Interview with poet and published author Meral Alizada
“Afghans are born storytellers. I have not met a single Afghan who has not had an extraordinary tale of impact and depth. I find myself captivated, shattered, and revived at the same time.”
We sat down with poet, published author, TEDx speaker, educator, and legal researcher Meral Alizada to talk about life, identity, poetry, and more.
It didn’t take us long to learn that Meral's accomplishments tell only half of her story. Meral enchanted us with her poetic words, spirituality, and sharp thinking; her words were as carefully selected as they are on paper. She is her poetry come to life. We could not get enough, so dive in with us to learn more about Meral!
Meral, tell us a bit about yourself!
I’m Afghan Uzbek, born and brought up in the United Kingdom. I’m finishing my legal education and beginning my journey toward what I want to do for the rest of my life. I am still figuring it out, and for me, I’m surprised that I’m saying that.
I would like to carve out my own path for which there is no established or commonly coined name. I have my work cut out but hope I can reach where I would like to. It is a long road of discovery and uncertainty ahead, but I’m so terribly excited.
What motivated you to start writing poetry?
I don't feel there was motivation as such but a natural inclination — a deeply embedded practice of writing as the heart moved me to.
I’ve had a deeply intimate relationship with words and writing, it was my solace and my safe space. I’ve been writing from a very young age and find it to be a smooth, easy, loyal, and selfless act of self-love and self-maintenance.
Because of this naturality, the idea of motivation as something that needs to be cultivated and churned into being was never something I felt I needed; I didn’t need much motivation or external apparatus or techniques to bring myself to write poetry.
It was and is an act of second nature, a manifestation of my inmost and most true self and I find that with such things, motivation does not form a regular part of the writing process.
However, I must say that what pulls me to writing is when I need to experience myself more intimately and release inward clutter to give myself a sense of clarity and release from complex emotions. It is part and parcel of my day, and it invites me. I do not invite myself to it.
Can you describe the moment that you decided to take your artistry seriously?
I never thought a path into artistry was serious, as we were encouraged to go into traditional professions as children. I decided to go into law and fine-tune myself to the way I needed to become to survive in the world.
But it was the silent whisper of the heart and something I came back to, in between lectures, on the train. I wrote during the best times of my life and the worst. And I always stared into bookstore displays and wondered, without expectation, planning or strategizing, or even allowing myself to believe that I ever would, how it would be to have my book on display.
I did begin writing a novel in my first year of university but I didn't set an intention of having it published.
The time where I inserted some sort of seriousness and direction into my artistry was after the two weeks of emotional outpouring where I wrote about 400 poems and I stared over the poetry and thought, “goodness, Meral, you’ve wanted to publish a book, or dreamed of doing so, now is the time to do so, because if not now, then perhaps never.” So I didn't give myself a chance to think or consider the option of not publishing the book and that was how Rumi’s Daughter came about, because I decided I wouldn't listen to the voice that could suggest the option to abandon ship and move the dream of being a published author further and further away.
What topics or themes does your art usually explore?
The themes and topics I choose for my art reflect the different dimensions of my own personality.
My poetry has been described as coded and layered with the different parts of myself. As a basis that forms the foundation of understanding, my poetry is unbelonging and a nameless identity. I explore themes of unbelonging, rootlessness, otherness, and the emotional and psychological composition of the wide-eyed seeker and unorthodox heart.
I also explore mysticism and the spiritual arts; social and moral philosophy; the nature of the soul, peace, and internal homemaking; the transformative power of self-development; the pursuit of virtue; communitarian altruism and higher-self living and ego death. I am working on some other writing material that moves further and across towards other elements of my interests and natural passions.
What challenges did you experience when starting your art?
The fact that I would have to take on an entrepreneurial flair in order to move me forward and sustain me on my creative journey has been the challenge so far.
This forced me to look into my own self-limiting beliefs around wealth and deserving to be paid for what I loved, in order to monetize my creativity, two concepts I never thought would hold close collaboration with.
What successes have you seen?
As a growing artist, I am shy of declaring success because of my baby status in the world of poetry and authorship but also because the success of an author is measured by standards that I am yet to understand.
My success so far has been in the liberation that my own soul has felt in releasing something so defining of myself out into the world and the intimacy and richness this has added to my life.
I have seen success in the quality of the connections I have made, growing my soul tribe and meeting people I have longed to meet. Seeing some people tell me the book has changed their life or transformed their way of thinking, from all backgrounds and walks of life who have related to the universality of my message.
Tell us about Rumi’s Daughter!
Rumi’s Daughter was conceived in the lockdown period and written in a span of two weeks of ecstatic emotional outpouring.
It is my personal narration of my transition from childhood to adulthood in the contemplation and experience of the forms of love we encounter on earth.
It leads from a female, Sufi voice through a deeply spiritual, contemplative and transformative journey of self discovery, internal liberation and making of light, trauma, and destitution.
