Constance Mello

What was your favorite book as a child?

My favorite book as a child was less a book, more a short story. Clarice Lispector’s “Clandestine Happiness,” about a young girl who loves books. Figures.

Do you remember the original reason or motivation why you started writing creatively?

My creative writing began with mimicking songs I heard in English. I couldn’t understand the language and so I used the melodies and inserted my own lyrics in Portuguese.

What was the most adventurous or thrilling thing you ever did/experienced?

When I was 18 years old I moved across the world, to India, for a job at an NGO that focused on teaching and empowering young women. It was the most scared I’ve ever been, but it was also the most important and thrilling experience of my life. The work I did there shaped my entire life thereafter and opened up my mind in ways I had never expected.

Do you listen to music while reading or writing?

I listen to music while writing prose — I have entire playlists dedicated to certain characters, even specific relationships between characters. It’s nice to be able to have a melodic background to go with the prose. With poetry I can’t really listen to music because the rhythm matters so much to me; poetry and music are like cousins in my eyes. I have had certain poems that I ended up turning into songs and vice-versa. Sometimes the same concept works across both mediums.