A chat with Carmella de Keyser about her poetry pamphlet, The Liminal Light of the Night (Hedgehog Press, 2025)
How would you describe The Liminal Light of the Night in one sentence?
I would describe it as a collection of poems covering topics of loss, the internal world of self and identity, energy transformations and ultimately - acceptance.
How did you structure the poems?
I write in word streams and concentrate on constructing images that are authentic to what it is I am trying to say.
How long did the book take to write?
The book took a few months to complete.
What would you say are the main themes of the book?
Grief, identity, acceptance, incongruity and the act of creation as a form of reparation.
Do you have a favourite of the poems?
These poems were intended to be grouped together and are part of the same time-frame and mood frame, so I view them as all as being a singular whole entity broken down into segments, I like them all as pieces working together as a unit and so I can’t select one over another, as I view them as related.
How did you choose a publisher?
I decided to enter a pamphlet competition I saw advertised online, because I have very often liked the poetry published by The Hedgehog Press. I was joint-winner of the pamphlet competition alongside Marcelle Newbold and Karen Pierce Gonzalez which was a very joyful moment. What I like about the poets and collections featured by this press are an emphasis on working through emotions, the past memory and nostalgia being re-visited with a unique and contemporary spirit and the huge altruism and support from the editor Mark Davidson whose energy and warmth transfers across to the poets too. Since joining the press, I have felt supported by other Hedgehog Press poets like yourself, and the feeling seems genuine, welcoming and egalitarian which I value and appreciate wholeheartedly…
Which poets/writers inspire your work?
Anis Mojgani, Anna Akhmatova, Ocean Vuong and Khalil Gibran.
If you could have a blurb from anyone – living or dead – who would it be and why?
I am grateful to the reviewers who have already kindly taken the time to write blurbs for my pamphlet and am interested in every person’s individual perspective, I’m always fascinated by other people’s insights, whoever they are, as everyone sees, understands and interprets words differently, that being said, If I could choose to have an imaginary blurb from anyone describing my work, I would choose Anna Akhmatova, because of her intense depth of emotion study, simplicity and her bravery in examining topics of suffering.
How does The Liminal Light of the Night compare to what you have written previously?
It is a dark work, I have other collections which are much lighter in tone and examine joy, humour and irony, but this particular collection explores melancholy feelings and the thoughts that arise in the liminal threshold periods of our lives.
I really liked the artwork in the book, it really helped to set the tone of the poems – can you tell me a bit about it?
The artwork is from Vanya Milanova, my mother, and is mainly abstract. The artwork is a combination of acrylic and oil on canvas. My mother lives in Greece and as I live in the UK, we worked together at length over videocalls to pair the paintings with the poems and capture the mood of the poems visually. My personal favourite is the painting that we paired with the ‘The Closure of the Dark’, as it captures a nighttime view from a window and I thought of the window being a symbol/metaphor for an eyelid about to close and that the view of the moon and Thessaloniki buildings are like a final scene before closing our eyes and dreaming…
All the poems are written in the I voice and have a deeply personal feel. Of course a poem is not ‘the truth’, or not entirely, but I wondered how you feel about people assuming that this is your truth you’re telling?
Once I write a poem, I let the words go and they belong with the reader. Words are like paint, we use symbols to convey emotions across, but the words later inhabit the reader’s mind and we are all free to interpret words differently, I would never wish to influence how a reader understands my work and hope that the poems feel personal to the person reading rather than myself…
What have people said to you about the book – friends and family, for example?
I have felt very supported by friends and family and have had quite a few people who pre-ordered the book write to me to say at certain moments they cried while reading, but were then left with a feeling of serenity at the end, there is one poem in particular, that seems to have affected people in the pamphlet, so that was interesting to hear how that particular piece affected people’s memory in different ways.
Do you have any other writing projects in the pipeline?
I have three other adult collections that I am working and sketching on that are completely different to this theme and one children’s collection too.
Have you any readings or other events planned to promote the book?
I have been promoting the book on social media mainly.
Thank you so much Sam for posing these questions, I have found them really thought-provoking and I appreciate you freely giving of your time to interview me, it is very kind and giving of you, and it has been a real pleasure. I look forward to talking to you again soon! 😊
Buy the book here:
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