Luxury publishers Still Waters Publishing launched poet Faraz Maqsood Hamidi and his debut collection of contemporary poems in the English language entitled SKIN.
Faraz Maqsood Hamidi’s writing career spans 20 years - He has been published across a variety of poetry journals including Paris Atlantic (France), Ex Librus (Boston, MA) and World of Poetry Press (San Francisco, CA).
SKIN is his first collection of contemporary short poems assembled in Karachi from a wide selection of both published works and new compositions. Born in Pakistan, Faraz was raised across the globe — ranging from countries as diverse as The Gulf States, Hong Kong and Kenya giving him a worldview unique among Pakistani poets. In this issue of The Saturday Post, Hamidi chats to us exclusively.

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Please introduce yourself to our readers:
25 years of writing poems has fine-tuned two instincts: Internally, a steady impulse to hear untold stories that wish to surface as poems. And, externally, a huge enthusiasm to measure the world in meter and rhyme. Between these two realities, creating illusions becomes default. SKIN is a collection of these illusive characters whose truth, though borne in fiction, resonates in our lives as short poems written for those who dislike poetry — but who, on occasion, still enjoy stealing a glance at the sun.

You have been composing poetry for over two decades: What motivated you to publish your collection/anthology this year?

It was the sparkle of Still Waters. The exciting new publishing and production entrepreneurs who are dedicated to building, marketing and launching the total ‘experience’ of their authors in their chosen markets. People who change the rules of the game thrill me. We had worked closely for over a year by the time SKIN was launched and shared beliefs about how modern Pakistani culture should be created and delivered to an audience stiff with inertia and apathy.

Has there been someone you consider to be your mentor?

Derek Walcott, Poet; Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Sharon Creech-Rigg, HarperCollins’ Author; Winner of the Newbery Medal.

Tell us a more about what inspires you as a person and as a poet?
Assuming that I am one and the same, absolutely anything can set off that reel of associative memory which is the bedrock of poetry (and madness).

What is the significance of the title of your book, SKIN?

Skin wraps human nature. Much like the covers of this book.

At the launch of SKIN, the audience was introduced to Readers Theatre. What is difference between this and regular theatre?

The launch of SKIN was also occasion for the launch of Readers Theatre for the first time in Pakistan. The very fact that the name of the genre contains the word readers indicates a focus on the text. Text is the most important concept in Readers Theatre. It is the raison d'etre and the main locus of authority for this type of performance. The intent is to present a literary work in such a way that the attention of the audience is directed toward the author's creation. The texts that are chosen for performance are primarily literary non-dramatic works.
Readers Theatre acts as a medium in which two or more oral interpreters through their oral reading cause an audience to experience literature. Presentation differs from conventional plays in various ways, and one of them is that there is no attempt made to create the sense of reality on stage. In this aspect, Readers Theatre is presentational rather than representational. The images are formed not on stage but in the minds of the audience and the readers themselves — that's where the action takes place.

Faraz at his book signing

You are the first Pakistani literary figure whose works have interested a patron like Mont Blanc. Tell us about their involvement with SKIN?

Mont Blanc’s global brand philosophy is rooted to cultivating writing and honouring writers as testament to civilisation. Their involvement at SKIN’s launch also included the honour of receiving The Writers Edition F. Scott Fitzgerald — a remarkable limited edition creation that revives the glamour of the "Roaring Twenties". An apt gesture for a night of a thousand stars.

How did it feel to have your poems recited by others on screen and live to an audience of some of Pakistan’s most eminent literary figures and popular industry?

It felt great. In our age of hell fire and brimstone, who would have thought that a century-old yellowstone warehouse, situated just off the rail tracks, would have witnessed one of the most astounding ironies of modern life: Reverence, for words.

Can your poetry be categorized in a specific genre?

Let’s leave that to the crits. But readers are attentive to the considered use of classical structures with unassuming modern language. An inter-connected, yet compelling juxtaposition to deliver meaning for today’s generation.

You have been trained in music, theatre, communication and graphic design and also work in advertising; do you feel that there is correlation between your profession, your experiences, and the poetry you write?

Absolutely. The discipline of each factors into the other. So a poem must not only be well-written, but graphically pleasing as well. It must begin with delight. And end with wisdom. It must look well-balanced. It must also be suitable for dramatic delivery, complete with depth and cadence. In this way, it comes closer to capturing a resonant and universal human truth.

You have performed in front of the camera and a live audience. Where did you feel more connected or comfortable?

‘Live’ is where the heart lives. The rest is make-believe.

Does it take a specific type of person to write poetry or to be a poet?

It takes a certain brand of receptivity, for sure, which can belong to any person, any where. Whether s/he becomes a poet or not, is a question of destiny, not of choice.

Do you think it is important for local poets and poetry to be incorporated into the Pakistani literary and educational system?

Yes, yes, yes. Poetry is the fabric of our national and cultural memory. The earlier we start, the stronger we become — as a nation and as a culture.

What are you future plans? Can we expect another book of poetry from you soon?

Any time now, Still Waters Productions, an arm of the publishing division, will be releasing SKIN, THE PRELUDES — a compilation of sound design and mixing based on selected poems from the book. Truly, an innovative and exciting way to share the experience of the poems through the music of today.

Lastly your message to the readers of The Saturday Post:

Keep flippin’.