Meet the Poet: Robbie Cheadle

Posted byColleen M. ChesebroPosted inMeet the PoetTags:, , , , ,

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 poets and their work. Many of our poets have written both fiction and non-fiction, and self-published their works. We also feature many published authors. It’s a brilliant mix!

Some of our poets are also artists, crafting their magic through watercolors or other artistic means along with the written word. There are even a few musicians in our poetic community!

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!

Our guest this month is Robbie Cheadle.

Award-winning, bestselling author Robbie Cheadle has published thirteen children’s book and three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

The ten Sir Chocolate children’s picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision.

Robbie’s blog includes recipes, fondant and cake artwork, poetry, and book reviews. https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/

Amazon Author Page
Wait until you see the wild animals in Robbie Cheadle’s new book, “Lion Scream.”

Hi, Colleen. Thanks so much for the invitation.

I’m glad you’re here, Robbie. It’s always fun talking about syllabic poetry with you.

Thank you for this lovely opportunity to discuss poetry. I appreciate the guidance you have given me over the years, I’ve known you in the Blogosphere. I don’t know if I would have ever attempted to write syllabic poetry if it wasn’t for you and your weekly poetry prompts.

Thanks so much, Robbie. You know, I love syllabic poetry. So tell us, what is your favorite syllabic poetry form?

I have gone through phases with syllabic poetry where I have loved one particular form and written numerous poems using that form. I started with haiku, but then I discovered I preferred tanka because tanka allows for a more expanded poetic message because the syllable count is higher. I have written hundreds of haiku and tanka.

In October 2021, I came across your Double Ennead challenge on Carrot Ranch Literary Community (https://carrotranch.com/).

A Double Ennead is a syllabic poetry form which you created. It comprises 99 syllables, divided into three stanzas of 33 syllables each, as follows: 6/5/11/6/5.

This idea for syllabic poetry really excited me, as it allowed for the telling of a story with a beginning, middle, and ending in a syllabic poetry format.

I wrote syllabic poems for each of the three challenges you posted, and these poems led to ideas for two books, both of which are now published.

My poem for Halloween expanded into a new children’s book called, “Haunted Halloween Holiday.”

(click all the book images to find the books on Amazon.com)

My poems, Colours of Africa and The Romance of the Sunflowers, are included in my new poetry collection, “Lion Scream, Syllabic Poetry About Southern African Wildlife.”

“Lion Scream” includes approximately 55 Double Ennead poems which tell the stories of various African animals, birds, insects, and landscapes.

Have you written any other poetry books? Tell us about the books and why you wrote them.

I have written and published three poetry books.

“Open a New Door” is a collection of poems which were published in 2018. This was a collaboration with the South African poet, Kim Blades. We divided the poems into sections devoted to life in southern Africa, family and friends, Kim and I, as individuals, and corporations and work.

“Behind Closed Doors” is a collection of unusual poems. This compilation of poems, ranging from rhyming verse to twisted nursery rhymes, captures the emotions and thoughts of people who hide behind the masks they present to the world. This collection includes the poems I wrote during the Covid lockdowns, including some of my Covid-19 cake artworks.

“Lion Scream: Syllabic Poetry about Southern African Wildlife” is my latest collection. This is the blurb which explains what this book is about:

Do you rely on Earth for your survival?

Lion Scream is a graphic collection of poetry and prose. The book portrays the author’s experiences with South African wildlife and the growing impact of the Sixth Mass Extinction and Climate Change on the natural environment.

Robbie, do you use other mediums, such as photography or artwork in your poetry? What message do you want your readers to receive from this kind of collaborative effort?

All of my poetry books include photographs, most taken by me. I love taking photographs of wildlife, plants, flowers, and places of historical interest. Digital cameras have made it so easy to get good pictures. I like to share them in my books, together with the poems they frequently inspire.

As I mentioned above, “Behind Closed Doors” includes some of my Covid-19 cake artworks. I created these cakes and photographed them in order to capture and preserve my memories and experiences during the lockdowns. Already, this time seems so surreal when I look back on it.

