Poppy Jennings, whose poem ‘I’m convinced that faeries live here’ is published in the debut issue of Lucent Dreaming, grew up in Leeds, West Yorkshire. She is now studying her master’s in English Literature at Cardiff University.
What does writing/creating art mean to you?
Being creative, whether it’s through my writing or my artwork, has always been about exploring the parts of myself that I could never in my life feel confident to do. It’s about engaging with my emotions and my desires and the things I’m fascinated by. I’ve always used art as a way to express myself, and create stories from the way I was feeling.
What writing/creative projects are you currently working on?
I’m currently writing a novel that was previously two separate novels. I’d always had two stories in mind and started writing one of them a few years ago and the other more recently, but it was earlier this year that I realised I was writing two branches of the same story. This summer I started re-writing it from scratch, incorporating the two into one book.
What are you most excited about right now and for the future?
Right now, I’m excited to start my master’s in English Literature. After working in publishing for a while, I’m really excited to be getting back into academia, and studying all my old favourite books again. Being in an analytical mindset has always helped me be more creative with my own writing so I think it’ll be a good chapter for me.
How and where do you find inspiration to write?
Reading, of course, has always been a massive inspiration for me. I finished reading The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken recently, and in the same day I wrote 6,000 words. It felt incredible. When I’m writing, I’m often writing in cafes and coffee shops, and to fully immerse myself in my writing, I play one song on repeat. I feel completely shut off from the outside world and am able to experiment with my work without any distraction.
What advice would you give those who want to do what you do?
I would say that, as difficult as writing seems, keep doing it. Write a little bit everyday, even if you can only do an hour, even if you’re just jotting down some character or plot ideas, making little notes about rhyming words you like. Sometimes a story grows from the tiniest of seeds, and if you bring all those ideas together, you tend to find a golden gem of uniqueness that spurs you on.
Where can people see more of you and your work?
At the moment, the only writing I’m posting is through Quench Magazine for their features section. I tend to write articles about issues that arise in the media and the news so if that takes your fancy, my articles are all on their website, or you can grab a free copy of the magazine in any of Cardiff University’s buildings. I’m hoping more of my poetry and fiction will be out in the world soon.
Lucent Dreaming is an independent creative writing magazine publishing beautiful, imaginative and surreal short stories, poetry and artwork from emerging authors and artists worldwide. Our aim is to encourage creativity and to help writers reach publication! Subscribe to Lucent Dreaming now, support us on Patreon and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.