Tag: writing community

book launch, interview, poetry

“After Every Storm, the Sun Always Rises” – Poet Irma Kurti on Grief, Nostalgia, and Writing Through Censorship

Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

There’s a particular kind of writer who treats poetry not as performance but as practice as someone who shows up to the page the way others show up to a job, notebook in hand, revising the same lines across years until they finally ring true. Irma Kurti is that kind of writer.

In this interview, the Albanian-born poet talks about the childhood literary circle that started it all, the discipline behind her editing process, the authors who became her “secret world” under a censorship regime, and the simple, hard-won advice she has for anyone facing rejection: “don’t stop.”

Her new collection, Another Day is Coming, is ready for pre-order, to be released July 30, 2026, from Prolific Pulse Press LLC.

A Childhood in the Pioneers’ House

Kurti’s writing life didn’t start with an epiphany. It started with a room.

1. Introduction and Background:

   – Please tell us a bit about yourself and your journey as a writer.

   – What inspired you to start writing?

   – How would you describe your writing style and the themes you often explore in your work?

I started writing when I was 10 years old. My parents, noticing my passion for words, enrolled me in the literary circle at the Pioneers’ House in Elbasan, Albania, the city where I grew up. I remember that slightly chilly, dimly lit room as clearly as if it were today—where I went twice a week to share my passion for writing. My style wasn’t much different from that of my peers. I wrote poems dedicated to my teacher, to school, and to the joys of childhood—poems that were sincere but still bore the stamp of the communist system’s propaganda.

My writing style today is characterized by simplicity and transparency. Some of the themes I explore include nostalgia, love, affection for my parents, memories, time, and the fragility of the human condition.

Inside Another Day is Coming

Ask Kurti what the new collection is about, and she doesn’t reach for a marketing pitch. She reaches for the truth:

2. Your Books:

   – Congratulations on the publication of your poetry book! Please give us an overview of what readers can expect from Another Day is Coming.

   – What was the inspiration behind this book?

   – Were there any specific challenges or highlights you encountered during the writing process?

A new collection of poems is another source of joy and an attempt to forge a connection with the reader. This book is a diary of my feelings and emotions during the period in which it was written. Several poems are dedicated to the home where I grew up, which represents not only a nest of memories, affection, and nostalgia for a time that seems long gone, but also my homeland itself.

One of the most significant challenges I faced in writing this book was avoiding the repetition of concepts and ideas I had already explored. I devoted time to researching and exploring new perspectives and angles in addressing the various themes.

The Discipline Behind the Poems

When it comes to the writing process, ask Kurti, and you get a routine.

3. Creative Process:

   – Could you walk us through your creative process when writing?

   – What rituals or routines help you get into the right mindset for writing?

   – How do you know when a book is “finished”?

My day begins with writing. I always carry a notebook with me in which I write down verses and ideas. Once I’ve accumulated enough to form a collection, I type them up on the computer. Then I begin editing them to give them their final form. I don’t rely on inspiration; instead, I edit, delete, and add to drafts and verses that were written even years earlier. Usually, I go over all the poems three or four times. It’s not easy to discern the line between a manuscript and a finished work. When the poems don’t satisfy me or don’t stir any emotions in me, I keep revising them. The more time passes, the more demanding I become about what I write.

What She Wants Readers to Feel

At the heart of Kurti’s work is a simple wish: to offer readers something steady in an unsteady world.

4. Themes and Messages:

   – What particular messages or emotions do you believe that readers take away from your books?

Through my poetry, I wish to celebrate the values I consider the foundation of a fulfilling life: peace, love, and family harmony. By exploring my deep affection for my parents and the power of kindness, I want to offer readers an oasis of tranquility. In life, nothing can be taken for granted—least of all family and romantic relationships—as we are caught up in a daily routine that often blurs our vision and doesn’t let us time to stop and reflect.

