Tell us about your childhood. Where you grew up and how was life there ? What were your hobbies, your aspirations and guidance?
ANJUM: Well i grew up in UAE. Did my schooling in a very laid back life. The people here are very kind and extremely hospitable. If not studying you'd fine me with my paints and color pencils, my papers and writing materials. I loved filling pages and pages of my journals and drawing books. Well honestly i had no as such a guidance or mentor. I was just a little girl with dreams in my head and a very hyperactive imagination.
You suited up as a Poet, Writer rather early, with your poetry and writing. What inspired you to take this up? And what was your aim?
ANJUM: As i mentioned earlier, pen and paper were my toys growing up, so i never actually consciously chose to become a poet or a writer, to be honest, i never thought i'd put a poem out there to read let alone an entire book. But then as life happened i witnessed the loss of loved ones which got me oozing pages and pages of feelings and at times a post on Instagram. The more people connected to my words, the more i realized i wasn't alone. That we all share pain just the definition is different. And before i knew it it became an aim to connect such lost souls, hence giving my Instagram handle the previous name (findinglostsouls)
What impact has your poetry had on the community?
ANJUM: I kept receiving overwhelming response from my readers (i am no leader so i don't call them my followers, i am a writer and they are my readers) in comments, as direct messages, emails and i could see how many of them felt the same but my words helped them express it better. They started asking me for more and more and i once started to write to heal myself, now i was penning down words to heal them.
When and why did you pick up the quill? How much time did you devote to it, and did you keep your job alongside? How did you juggle both?
ANJUM: So many don't know this about me but i am forensic scientist as per my day job. It requires me constantly to be alert and working, But whatever time i have in the rest of the day i just unwind and keep my sanity intact with my writings. Again i don't know when i precisely picked the quill, but i surely did even before i was born (I'd like to think so).
I don't get much time for writing and to be honest i never sit and pen down. If i do that I'd write absolutely nothing. Writing comes very naturally, at least to me. So when i am least thinking about it words flow and i grab the pen and paper. One thing you'll always find in my bag.
Who is Your favorite Poet/ inspiration and why?
ANJUM: My favorite poets are Charles Bukowski, F.Scott Gerald, Ahmed Faraz, Warsan Shire and My Mom Sabila. Well i do