Through the experience, tribulations, and sufferance of each form of love, my wider and critical understanding of the nature of love, the language of the soul and the harnessing of internal peace.
Rumi’s Daughter invites the reader to look within, quieten the foreign voices and ask the soul what it desires and to make a life around that gorgeous, beautiful truth.
We would love to hear about your TEDx Talk.
I gave two TEDx Talks, both on topics I chose due to the personal revelations I was having in my own life and felt compelled to share it with others.
The first TEDx Talk was around the current social epidemic of narcissism. This talk centred around the concern of the rise of narcissism by social media and its impact on accepted societal norms that drive us towards self-centredness.
The rise of synthetic dating, encouragement of self-obsessed behaviour and distorted social norms has created a breeding ground for the normalization of narcissistic behavior and I wished to address this as a warning and a hope to reversing this pandemic through conscious living.
The second TEDx Talk was on the power of feminine energy that brings to light the value of intuitive, heart-led and honest leadership and the integration of softness and gentleness to leadership, relationships, and success for optimal quality of life.
How do you see your art growing? What do you want to do next?
The more experience life gifts me, the more facets of myself I bring to the surface and celebrate and the more my work will diversify and grow into new parts.
I would like to explore more real-life issues that touch on my experience and identity as an Eastern soul in the West.
I am also planning to travel to the cities my soul is drawn to to give my art real dedication and depth.
Can you share an impact story related to your art? What has been the response from the Afghan community and/or others?
I am not shy nor do I attach any shame to talking of the abuse that I experienced and so the impact story that I tell, I feel has resonated with many others. My own openness has encouraged others to enter that vulnerable space too.
I was subject to narcissistic abuse and a survivor of domestic violence which made me run towards poetry and spirituality. The pain I experienced became so severe, I had no other choice but to run headfirst into saving my soul with what I knew best. I began to take refuge in Islam and particularly Sufism. I began to write more. The more abuse I experienced, the more I turned to the art and practice of the heavens and shrouded myself more with myself.
In that time of exceptional pain, I was on a tightrope between slipping off completely or holding tight to what is beautiful, serene, and hopeful to overcome and survive through
It was during this time that Rumi’s Daughter was conceived and I am proud of myself for having done so. We are shy to celebrate ourselves and I am particularly hesitant to do so but there are times when celebrating oneself is not an act of narcissism, but an act of salvation.
What does being Afghan mean to you?
My relationship with Afghan identity has not been a steady one, nor a consistently positive one.
I have experienced adversity and ostracization from the afghan community throughout my life and I feel it has been because I haven't slotted in comfortably with the gender standards of behaviour, etiquette, and persona of the young female Afghan.
When I went to university, I was able to explore that side of myself without the weight of expectation and criticism. But my circle of Afghan friends remain small and yet the ones who I have encountered have been a reflection of my own inner work and there is nothing that can quite match the heart-to-heart connection between myself and the few Afghan friends I hold dearly.
I consider myself a global patriot and do not feel I belong anywhere, however, I have seen that I relate much from the emotional and socially rich culture and heritage that we have of poetry, literature, community, artistry, the highest standards of etiquette; cuisine and social life.
The kind heart of the Afghan, the inclination towards generosity; the humility and the mehman navazi (guest hospitality) in all aspects of the word is something I truly relate to and adore and try to uphold as a Gen Z so that such a gem of practice and being is not forgotten in the midst of individualism and atomic living.
The joy and the unique strength of the Afghan spirit is something I see reflected in me and myself reflected in that and what would make me feel Afghan despite being of mixed heritage.
What advice would you give to Afghans living in the diaspora who want to pursue art?
Afghans are born storytellers. I have not met a single Afghan who has not had an extraordinary tale of impact and depth. I find myself captivated, shattered, and revived at the same time.
We have such a rich internal well from which to draw through the experiences that we’ve had, the suffering, the trauma, the gorgeous nostalgia from the past and the identity and position we had in the world gives us authenticity and hereditary artistry. These two beautiful and priceless elements make art incomparable. There is a great value to art and as equal and valuable to the professional disciplines. This is the mindset we must begin from if we are to move from survival to thriving.
Please share anything else that you want to share about yourself!
If you are interested in reading Rumi’s Daughter, for UK orders, please visit www.authormeralalizada.com and for international orders, it is available on Amazon.
Do you prefer chai or coffee?
Chai, chai, and more chai! I feel I'm becoming more and more like my parents by the day. My mother and I absolutely love bonding over her famous herbal tea. I inherited her caffeine sensitivity so coffee is permanently off the menu unless I want to see fully released and uninhibited hyperactivity.
Team Chai, always!
Keep up with Meral’s work!
Website for Rumi’s Daughter and Author Biography www.authormeralalizada.com
Instagram @thepoetryofmeral
Twitter @MeralAlizada
Clubhouse @MeralAlizada