HerFeature

By Kimberly Wallace

'...This is my craft of words, my lilac honey to the world of art and its people of readers.'

(Excerpt from Aminah Ali's poem 'Lilac Honey') IN Lilac Honey: A Collection of Poems by Aminah Ali, a young writer from South Trinidad reflects on a medley of subjects that have been at the heart of poetry for centuries; friendship, love, loss, romance, self-discovery and wanderlust. But she also writes about her identity as a Trinidadian Muslim woman-something that has never been explored in the realm of poetry-until now.

Lilac Honey signals Ali's debut as a self-published author, however, she has been writing for several years. Many of her poems have been posted on Instagram which has allowed her to express herself while still maintaining some level of privacy.

'I started writing stories before transitioning to poems, which I posted on social media. Writing has been essential to my healing, it's like a coping mechanism,' says Ali, who endured loss and grief as a child.

'Poetry has helped shape me, I've also been able to express and challenge myself more.'

Ali not only writes from her heart, some of her life experiences have also made their way onto the pages of her debut book.

A lot of research also goes into her poems. The feedback has been positive, some have even drawn similarities between Lilac Honey and the work of another poet-Rupi Kaur. This is all very encouraging for the young writer who once feared that her work would be too boring to be appreciated by readers.

Ali's inspirations include American poet Mary Oliver and poet and writer Nikita Gill, but she has also drawn inspiration from an unlikely source-the famous Korean boy band BTS and their legions of fans called BTS Army. The band's song "Mikrokosmos" resonated with Ali and motivated her to let her light shine.

"That song helped me to believe in myself. When people heard that I wanted to pursue writing, some laughed; they never saw it as something that could be taken seriously. But I know that I can be a professional and still pursue what I love-which is writing.'

Ali is currently studying psychology, so nights are reserved for her creative writing. The 25-year-old is a big proponent of the Read Caribbean challenge-a month-long initiative created by bookstagrammer Cindy Allman aka Book of Cinz, which is geared towards encouraging people to read, read more, read widely and read Caribbean. Ali encourages people to support local and regional writers.

'While we might be drawn to international bestsellers, I think it's important for us to read about our own culture and Caribbean identity. Most people would be really surprised to know that Caribbean literature is not just about our colonial past. There are books in the genre of fantasy, science fiction, contemporary and romance, written by Caribbean writers.'

Ali is just getting started. Fans of her work can expect more from the writer in the near future.

Poet and writer Aminah Ali with her book Lilac Honey.