Treasuring Poetry – Meet talented poet, author and editor of Hotel by Masticadores, Michelle Ayon Navajas and a review #poetry #poetrycommunity #bookreview
Posted: June 19, 2024 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Interview, Poetry, Review, Treasuring Poetry | Tags: Michelle Ayon Navajas, Poetry, Robbie Cheadle, Treasuring Poetry, Writing to be Read 44 CommentsToday, I am delighted to welcome talented poet and author, Michelle Ayon Navajas, as my June Treasuring Poetry guest. Michelle is also the editor of Hotel by Masticadores. Welcome Michelle!
What is your favourite style of poetry to read i.e. haiku, ballad, epic, freestyle, etc?
I love to read freestyle and ballad.
What is your favourite poem in your favourite style to read?
I love to repeatedly read Annabel Lee. Though technically, it’s not a ballad, but I trust that Edgar Allan Poe referred to it as one, because like a ballad, the poem uses repetition of words and phrases purposely to create its mournful effect.
Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love—
I and my Annabel Lee—
With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven
Coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.
The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me—
Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.
But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we—
Of many far wiser than we—
And neither the angels in Heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea—
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
What is your favourite style of poetry to write? Why?
I love freestyle and ballad poetry because they offer a unique freedom of expression and emotion. Freestyle allows for spontaneous creativity, while ballads provide a structured yet melodious form to convey deep feelings and stories. Both forms can be deeply personal and evocative, resonating with the human experience in different ways.
What is your favourite of your own poems in your favourite style?
“What If Snowflakes Don’t Fall In Winter?”
What if snowflakes don’t fall in winter?
and fresh buds don’t bloom in spring?
or summer doesn’t need sunshine?
nor leaves don’t fall in autumn?
Will you remember how we used to be?
the love we shared gently
like snowflakes falling smoothly in winter out of thin air unannounced, unnoticed
unspoken yet blissful
the dreams we dream, hopes we hope
like spring awakening the earth
bringing heaps of sunshine after
the cold, gloomy winter
the laughter we gave out
like sunshine on a summer day
rhyming along as the birds singing
passionately hot, vibrant, and crisp
the memories we created
like leaves falling flawlessly in the autumn breeze, with cooling temperatures and darkening nights
What if snowflakes don’t fall in winter?
and fresh buds don’t bloom in spring?
or summer doesn’t need sunshine?
nor leaves don’t fall in autumn?
Will you still love me tenderly?
How do you promote your poetry and your poetry books?
Promoting my poetry books involved a mix of traditional and modern strategies:
Social Media: I utilized platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to share snippets, and behind-the-scenes insights, and engage with my audience.
Book Readings/Events: I join readings at local bookstores, libraries, or cafes. I also join virtual events which can also reach a wider audience.
Collaborations: I partner with other poets, artists, or influencers for cross-promotion.
Press Releases: I send out press releases to local newspapers, literary magazines, and online platforms.
Book Reviews: I solicit reviews from book bloggers, literary magazines, and online reviewers.
Online Presence: I maintain a blog where readers can learn more about me and my work.
Book Signings: I join book signings at bookstores, festivals, or community events.
Book Trailers: I create short videos or trailers featuring excerpts from my book.
Email Marketing: I build an email list and send newsletters with updates, exclusive content, and offers.
But remember, consistency and engagement are key to building a loyal readership.
Hotel by Masticadores
Michelle is the editor of Hotel by Masticadores “Hotel of Broken Hearts”.
Hotel was born from a conversation within the masticadores Editors. Barbara Leonhard (USA), Miriam Costa (Brazil) and j re crivello (Barcelona-Spain), understand that all of us, at some point in life, would like to write a letter to: an ex-love, or a deceased relative, or remember that landscape or house that sheltered us in a stage of our life.
