Geraldine Sinyuy Brings Essandoh Joel Nene, a Brilliant and Fast Growing Ghanaian Budding Writer to the Spotlight.

Geraldine Sinyuy: Hello Nene, it’s nice having you on this conversation today.  Can you please tell us about yourself?
Essandoh Joel Nene:  I am Essandoh Joel Nene. I am a Ghanaian. I attended High School at Swedru School of Business, where I studied Business and later went to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. I love writing and I believe minds and hearts can be transformed through writing so I write poems and fables which address this human need. I believe being vulnerable makes us feel human, so I write.

Geraldine Sinyuy: What inspired you to become a writer?
Essandoh Joel Nene:  I was inspired to become a writer by a deep sense of exploration, my lifelong love for literature, and the strong desire to create and compose write-ups (poems and fables) that I hadn’t yet encountered in my reading. This combination fueled my passion to bring fresh voices and perspectives into existence through my own words.

Geraldine Sinyuy: Great, every writer has his or her own voice and each voice always has its unique impact on the society. At what age did you start writing and what was the easiest genre for you at that time?
Essandoh Joel Nene:  I began writing at age 15. Poetry was the easiest genre for me then, one I truly loved and felt connected deeply with others on a profound level

Geraldine Sinyuy: At what time of the day do you find more inspiration and energy to write?
Essandoh Joel Nene:  I find inspiration in the quietness and peacefulness of the dawn or early mornings. The silence helps my thoughts flow freely, allowing me to create and share creative, educative and impactful poems and fables with the world.

Geraldine Sinyuy: That’s fine, nature is peaceful in the early hours of the day and I understand many other writers will prefer that same of time of day to write.  How do you manage social media distractions and the writing career?
Essandoh Joel Nene:  I have no real issues with distractions. Social media rarely pulls me away. As a confessional poet, everything becomes material, even distraction. If I catch myself mindlessly scrolling or feeling anxious, I simply write about it: the pull of the screen, the struggle to stop, the times I overcome it and the times I don’t. This turns distraction into shared understanding for readers. Heartbreak, joy, illness, health, success, failure, stress, delay, denial, every experience fuels my work and serves the poems.

Geraldine Sinyuy: Amazing. I like the way you turn everything into material from writing. I think that many writers who will eventually read your interview will like to copy this idea of yours.   Now, can you describe what your writing workspace looks like?
Essandoh Joel Nene:  My writing workspace is not a fixed place. It’s extreme silence and zero human interaction. I love it because it’s completely mobile and I can write anywhere this quietness finds me. I do hope to create a dedicated, thoughtfully designed space soon to deepen and enrich my craft even more.

Geraldine Sinyuy: That’s Great.  I understand that apart from being a writer, you still have other responsibilities. Can you share with me how you manage to successfully navigate through all these responsibilities and still have time for writing?
Essandoh Joel Nene:  I’m most creative in the mornings, so I prioritize writing then. When ideas hit during work or other responsibilities, I quickly capture them with voice notes or jot them down, then return to my tasks. As a confessional writer, everything serves my craft, I turn work stress, time struggles, and their impact on my writing into honest poems and fables. This way, responsibilities fuel rather than block my writing.

Geraldine Sinyuy: I can identify with your style of jotting down ideas or recording voice notes. I do same in my phone whenever I get inspiration at a time I am unable to sit down and write.  According your context, what is the most trending issue in present day literature as far as human rights are concerned?
Essandoh Joel Nene:  In my context, the most trending issue in literature regarding human rights is what I call the 'leadership debacle.” Writers today are increasingly focused on the literature of resistance against post-colonial leadership failures. We are using our craft to demand accountability, transparency, and social justice.

Geraldine Sinyuy: Can you tell us which of your works brought you to the lime light of the literary circle? Can you tell us where we can find any of your books?
Essandoh Joel Nene:  I don’t yet have a published book, though I have written close to 100 poems or more that could form one or more collections. It’s hard to single out one work that brought me to the literary spotlight, I am still approaching that level. My poems receive massive appreciation from many readers and lovers of literature and I see myself as close to the giants, not quite there yet. I share my work on my social media pages.

Geraldine Sinyuy: What is the most important lesson you've learned in your career as a writer?
Essandoh Joel Nene:  The most important lesson I’ve learned as a writer is to leave my poems open for exploration. I don’t feed readers with everything I know about a subject. What remains unsaid is often as powerful and sometimes more important than what is said. The art becomes boring if no important detail is skillfully left out.

Geraldine Sinyuy: That means you make use of suspense which leaves the readers wanting more. It is said that a writer is the voice of the voiceless, have you written any piece of work that calls for any kind of justice in a sense? If yes, what was it?
Essandoh Joel Nene:  Yes, I have a fable titled “The Tiger and The Monkey” which explores the theme of justice and is a strong and fearless voice for the voiceless. I also have written poems such as “Our Untold Story”, “Mr and Mrs Politicians” and many more, all of which are a voice for the voiceless and this is just the beginning.

Geraldine Sinyuy: You sound very determined and I trust that you will make a powerful contribution to African Literature in the future. What advice will you give a young aspiring writer?
Essandoh Joel Nene:  My advice is that young aspiring writers should explore more genres and be more dynamic and open to feedback as well. Some writers enjoy a certain genre and wish to compose only that, but in the beginning, experiment more and get to know what your audience connects to and enjoy reading about. Also, aspiring writers should examine themselves to know their purpose- this “why” will aid them know the work to pay attention to and produce more of.

Geraldine Sinyuy: Good advice. How does your community receive human rights related literary and artistic works?
Essandoh Joel Nene:  Human rights related literary work is received by my community with joy especially when produced in a friendly way like through storytelling and poetry writing.

Geraldine Sinyuy: Have you ever felt threatened in any way due to the kind of writing you produce?
Essandoh Joel Nene:  Yes, but the threat isn’t so wild, I write more confessional poems and sometimes some information about me or interactions are shared. I think about it being used against me and that’s the only threat.

Geraldine Sinyuy: What else do you want to share with us?
Essandoh Joel Nene:  I hope writers get more opportunities and resources to expand and make an impact. A lot of aspiring and established writers who enjoy the art forfeit writing or pursue their effort partly because they struggle to earn with their skill. If you can come up with more initiatives and opportunities like this, it would really help.

Geraldine Sinyuy: Thank you so much for your time and insightful responses. I wish you the best in your writing career.