#malcolmbyers

Little Lady reads interviews Malcolm Byers

LLR: Introduce us to Malcolm Byers, the author?

MB: Who am I sounds like a simple question, but it leads to some very complicated answers. I am a 28-year-old black man form Fort Wayne, Indiana. I feel like being a black man is a key factor that defines many things about me. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember so it has always been my passion. I take pride in every word I put on paper. I trying to make every sentence as powerful and as meaningful as possible. The earliest thing I can remember about writing is my teacher putting a notebook in my hands and saying, “Write it Down!” The first time I put pen to paper I did not think much of it. The next time it become more, and after that I have never stopped. My words define my passions, pleasures, and my pain. This is what define me as an author, and Malcolm A Byers.

LLR: What sparked your love for poetry?

MB: My love of poetry was born out of a need to express myself. A need to deal with emotions, and troubles in my life. I took all of it and put it on paper. It changed, took shape, to become my love of poetry.

LLR: When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

MB: It was not until recently that I decided that I wanted to become a writer / published author. I wrote as just a passion I never intended to share my words with the world.  People always told me I should publish my work, but I never put much thought into it. Till a close friend read some of the things I had written, and was surprised how good it was. She convinced me to try and publish my poetry. That little push started me on my path to become a writer.

LLR: Poetry is definitely different from many other genres that we see, how and why do you think it is so different?

MB: Poetry is different from other genres of writing. It allows the writer to inject passion into every sentence. Poetry allows the writer to use words in a way that allows them to have two and three meanings. Poetry allows the writer to make the reader feeling passion, hate, pain all with the placement of a period. I love poetry it must be the purest form of writing in my eyes.

LLR: What do you hope to teach through your poetry?

MB: I use my poetry to teach tolerances, and peace.  I use my words to speak on things others are too afraid to speak about it. Be it politics, racism in America, or the divide between the rich and the poor. I use my poetry to expose it all.

LLR: Tell us about Civil Disobedience.

MB: Civil Disobedience is the first in a series of poetry books I plan to release. Civil Disobedience is jab at the status quo. My means to question all and seek the answers to questions many people refuse to ask. Civil Disobedience covers many different topics between its pages. As you open it and begin to read be prepared to feel the turbulence of the world we live in.  

LLR: Where did the need for this book come from?

MB: The need for this book come from the want to become a published author. A want to share my words with the world gave me the strength to start my path to publishing the book.

LLR: There was one lesson to be taught through your poetry, what would it be and why?

MB: If there is a lesson to be taught through my poetry it must be, “to fight.”  Fight for what you believe in fight the things you love and never give up no matter how hard things are. I say this because to question the world around us is to take up a fight that many will not. To question the status quo is a battle many will not take up. Even in self-reflection there is a battle to be fought. My lesson I try to teach with my words is always be willing to fight.  

LLR: What was the hardest poem in this book to write and why?

MB: None of the poems in the book were hard to write. Every one of them came from a place where I draw my inspiration. The only thing I find hard when I write is using the right word. Choosing the word that will hit the hardest and be the most powerful in the sentence is by far the hardest part of writing poetry.  

LLR: When writing poetry, do you feel like you get writers block at times? How do you get over that?

MB: When I write, I do not normally get writers block. I overcome it when it does happen by draw inspiration for my surroundings. Be from music, or from a word that caught my attention. When I write, I am normally inspired to so.

LLR: What will we see in the future from Malcolm Byers?

MB: Soon, I will be releasing the second book in the Civil Disobedience series a book called Words from the Darkness. I also plan to release a CD of spoken word poetry called The Black Millennial. Lastly, I working a book of short stories called Midnight Nightmares. I have big plans and a lot of work to do.

LLR: What has been the biggest challenge thus far for you when it comes to writing?

MB: You know him everyFinding the right publishers is by far the hardest part about being a writer. Submitting your work, sending request for information, and reviewing publisher online reviews. The leg work one has to do to find a publisher after you finally finish the book. It may actually be harder than writing the book its self

LLR: What do you hope to learn in this business?

MB: I hope to learn how the publishing business works. My end game is to start my own publishing company.

LLR: Who would you say are your influences or mentors when it comes to writing and why?

MB: I cannot say I have an influence or a mentor when it comes to writing.

LLR: Say something to your readers.

MB: Be inspired by the world around you and never let you fear hold you back. Always remember the sky is always within reach.  

Contact information:

Personal email: [email protected]

Personal Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/malcolm.byers1

Publishing page: https://www.facebook.com/manin74publishing/

Here are some other places you can find my poetry.

SoundCloud page: https://soundcloud.com/malcolm-a-byers

Allpoetry page: http://allpoetry.com/MAB