Interview With Author - Tzivia Gover
Name: Tzivia Gover
Website: www.tziviagover.com
Contact: inotherwordsink@comcast.net
Questions:
Q: Where are you originally from?
A: I’m from Long Island, New York.
Q: Can you tell us your latest book news?
A: My latest book is a poetry chapbook called DREAM HOUSE. The poems center on the theme of “home.” Joanne Gover Yoshida, my sister who lives in Japan, created the paintings and photographs that are featured in the book. My friend Aja Riggs, who lives in Missouri, designed the book, which is a hand-bound, signed and limited edition.
My second most recent book is MINDFUL MOMENTS FOR STRESSFUL DAYS (Storey Books). This is an inspirational/self-help book. It is beautifully illustrated by Kent Lew, and includes simple tips and ideas for adding joy and meaning to everyday life.
I’ve just finished a new manuscript, as well. Tentatively titled LEARNING IN MRS. TOWNE’S HOUSE, it’s a book about my experience teaching poetry to teen mothers in a rambling 19th-century house, and at the same time uncovering the history of that house and the colorful suffragist and publisher who once lived there. This book combines three of my favorite genres: Poetry, Memoir and Biography.
Q: How old were you when you first started writing?
A: At age 10 I filled a red loose-leaf binder with my poetry and titled it “Poams.” (I never was very good at spelling.)
Q: When did you first realize you had the potential to be a writer?
A: In high school I won a national award for short fiction written by teenagers. That made me think I might be able to be a writer someday.
Q: What was your inspiration to write your first book?
A: I have written many books - of course not all of them have been published. My first books were photocopied collections of my poems, which I stapled and gave away as gifts. What inspires me to write them? Events in my life, people I meet and strong emotions.
Q: Is there anyone or anything that inspired you to write?
A: My teachers at school encouraged me to write. The inspiration comes from interactions I have in the world.
Q: How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?
A: I write a lot about family and relationships, so I’d have to say that my environment and upbringing have had a lot of influence on my writing.
Q: Do you have a specific writing style?
A: I hope my writing style is direct, accessible and engaging.
Q: What genre are you most comfortable writing?
A: I love writing poetry and nonfiction the most.
Q: How do you come up with the title(s) for your book(s)?
A: The title usually comes from a phrase in the book itself. DREAM HOUSE is the title of one of the poems in that collection, and it also refers to the haunted, dreamy nature of my musings on the subject of home.
Q: Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp?
A: I want people who read DREAM HOUSE to think more about what “home” means to them. Is it a place? A feeling? I hope readers will be inspired to write down their own memories of houses and home.
Q: How much of the book is realistic?
A: The poems in my book are autobiographical, but that doesn’t mean they are realistic. Some come from dreams, all are colored by imagination and memory.
Q: What books have most influenced your life?
A: LEAVES OF GRASS by Walt Whitman: I love how Whitman’s words echo through time, and how the poet steps in and out of different peoples’ experiences.
Q: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
A: The authors of the books I read are mentors of a sort — although they don’t know it.
Q: What are you reading now?
A: I’m reading Charlotte Gordon’s biography of the Puritan poet Anne Bradstreet, MISTRESS BRADSTREET. I’m especially enjoying it because it combines my love of poetry with my love of nonfiction.
Q: Is there anything additional you would like to share with your readers?
A: I would love to talk to readers more about my books and share my love of poetry with them. I lead workshops and visit educational, community and business groups on a regular basis. If you’re interested in having me visit your school or workplace to lead workshops about poetry or mindfulness, please take a look at my web site, www.tziviagover.com, and perhaps we can arrange a visit.