Poetry as a Secret World


Kurti’s literary influences read like a quiet act of resistance. Growing up under Albania’s dictatorial regime meant living with “fierce censorship, which reduced literature to a mere tool of propaganda.” And yet, from a young age, she found nourishment in the work of Alexander Pushkin, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Adam Mickiewicz, and Pablo Neruda.

5. Influences and Inspirations

   – Who are some writers who have influenced your work?

Living under the dictatorial regime in Albania meant enduring fierce censorship, which reduced literature to a mere tool of propaganda. Ever since I was very young, however, I have been nourished by the poetry of Alexander Pushkin, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Adam Mickiewicz, and Pablo Neruda. These authors represented my secret world, an intimate refuge whose verses I still remember today.

On Publishing and Not Giving Up

Kurti describes the editorial process behind Another Day is Coming as “a deliberate and deeply rewarding journey,” crediting her editor, Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld, and calling Prolific Pulse Press “an exceptional discovery” after years of working with other publishers.

Her advice to writers hoping to get published is refreshingly unglamorous: slow down.

To reach readers directly, Kurti leans on social media and sharing excerpts from her collections and sending work to bloggers for review. It’s a strategy she describes candidly as an ongoing challenge: building “authentic connections with readers” in a digital age that doesn’t always reward authenticity.

6. Publishing Journey:

   – Can you share a bit about your experience with the publishing process for this book?

   – What advice would you give to others who are looking to publish their own work?

   – How do you approach marketing and promoting your poetry book to reach a wider audience?

The editorial process for this book was a deliberate and deeply rewarding journey. I worked closely with my editor, Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld, and I found in her someone who works with passion and dedication. Having collaborated with many publishers, I consider Prolific Pulse Press an exceptional discovery.

My advice to anyone hoping to get published is not to rush and to work carefully on the text to refine their style. Sooner or later, a work of merit will find a publisher and a way to reach readers.

To promote my book and reach a wider audience, I use social media. I share excerpts from my collection and, when I can, send them also to bloggers for reviews. These strategies allow me to build authentic connections with readers—a goal that’s not without challenges in this digital age.

Future Projects

Kurti isn’t slowing down. She’s currently working on a new book while continuing her long-running work translating international authors for online newspapers and magazines.

7. Are there any upcoming projects or plans you can share with us?

I’m currently working on a new book and, as always, translating works by international authors, which I publish in online newspapers and magazines. At the same time, I’m trying to carve out some time for myself in this holiday season: I’m enjoying moments of calm, outdoor walks, a little rest, and a few days at the beach.

Closing Thoughts

Asked what she wants readers to take away not just from this book, but from her body of work — Kurti returns to the people who’ve shaped her career from the beginning.

   – Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about you or your writing?

   – Where can listeners find your books and connect with you online?

   – Any final words of encouragement or wisdom for aspiring writers and others listening to this podcast?

Ordinary people have always been the lifeblood of my literary journey. Their encouragement and affection have been my support from the very beginning and my greatest source of inspiration.

For those who’d like to discover my work, my books are available on major online platforms. I also invite you to follow me on Facebook and Instagram, where I share updates on my projects and interact with readers.

To aspiring writers, I’d like to offer a simple piece of advice: don’t let closed doors or rejections from publishers discourage you. Believe in yourselves and in the value of your words. Only then will you be able to convey the purity of your emotions and the beauty of your art. After many “no’s,” satisfaction will come; after every storm, the sun always rises.

Another Day is Coming by Irma Kurti is available now for pre-order from Prolific Pulse Press LLC and major online retailers. Follow Irma on Facebook and Instagram for updates on her work.
 



Announcements, art, call for submissions, Personal Essay, poetry, writing

Dear Heart – Call for Submissions

Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Years ago, before computers, we wrote letters. My mother’s letters were like little novellas. They sometimes were several pages long. She wrote her family members and friends and they loved to get her “books.” How I wish I had saved my letters from mom. As a witness to her letter writing, I would watch as her pen moved passionately across the pages, sometimes witnessing her eyes well up. Letters were her release. They were her way of expressing herself in ways she could not voice. Sometimes she would write letters to people out of anger and then tear them up. To my knowledge, she never sent one of those angry letters. It could have been politicians, relatives, and those are the ones I knew about. She would express her heart’s desire, open up her soul, and pour out her thoughts.

