“Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I’ve ever known.”
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We are used to see the faces of poets just to be aware of the voice behind the poetry but there are exception. April Hill is one such writer who’s enjoying the love of all the bookworms without revealing the identity. April’s words are powerful and calm at the same time that’ll lift you up in the sky but your feet are still on the ground.
We talked about his upcoming book ‘The Slow fall into weirdness” and his overall take on the poetry. We enjoyed every bit of this deep dive into the deep ocean.
- April, you have never revealed your identity. What’s the reason or thought behind it?
I have never revealed my identity because I feel like there is no reason to. These words are that of a faceless, cultureless, classless, raceless, sexless ghost and almost 40,000 people are able to connect with them. That fact alone says more than I would ever be able to write. We do not need to look to our bias to form an opinion, we can all coexist within a world created on good thoughts.
- Why did you choose the name “April Hill”?
I chose the name April because it meant a lot to me for a multitude of (secret) reasons. I chose the name Hill because I wanted a symbol of overcoming and moving forward and April “Mountain” did not sound as if it rolled off the tongue as nicely.
- “A slow fall into weirdness” I must say is a really unique title. Is there any story behind it?
I had played around with many titles for my first book project. I ended up choosing A Slow Fall Into Weirdness because it just felt right to me. I did not attempt to name the book until I had written everything out already and realized how it had gotten weirder and weirder. I also had been practicing doodling air balloons recently before drawing the book cover. This concept of falling very slowly amused me and I thought the title just described my journey so well to this point of my career.
- What’s the book about? Is it targeting a specific audience?
My book is about many weird different stories. I have stories of giants and monsters and coffee and adventures and aliens. I think the target audience is anyone who sees themselves as different and are able to accept that fact and embrace that there are some very cool aspects to being different. I wrote this book for the people who enjoy my work, and I write my work for the people who are like me.
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- There were times when you were low. Who is the person you look up to at that time?
I constantly look to escape as an outlet for times when I feel down. It is easy for me to feel unsuccessful, or unhappy but if I distract myself with music, movies, books, writing, drawing, moving, doing something else I find it is easier to find my way out of that darkness.
- What, according to you, is poetry?
I don’t think I am a poet, I think I just string together words in a way that are easy to read and have meaning to people. This writing to me is the release of every feeling. That is why I enjoy using a ghost and a sheet to express myself fully with no worry of what people will think when they read my thoughts. I am not trying to impress anyone and I never have been and that is why April Hill is such a great outlet for my honest ideas.
- How does it feel when you see people admiring your work?
The best feeling in the world is the feeling of being included in someone’s everyday life. It is one thing for people to share your work but for them to write it on their walls, or in their notebooks, or on their bodies is an absolutely wonderful and crazy thing. Someone likes your brain enough to bring it with them all over the world and that really makes me happy.
- Which is your favorite book and why is it so?
My favorite book is called “Rant” by Chuck Palahniuk. Most of Chuck’s work has spoken to me since I had started reading. His creativity, mixed with insane darkness and sheer utter mind melting humor is what had started me writing down some of my own strange ideas. The book has twists and turns and is very well paced and curiosity driven, which makes it, like most other Chuck books, a page turner.
- One piece of advice for upcoming writers?
One piece of advice I heard a long time ago when I was writing was to write. That is all I can say. Don’t write because you want 300k followers. Don’t write because you want to impress or think that someone who lived 500 years ago knew what horror, or poetry, or lyricism was. Write because you have an idea that you think the world needs to know about and don’t stop until every last person has heard it. It will probably suck at first, and sometimes I still feel like that, but you will eventually find people who love your brain and like what you write, just write.
- Which habit of yours or you consider it to be weird?
I am constantly tapping or moving. The only time I think I am at rest is when I sleep and I am not even sure if that is true. To sit still I need to chew gum or else I am tapping a leg or tapping a table. It is a very annoying quality for those around me and I have been told I can’t be taken to many places because of it. I like to think it’s my ideas trying to find another way out of my body than my brain or some paper.
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PS : Talking with April seems like something that can’t be put into words. Honestly, the most unfiltered person I’ve ever interviewed. Whether we talk about his stance on life or literature, it’s very comfy. He writes what he feels without any hesitation and that’s the thing that millions of people are relating to his poetry. We wish him all the very best for his upcoming projects.