An interview with Pamilerin Jacob. Read our review of his book, Memoir of Crushed Petals here.

LE: Hello Pamilerin, please tell us a bit about yourself.

Pamilerin: I am a recluse, currently tucked away somewhere in Ogun State, Nigeria. I studied Accounting in Babcock University. Nothing excites me like ice-cream, chocolate ice-cream.

LE: What you do for a living? Is writing your full time job?

Pamilerin: Writing is not my full-time job. I oscillate between writing and studying intensively for certain exams ahead of me.

A huge chunk of my day is spent in my Mindfulness practice.

LE: When did you start writing and what prompted it?

Pamilerin: I started writing random things I called poems in secondary school. I burnt them all sometime in 2013. I know, foolish. I regret that.

All writing, I believe, is rooted in the need for resistance—against grief, silence, & even death. I was prompted in that selfsame manner. Puberty will do that to you. Not to mention, my dad is a journalist, I grew up watching him write.

LE: Are you currently working on any book and if you are, what is it about?

Pamilerin: Ever since I published those two chapbooks, earlier in the year, all I have been doing with my writing is experimentation. I have a couple of manuscripts I prod every now & then. My favourite one right now is tentatively titled, Contemplations on the Beloved. However, I don’t think I will publish it anytime soon. I am in a place where the writing is simply that: writing. Unconcerned with the publishing process for now.

LE: Lastly, what are your hobbies?

Pamilerin: To relax, I read poems & essays. I enjoy pasting poems on my room walls. It helps to assimilate the poems’ essence, saturates my day. Imagine waking up in the morning, & just above the headboard is Mary Oliver’s Wild Geese, waiting for your eyes, to read.

Also, Thich Nhat Hanh, I love listening to his Dharma talks. Max Erdstein too.

Pamilerin’s published books are:

Memoir of Crushed Petals

Paper Planes in the Rain (co-authored with Jide Badmus)

Pamilerin is on Twitter.