My favourite Covid-19 cake is this one:

This cake depicted the ‘work from home’ life of the two parents, and the on-line learning experience of children.

“Lion Scream” includes numerous photographs of animals and other creatures I’ve photographed during my visits to various game lodges and national parks throughout South Africa.

The initial idea for a book of poetry that taught people about the many amazing creatures of southern Africa and highlighted their plight in the face of the Sixth Mass Extinction, came to me during a visit to Ukutula Lodge & Game Reserve (“Ukutula”). Ukutula is also a conservation facility specializing in genetic mammal research and predator conservation.

On my return home, my brother-in-law gifted me a print of Edvard Munch’s famous painting, The Scream.

The Scream, Edvard Munch: Wikipedia.com

According to a diary entry by Munch, the inspiration for this painting was as follows:

“One evening I was walking along a path, the city was on one side and the fjord below. I felt tired and ill. I stopped and looked out over the fjord – the sun was setting, and the clouds turning blood red. I sensed a scream passing through nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream. I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The color shrieked. This became The Scream.”

Based on The Scream, I created a cake I titled Lion Scream – Nature’s Response to the Sixth Mass Extinction and Global Warming, which depicted a lion, made from fondant, clasping its face and screaming, while standing on a bridge above a river of blood. Behind the lion is an erupting volcano.

This cake was intended to be an artistic depiction of the natural world’s reaction to continuous land development by humans, resulting in the loss of habitat for the creatures which share this earth with us, and the increasing impact of global warming on humanity and the greater planet.

Lion Scream: Nature’s Response to the Sixth Mass Extinction and Global Warming Cake Art by Robbie Cheadle.

Thanks so much, Robbie. I can’t wait to see what you will create next! 💛

I had the distinct pleasure of working with Robbie on her Lion Scream book. Here is my editorial review:

“In this reflective collection of syllabic poetry, poet Roberta Cheadle weaves words, emotions, and images as she recounts her soul-stirring journey around South Africa in 2022. She highlights the plight of the animals in the face of the Sixth Mass Extinction, during a visit to Ukutula Lodge & Game Reserve. Lion Roar is a poetic and photographic roadmap to the heart & soul of South Africa with highlights about the increasing impact of global warming on humanity and the greater planet. A must read!”

—Colleen M. Chesebro, Author of Word Craft: Prose & Poetry, The Art of Crafting Syllabic Poetry

Find Robbie Cheadle:

Website: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Blog:

Robbie’s inspiration

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVyFo_OJLPqFa9ZhHnCfHUA

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle

Thanks for stopping by to meet Robbie Cheadle. See you next time for another opportunity to Meet the Poet!

Published by Colleen M. Chesebro

An avid reader, Colleen M. Chesebro rekindled her love of writing poetry after years spent working in the accounting industry. These days, she loves crafting syllabic poetry, flash fiction, and creative fiction and nonfiction. In addition to poetry books, Chesebro’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of her writing community on Word Craft Poetry.com by organizing and sponsoring a weekly syllabic poetry challenge, called #TankaTuesday, where participants experiment with traditional and current forms of Japanese and American syllabic poetry. Chesebro is an assistant editor of The Congress of the Rough Writers Flash Fiction Anthology & Gitty Up Press, a micro-press founded by Charli Mills and Carrot Ranch. In January 2022, Colleen founded Unicorn Cats Publishing Services to assist poets and authors in creating eBooks and print books for publication. In addition, she creates affordable book covers for Kindle and print books. Chesebro lives in the house of her dreams in mid-Michigan surrounded by the Great Lakes with her husband and two (unicorn) cats, Chloe & Sophie.

94 thoughts on “Meet the Poet: Robbie Cheadle”

  3. Great interview! I love the theme of your newest poetry collection. I’m looking forward to reading it! Also loved the scream take with the lion and the deeper meaning behind it.

    Liked by 4 people

  4. Hi, Robbie! I’m surprised to hear you didn’t think about poetry and that Colleen inspired you to start -I thought you just picked up yet another creative venture on your own. 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

    2. Hi Chel, Colleen introduced me to syllabic poetry and I discovered freestyle poetry through another blogging friend. I only knew about rhyming poetry before that as it’s what we learned at school.

