Meet the Poet: Jude Itakali

Posted on by Colleen M. Chesebro

Welcome to Meet the Poet, a Word Craft Poetry feature written to introduce you to the poets in our writing community. This is a way to get to know more about the poet and their work. Did you know many of our poets are accomplished fiction and non-fiction authors? Some of our poets are also artists, crafting their magic through watercolors or other artistic means along with the written word.

At least once a month, I’ll be introducing you to the poets in our community! Grab a cup of tea or coffee, and meet the poet!

Please meet Jude Itakali.

Jude Itakali was born and lives in Kampala, Uganda. He has published his first poetry book “CROSSROADS (Winds of love)” and is on the cusp of publishing his debut novel. When not being an athlete on the rugby field, or crunching down numbers on a computer for work, he delicately pens the epiphanies from life and its different relationships and encounters. He writes about all sorts of topics, finding a way to relate them with each other, because no one theme exists in a vacuum. Empathy is sometimes considered a gift, and Jude has it in abundance.

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Hello Jude. I’m so glad you’re here.

Hi Colleen. Thanks for having me stop by.

Jude, how long have you been writing syllabic poetry? And tell us what’s the first form of syllabic poetry you wrote?

– I have written syllabic poetry for two years now. The first form I tried was a haiku. I wrote a number of them until I was ready to have a go at tankas, cinquains, shadorma, Etherees, and so many others. Many poets and writers think syllabic poetry is restrictive and inhibits creativity, but I quickly found that this couldn’t be further from the truth.

I can only compare my experience with syllabic forms to magic with a system. The forms channel your creativity, and the more you write through them, the more you realize their boundless potential. Yes, they have rules, but much more purpose. And when inspiration is thin, they are always there to seduce the magic out of you.

YES! I’m so happy to hear that you feel that way about writing syllabic poetry. It is definitely magical. So have you written a poetry book? Tell us about the book, and why you wrote it.

– Yes, I wrote and published my first poetry book in May 2021, titled CROSSROADS (Winds of love). I wrote it to give companionship to lonely souls, to soothe broken hearts, and to lend gratitude to those with special paramours, but also to aid us in learning to love ourselves. I also wrote it to entertain, with its spluttering of short poetic stories. Of course, about a quarter of it are syllabic forms, because as I said earlier; they are magic.

Jude, how has writing and publishing a novel changed you as a poet?

-I have just finished writing and doing the majority of the editing for my debut novel, “Realms of the Mist” (coming this April 2022).

Writing a novel has indeed changed me as a poet. It is different from writing poetry, as you have to tame/wilt down the urge to use poetry’s beautiful and sometimes superfluous prose and rhythm. And yet poetry has been an invaluable asset in finding my author-voice and improving my prose.

In turn, writing a novel has almost subconsciously ensured that my poetry is always meaningful (even if it’s an underlying theme), because despite a novel’s greater length, every part of the story must carry value.

Thank you Colleen, for hosting me. It’s such a pleasure, especially as I got most of my syllabic knowledge from you and your amazing site.

Jude, that is the highest praise ever! Thank you. 🙏🏻

I’ll close by saying that my upcoming novel, “Realms of the Mist” might really be worth it for potential readers. Here’s a little teaser:

https://wordeologist.wordpress.com/2022/01/16/haiku-tales-and-upcoming-book-teaser/

Thanks so much for stopping by to share your poetry book with us, Jude. I’m looking forward to your new book and to reading your poetry book. Thanks for being a part of poetry community.

Learn more about this poet by visiting his blog and the links below:

Twitter: @jude_clutch https://twitter.com/jude_clutch

blog: Tales Told Different https://wordeologist.wordpress.com/

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Thanks for stopping in to meet Jude. Stop by his blog, you’ll enjoy his poetry.

62 thoughts on “Meet the Poet: Jude Itakali”

  2. Great interview! I loved the book title and your excerpts. Congrats for your upcoming release that I look forward to reading 🙂

    Liked by 5 people

  5. I am going to love this series, Colleen! I enjoyed learning more about Jude. I’ve enjoyed the poetry he has shared through your challenges and have no doubt his first novel will be wonderful. Congratulations, Jude! 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

  10. Nice to know more about Jude. I’ve read his poetry book and liked it. Wishing him all the best for his new release. Thank you Colleen for connecting us with poets and syllabic poetry. Your guidance is awesome.

    Liked by 2 people

  11. What a wonderful interview, Colleen! I love Jude’s poetry and feel he is a very talented young man. His poetry is magical and I look forward to his book release.

    Liked by 2 people

  13. I enjoyed reading this interview, Colleen! I look forward to reading his new book. It is certain that his novel will be as wonderful as his poetry. Congratulations, Jude!🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  18. What a super interview with Jude! I’m busy working my way through your Wordcraft book in the hope of improving my poetry, and it was lovely to read some of the examples you’ve included. When I came to Jude’s (and a number of others) it was such a nice surprise, like unexpectedly bumping into a friend!

    Liked by 2 people

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