As a letter writer, I did not have the beautiful penmanship of my mother, but I learned that the pen was my power. I also wrote letters and tore them up. I even wrote one about the need for a doctor in our little town and it was published in the newspaper. I wrote letters to family, friends, old friends found from a long time lost, family who I wanted to see but knew my letters would reach them long before I ever would.

Now, I am a writer and a poet. I write as if my words are letters to the world, at times. Other times, I write to express my desires of the heart. And other times I write to write.

I firmly believe that when we do express our desires within our heart that this has a way of stirring up thoughts and even action plans to make things happen. Sometimes those things that happen are acceptances of things that can’t be changed, but sometimes they are steps to taking up the courage to make something happen in our lives.

What is the desire in your heart? This is my challenge to you. I would like to read about the desires in your heart in the “Dear Heart” anthology of letters, poetry, art, photography, and whatever ways helps you express your passion.

There’s a caveat to this. These are all to be sent to me via good old fashioned snail mail. I will sort through these and select which submissions to publish.

Please drop me an email to prolificpulse@gmail.com for the specific call for submissions.

Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels.com
blog, Personal Essay, poetry, short story

Writing Raw and To Prompts Opens up Possibilities for Creativity

Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

abstract black and white blur book
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Writing Raw and To Prompts Opens up Possibilities for Creativity

Many times when we write it’s to some kind of theme. It could be from a prompt or thought finding a place on paper. Have you ever written raw? Writing raw is putting pen to the paper and writing whatever thoughts come to mind. When I took the course The Artist’s Way I found this technique to be most helpful. We wrote every morning in what they called the “Morning Pages” and there were no hard and fast rules. You just grabbed your notebook and wrote by hand (yes no keyboard) and wrote a designated amount of time. Then, you put it away and went on about your other life duties. In the course, you came back to the writings and from them could find things to further write about or learn from. It was very revealing to me about certain things needing focus and other things I needed to let go. It was a revealing and healing exercise. It also helped me to use this technique in other writing.

 

I am in an online group call Signs. It is a slow writing group where we write to a certain theme, but it’s not rushed. You take some time to write to the theme and just let it flow. No edits. Just flow with the theme and write whatever comes to mind. It’s another way of revealing to me, my innermost thoughts. It’s not completely writing raw as there is a theme or photo prompt, but it can end up being a piece that may not have one thing to do with the prompt. So, I would call this writing “Lightly Prompted.”

Another online group I belong to also has prompts and you write six sentences to reveal your thoughts around the prompt word. I have been a part of this group for a good while now. It has opened up for me to be more concise with my words and to tell a story with fewer words. Sometimes I write poetry to these prompt words and, one of my personal favorites is to do acrostics. The group supports each other with responses and it is fun to see what develops. Some have developed longer stories from their works on this challenge.

Recently, I started writing to a haiku/senryu online challenge where we have a picture prompt which we interpret and write to in the form of a haiku or senryu. This is a newer challenge and I am loving this. It is interesting to see what others come up with and is a lot of fun.

About once a quarter the Living Poetry group here in the RTP area has a Germination Workshop in which we write to prompts. This helps generate some rough draft poetry. You can develop poems from this and some have been published. The reveal, where we all share what we write is interesting as you hear so many points of view.

What do you write to? Are prompts helpful for you or do you prefer writing raw? I like to mix it up. When you are stuck or need a warmup exercise for your other writing, thinking long work report you must get done, try to write a haiku or short, short story just to get the brain warmed up before entering the demands of life. That is what I am doing right now. It’s gonna make for a much better day.

If you would like links to the online challenges please let me know. I am happy to invite others to join the fun.