Developing a Creative Mind
This is part one of a two-part interview with Anique Sara Taylor. Anique is an established author of the following books Civil Twilight Where, Space Bends, and Poems. She is regarded with a high profile in the writer community with her numerous awards and nominations including the winner of the 2022 Blue Light Poetry Prize for Civil Twilight.
Anique has an MFA in Poetry from Drew University, a Diploma from The Sorbonne located in Paris, an MFA with Highest Honors in Drawing and Painting from Pratt Institute, and a Master of Divinity Degree. She studied literature at Antioch College, poetry at St. Mark’s Poetry Project with Alice Notley, and then Bernadette Mayer. She is also a regular at Wallson Glass Poem-Making Sessions with Geoffrey Nutter.
Anique’s story is revolutionary, as we talk about growing up in the 50s, and exploring the idea of being able to express oneself fully. Her influences from family, friends, and teachers are shared. All of this led to her interest in the art, and, more so writing.
We talk about some of her setbacks including depression. Her take on this health issue is brought forward, leading to a fruitful discussion on how to overcome this and prosper. Anique’s adventure in Paris while attending The Sorbonne and how the culture furthered her development toward the arts.
Returning to the United States and completing high school, the story opens up on her academic journey. Studying literature, her desire to pursue writing, and how art was presented to her are fully discussed. The development of her hidden talent in drawing, painting, and sculpting is illustrated.
This interview will appeal to anyone interested in creativity and how we develop that, particularly in the arts and writing. History is included as Anique’s life is extensive. Life lessons are discussed as Anique demonstrates how she approaches setbacks and adversity, with a sense of curiosity that inspires her to grow as a person. Her story is an inspiration for how devotion and commitment to unpredictable opportunities (in her case art) will allow a person to flourish in multiple dimensions. We further explore this in the next episode, focusing on her development as a writer.