Hajer Requiq

What was your favorite book as a child?

I remember falling in love with the writings of Gibran Khalil Gibran. His book Arais Al-Moruj was my passageway into the literary world. I was held captive by Gibran’s prose because of its imaginative style and poetic imagery. There was a divine quality about the words, a sanctity akin to a holy book, almost like the revelations of an oracle or a prophet-like figure. Gibran crafted his sentences as a Sufi choreographs his dance. In each one of his books, he seems to accompany the reader in a mystic journey that departs from the confines of the mundane world to the transports of a transcendent reality. Being a deeply spiritual person myself, I felt that Gibran’s words were a mirror-reflection of my inner and true self.

What was the original reason or motivation why you started writing creatively?

It is hard for me to pin down the exact reason why I started writing. It was almost instinctive from the very start. Even long before learning the alphabet at school, I recall always roaming around the house with a pen in my hand. My childish scribbles were my first baby-steps into the artistic realm. However, my genetic disposition is not the only explanation for my creative inclinations. Growing up, I was a lonely and highly sensitive child. My notepad was my best friend and my trusted confidant. Words gave me a place to belong to, a sense of fitting in, and above all, a healthy outlet for my pent-up emotions. As an adult, my motives have not drastically changed; they have just assumed a more existential purpose. Now, I write out of this vital need to assert myself and assign meaning to an otherwise substanceless existence. I write because “I have to.”

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

My most thrilling experience was probably receiving my first acceptance email on Submittable. I had submitted a bundle of poems to various publishers that I resonated with, and Lunch Ticket Review was the first to show recognition for my creative efforts. Seeing my poems go live on their website was like being conferred a merit badge of appreciation. I have always dreamed of such a safe space that would not only welcome, but also celebrate my voice, vulnerabilities, and vision of the world. Now, I have almost ten English publications that have either appeared or are forthcoming in the near future. Every publication is like an open hand outstretched toward me, making me feel at home at last.

Do you listen to music while reading or writing?

Yes, yes, and yes! I love listening to soft instrumental music while writing. I feel that music and poetry go hand in hand in the creative process. Music serves as the canvas against which poems burst into life and motion, and poetry endows music with the brush-strokes of a meaningful colouring. Some of my favourite composers are Max Richter, Jef Martens, and Gibran Alcocer. Their music is a transformative experience in its own right, that helps to awaken the dormant poet inside of me and prod him into creativity. I instantly feel catapulted into the hallways of a temple or sanctuary, surrounded by a mass of muses and mystics, levitating towards a higher order of reality.