      Liked by 2 people

  5. Thank you Colleen and Robbie. I really enjoyed learning more about Robbie! You have such an amazing range of books and topics. I thought the “work from home” art was especially well-crafted and reflective of the times. The thought of the lion’s scream is beyond tragic.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. This is a lovely collection of poetry. Robbie also shares the statistics of which animals are endangered. I was shocked at the low populations! I’ve never been to South Africa, so this was an engaging photographic journey.

      Liked by 4 people

  7. Robbie is truly a Renaissance woman. She can do about anything, and this wonderful interview underscores some of her talents. Thank you, Colleen, for spotlighting her, and a big congratulations to Robbie. 🎉🎊🎉

    Liked by 4 people

  8. It is great to see Robbie’s featured here. I love her blog, her stories and her poems. Thanks, Colleen and congratulations to Robbie on a great interview.

    Liked by 4 people

  9. A wonderful peek into Robbie’s books and the inspiration behind her collections. Her talents are so diverse! I didn’t realize so many of her poems in Lion Scream were double enneads. Now I have to go back and browse again. 🙂 I enjoyed the photography of Africa’s wildlife too. It’s beautiful. A fun interview, Colleen and Robbie, and congrats on your new book!

    Liked by 4 people

  10. Thank you Colleen for having Robbie on your meet the poets! Robbie is just so full of life and talent, poetry, novels, factual books, children’s books, cookery books! Not to mention her cake making and icing modeling on to of having a job and being a busy wife and mum and support daughter….phew Robbie I need to sit down you’ve exhausted me!
    Hugs to Colleen too who a dynamo too! 💜💜

    Liked by 4 people

  13. Gee whiz, Robbie never ceases to amaze me! It is exciting to watch each new project come to life, whether writing, cooking, or her marvelous artwork (photographic or charcoal). Great guest today, Sis!!

    Liked by 4 people

  14. What a fun and informative interview of a talented and creative person and a generous member of the blogging community. I too was interested to see that Robbie took to the double ennead and will have to have a closer look at Lion Scream and the use of that form there.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Thanks, D. Robbie is so creative! What is so fun about the form was leaving the rules open (other than the syllable count and stanzas). It freed up the form for all poets. I especially like the Double Ennead with a bit of end rhyme. It’s like frosting on a cake.

      Liked by 3 people

  15. What a wonderful interview, Colleen! Robbie is so creative and multi-talented. Thank you so much for introducing us to Robbie and her stunning work! 💖

    Liked by 3 people

  16. What a wonderful interview with Robbie. I enjoyed all the questions and her answers. She is truly gifted! Thank you, Colleen, for hosting this interview!

    Liked by 3 people

  20. Colleen and Robbie – so nice to read this conversation and learn more about what ispires art and writing. Continued success to, two fine friends!!

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Pingback: Robbie’s Inspiration – Tanka Tuesday: Purple passion, a poem #poetry #TankaTuesday – Robbie's inspiration

  22. Hi Colleen, what a wonderful interview with Robbie! Her talent never ceases to amaze me, and the poetry in Lion Scream is beyond powerful. I was also in awe of the stunning photos. The message conveyed speaks for itself, and hopefully, will be wildly spread to make a difference. Thanks to both of you. 💞

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Lauren, happy belated Birthday! Thanks so much for such a lovely comment. I was literally blown away when I read Robbie’s book, too. Just to see the photos really makes this an extra special book. Thanks again.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thanks for your wishes, Colleen, and my reaction to Robbie’s book echoes yours! I’m working on a review, but I don’t know how I can write anything different from what I’ve read already. And yes, those photos took me to a place that I may never get the chance to visit. You’re very welcome! 💞

        Liked by 2 people

  23. Such a great interview, Colleen. I absolutely adore Robbie. She’s so multi talented. Love the ‘lion scream’ and enjoyed reading every bit of this interview. I’m excited about the climate theme in her book. Thank you for sharing.

    Liked by 2 people

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