we can't make one big family if we will all see our selves as one  and equal.

Ojonugwa: Simply amazing.., diferent is not scary after all!!
I guess a poet will always be a poet, now you're responding to me like it's poetry 😅😅
So when did you discover you could write, why did you follow that path?

Joseph Hope: *smiles* Writing has become a voice for me. Growing up expressing my self the way I want it was a problem so I resort to writing because of the freedom that comes with it. I ask a lot of questions, to find the answers I read books especially Poetry and that one way or the other strengthened my writing. Writing help me express my self not just to my immediate neighbors but to wider audience in faraway places. I discovered writing sometimes around 2016, though I have been around books since childhood since my dad is a fan of books for sometimes I sneak into his office to read whatever interests me. Writing Poetry in my notes with no intention of publishing any. But sometimes around 2019 some special people came into the picture and made me start considering creative writing seriously. When I say special people I mean people who knew better than I do about writing and were willing to help. So since then I worked harder, listening to people ahead of me in this writing career.

Ojonugwa: A saying goes this "nothing good comes easy"
I am sure there have been some challenges so far... Can you let us in to some of these

Joseph Hope: Challenges? yes! A lot of them but I will name a few
1. One is self confidence: ask any writer/poet and they would tell you that sometimes before they had felt that their voice isn't worth been heard and their opinion useless. So why write? And many writers has dwelled longer than necessary on such thoughts. And believe that challenge of self confidence has crippled some great voices that could have made a difference in Nigeria.

2. Rejection: being a writer you should be ready to battle rejection. Literally//emotionally don't let rejection get to you. You could be one rejection closer to an acceptance.

3. Idea: what is the next thing to write about or work on? Is a question going on over and over in every writers mind. While some have found found a away around that wall some are always stuck. And I think the solution to that is reading more books and works by other people ahead of you it help prepare your mind to tackle issues more efficiently.

Umm you could be one rejection away from your acceptance, never let rejection get to you
Now, What are the intentional steps you have taken so far to become better at poetry writing

Joseph Hope: Praying, and working harder and overcoming these challenges mentioned earlier really helped me becoming better in my wit.

Ojonugwa: I love how straight forward that answer is.., praying, working hard and overcoming challenges..., For success, you must work hard.., there's no other route to it
Now, as a Christian writer,  what do you say about, spreading beyond just the church community and moving to the outside world,
About talking about secular matters and not just religion

Joseph Hope: Secularism will always be around us. We live and thrive along side it. But if we don't control it is going to control us.
War isn't religious, is it? Politics isn't religious, is it?
Child abuse isn't religious, is it? Rape and gender violence isn't religious, is it? But shying away from sensitive and serious issues like that because it's not bible study would actually worsen the situation of things in this world and so even finally spill into the very hall room of religion we have so tightly shot off from the happenings around us. Here is an advice: instead of shying away from politics, climate change, terrorism, war, and all sorts of stuff we termed un-religious  why don't we use the wisdom learnt from the various religious standpoints to tackle this problems and make this world a better place for the next generation to come..

Ojonugwa: Hmm we use the wisdom gotten from our religious standpoints to tackle secular
After all, we are sent to the unsaved now, let our lights so shine beyond the church

Joseph Hope: Exactly

Ojonugwa: So what do you have to say to a younger writer, who is just trying to create a space for himself, who is still a little confused about so many things?

Joseph Hope: I am not an established writer yet!... that I write a few good poems doesn't make me an established poet. Think of Luise Gluck, wole Soyinka, Adiche Amanda, maggie Smith, Tony Hoagland as established writers.  But here is an advice I have been working with since I began: Always learn from the best. Start writing about things that matters to you now, your voice matters

So from your bio, the last sentence to be exact, we see something that draws our attention and awakens our curiosity, What do mean by a young man running away from his name?

Joseph Hope: *Laughs*   It's a metaphor I use to represent my attitude before I started writing. I was a very shy and frightened individual that never liked standing up to anything, acting cool, and walking away from anything that discomforts me, especially taking responsibility. Literally I never loved my name or anything that could pose a threat and that singular attitude has made me run away from many things... And I am not sure I have even stopped running away.

Ojonugwa: I dont know about y'all but i have learnt a lot tonight
You want to be successful,? work hard..,
Even the scripture makes it clear..., Have you seen a man diligent in his work, he will stand before Kings, he will not stand before mere men
(Paraphrasing now)
And you see, if we keep hiding in the church, the world will eat deep even into the church, we ought to be taking over in every aspect, in every industry, even in the literary world
What ever is worth doing I think is worth doing well
Keep writing, be consistent, no matter how much you think it doesn't make sense, continue with what you do, slowly but definitely, your jargons will make sense
Lastly, nobody is an island, meet those you think are better than you, and many will be willing to help out

Thank you so much sir Hope, for your time..., We do not take this for granted

Joseph Hope: you are welcome and the pleasure is mine

Ojonugwa: Thank you all for reading through, I trust you were blessed, please do not forget to comment below this... God bless you, until next time, it's bye for now....!!!