Author Spotlight with Kyle Andrew
Kyle Andrew is a Texas-based author who turned to writing to overcome struggles with depression, anxiety, and addiction. He currently lives with his wife and doggies! During a two-year incarceration for helping undocumented immigrants, he delved into the human experience, leading to the creation of his debut book, “Soulscapes”. Andrew’s heartfelt desire is to offer solace and guidance to those on a journey of self-discovery, resonating with authenticity and personal growth in his words. Check out his beautifully written collection of enduring pain and finding peace through love.
Q.How long have you been writing and what inspired you to start writing?
KA. I started writing at about 7 years old, I was inspired by my love for music and began writing lyrically.
Q: What time of the day do you usually write and describe a typical writing day?
KA. I typically write on weekdays in the evening. I work from home, so I like to get out of my office on weekdays. Usually, I have dinner, walk the dogs, get some nature scenery, and just take a break before I head back in and start to write. Weekends, I like to write in the late mornings after I've had some breakfast and coffee. A typical writing day for me is to put on some music. Typically, my mood will determine what genre I'm listening to. I'll start doing some light reading of some of my favorite authors and if a topic strikes me then I'll start writing about that topic. Or I'd say 7/10 times, I will have a line come to me and no direction for the poem. After about the 3rd line then I see what the poem is going to start to look like then format it. I write rather quickly, most poems typically only take about 10 minutes to write.
Q: Tell me about your first published book? What was the journey like?
KA. My first published book and solely published book, would be “Soulscapes”, and I would say, the journey was transformative and transcendental. I was actually in prison when I wrote the bulk of it. For me writing that book really helped sort through some trauma that I needed to sort through and helped me get to know myself better. With writing I was able to come out of the situation I was in and circumstances I was living in. When I was in prison, writing was huge for me in getting through those 2 years that I did. It was huge for me in growing and getting past the point that I needed to get to break the cycle of the decisions I was making in my life. I’ve had trouble with addiction off and on for most of my life and writing helped me get to the root of why I was doing the things I was doing and what led me to prison. I would say that journey was magical and got me through that time of my life and to know myself better.
Q: What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
KA. The elements of good writing, in my opinion, are authenticity and vulnerability. Those are key for me in my own writing and especially reading poetry that I like. I can typically sense a feeling of authenticity and vulnerability in a writer right away. That’s what kind of keeps me around and getting into more of their work. For me, writing has a lot of topics, but if people have these key factors and are their true authentic selves then that’s what hooks me in and wants to get to know more about the writer.
Q:How do you handle writer’s block?
KA. Writers block for me happens, typically what I'll try to do now, which I didn't do so well at the beginning of my poetic writing. I was writing lyrically as a kid all the way through my late teen years, stopped writing then in prison my writing style took on the form of poetry, but for writers block as I was saying, I'm pretty good. If I feel writers block then I just won't write. Sometimes a week or two will pass and I'll let it take its course, get into the swing of life, not focus on producing, then after a good break a lot of good poems come from it once I get off the break. Another thing i'll do is get out in nature, go out, hike to the lake, dog to the park just immerse myself in nature and music. Surrounding myself with loved ones, work, usually that helps. I’d say that's something i would do if i wanted to write but nothing was coming to me because of writer's block then i'll try to get out in nature to be with loved ones then it'll come to me at night. Other times I'll listen to music and a subject will come to me a lot of the times when I do that.
Q: Which of your books were the most enjoyable to write?
KA. Soulscapes! Since that's my only book, other than the collective anthology we are part of. But since that’s my only book, I’d say that’s the most enjoyable.
Q: Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?
KA. I am working on another book, I don't have another title yet. I have close to 200 poems, which will probably trim that down, but just trying to take my time on this second book. I want to make sure the theme of it and image I want to portray to readers is easily perceived and you know not rush it. I’ve learned alot from publishing the first book and on my second book, I really want to take my time and make sure the book is something that is valuable to readers. And that's what I will say for now.
Q: What advice would you give a new writer, someone just starting out?
KA. I would say above all things just make sure that you stay in your creative flow, just really stick to creative flow, don’t become mechanical and try to pump poems out for the sake of the book, make sure you’re doing it for the sake of the art and yourself, which will make the book much more valuable to the reader. Whichever way you’re trying to publish, for self publishing, just immerse yourself in social media and community and you’ll meet lots of people. That’s how I met some friends who helped me publish my first book.
For more by Kyle Andrew, check him out on Tik-Tok and instagram @kyleandrewpoetry.
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Review of ‘Soulscapes’ by Kyle Andrew -
If Shel Silverstein wrote a poetic book about growth and hope for all people, but specifically young men, then this collection of poems by Kyle Andrew is what we might find in it. In his debut poetry book, “Soulscapes”, Andrew shares a soul-stirring journey of self-discovery and redemption. With the eloquence of an old soul and the passion of a young heart, he delves into the depths of despair and rises to the heights of hope and love. Each page is a testament to the power of resilience, as he navigates the twists and turns of life battling addiction and impulsive decisions only to come out on the other side with grace and courage. Through his vivid storytelling and profound insights, Andrew invites readers to join him on a transformative voyage of healing and self-acceptance. This book is filled with vivid imagery and poetic verses that dive deep that touch on themes of the natural world and the human experience. A beautifully written collection of enduring pain and finding peace through love. 5/5 - would recommend!
