GULF WEEKLY: In her first poetry book, Anfal Alkandari has curated her crisis and catharsis into a collection of poems that take readers on a journey within.
The 33-year-old Kuwaiti-Bahraini who lives in Saar recently self-published When The Soul Turns – a medley of 70 poems written during the most recent chapters of her life, including a divorce that took her on a path of self-discovery.
“The book has been put together as a curated experience,” she told GulfWeekly.
“I want the reader to flow through the poems and take them on a journey of metamorphosis, which is about embracing change and getting to know the unconscious parts of ourselves, leading them into self-discovery, which is about exploring concepts and redefining things, recognising what’s yours and what isn’t, and finally landing into love, which is about choosing love as a state of being, and emanating that state with myself, people, and the world.”
Anfal began working on the book last year although the poems go further back, centering on a five-year marriage which ended in divorce, and her ‘rebirth’ in its aftermath.
When The Soul Turns has three sections – Metamorphosis, Self-Discovery and Love – and features illustrations by Syrian artist and architect Haidar Alhaibe.
“Being married for five years and going through divorce is a metamorphosis and a rebirth,” she explained.
“I feel more in tune with myself now. But I also realised that I’m in constant metamorphosis, except now I’m being observant while surrendering to it.”
Anfal
The process of writing the book itself was transformative and Anfal noticed an evolution in her writing style and voice as she wrote.
“When I read the poems in the book now, it feels like a younger version of me wrote that, if that makes sense,” she explained.
“I notice there’s a sense of maturity and groundedness in my voice and poems now, which I only got to know after I completed the book.
“And I realised the impact of the book on me on a deeper level then – this is the first time I validated my own experience deeply, instead of seeking to relate with others.
“That realisation made me emotional, and it opened a new pathway of perspective of sinking into my own human experience, and being able to actively listen to others.
“It shifted how I moved in life.”
Drawing her inspiration from life, human beings and the mundane, Anfal distills moments into words in whatever setting she finds herself.
Her writing process is a mix of structured and random, filled with both the normal and the new.
When The Soul Turns
“I journal consistently, and sometimes poems come from that, but if I’m being random, I’ll take myself to new places and experiences and just absorb what it feels like, and report what I see and feel,” she added.
“I’m also in a writing community that keeps me disciplined, we have incredible writers, they give me a jolt of expansion.
“My pieces just come out in one go, but the process before that is usually marination – it’s like the piece is brewing inside of me, and when it’s ready, like a moment of eureka, it lands on paper.
“This gives me the advantage of being able to write in any setting, but I personally love being outdoors and writing.”
Although she got two offers from publishing firms in the UK and UAE, she decided to self-publish her first book, embarking on a daunting journey.
The most surprising part of the process was finding out about scams in the publishing world that exploit authors, as she discovered writerbeware.blog – a whole website dedicated to educating authors about which companies to trust.
For more details and to order a copy, follow @anfalkay on Instagram.
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