For this reason, we have created Hotel, an ephemeral tool that we put at the service of readers and writers. The only rule is a maximum of 600 words (in Word) and that the texts and images be accepted by the Editorial Board. That being said, Hotel will appear in Spanish and English.
You can send your collaborations to fleminglabwork@gmail.com
Hotel also publishes poetry and book reviews.
My review of Locker by Michelle
What Amazon says
We can close our eyes to reality and pretend things didn’t happen the way they happened. Fiction is the closest to escaping what’s true and painful. This collection of over fifty poetic flash fiction stories will push the boundaries of our reality. It will make us discern things for ourselves and will lead us to understand our true nature better.
Each is a stand-alone story you can read anytime, anywhere, without the need to finish the entire book. But, as soon as you flip to the last page, you will realize there is more to these poetic flash fiction stories than simply a collection of poetic tales.
My review of Locker
Locker is a deeply emotional and heartfelt collection of flash fiction. Each piece revolves around the central themes of love and secrecy. The title, Locker, refers to a school locker where students store their personal items. These comprise of a mixture of practical, everyday items and also their personal secrets. Love notes, drawings, and books are all articles that are stored in lockers.
Each piece of flash fiction draws on this concept of opening our own ‘mental’ lockers and looking through the memories stored there. Some are wonderful, bright flashes of happy joy in our lives, and others are sad or traumatic. All mould us into the people we are and are vital components of our life paths.
As with our own memories, some of these stories are wonderfully uplifting: the moment when we fall in love and everything in our world is perfect. Others cover losses of love interests, miscarriages, and even situations where love changes to abuse.
The author is a talented and well known poet and the writing style of her short stories is lyrical and poetic. The language is a treat for lovers of the written word and evokes intense feelings.
I highly recommend this beautiful and intense book to all lovers of character driven stories.
You can purchase Locker from Amazon USA here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CFD1637L
Michelle Ayon Navajas Amazon US author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08Z3VZ4Y5
About Michelle Ayon Navajas
Michelle Ayon Navajas (born June 23, 1976) is a Filipino poet, writer, and educator. She is a Best-Selling international Poet known for her books reaching the #1 spot within days of their release. Her 8th poetry book, “I Am In Itself Poetry In The Dark,” went straight to the top of both the best-sellers list and new releases on Amazon on short notice. Her 7th poetry book, “It Ain’t Winning If Without You,” went straight to the best-sellers list on Amazon in less than 24 hours of release by pre-orders alone and eventually became the number Poetry Book on Amazon India on its actual release day, soon after the book rose to the best- sellers list as well in all other Amazon Markets worldwide.
Currently, Michelle holds the title of having 4 books published in a row to have made it to Amazon’s Best-Sellers List (“I Will Love You Forever, Too,” “After Rain Skies, 2nd Edition,” “It Ain’t Winning If Without You,” and “I Am In Itself Poetry In The Dark”) and 3 books on Amazon’s #1Hot New Releases/New Releases (“I Will Love You Forever, Too,” “It Ain’t Winning If Without You,” and “I Am In Itself Poetry In The Dark”.)
Her poetry appeared in several international literary magazines and anthologies such as Spillwords NYC, MasticadoresUsa, and MasticadoresIndia. Her poems “Holding Hands” was voted as Spillwords Publication of the Month for November 2021 and “Love Happens” was voted as Spillwords Publication of the Month for December 2022.
She is also part of the award-winning ensemble of authors in two Poetry Anthologies, that are both Amazon Best-Sellers: Hidden In Childhood and Wounds I Healed.
Graduated with a Master of Education majoring in English in the Philippines (University of San Agustin, Iloilo City). Michelle was a former college professor, teaching literature, speech & oral communication, creative writing, drama, and theatre arts. She is also a graduate of Mass Communications major in Journalism (Centro Escolar University, Manila).
Michelle is active in her writing profession and works as a freelance creative writer.
Follow her online:
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This segment of “Treasuring Poetry” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and the Poetry Treasures series.
Poetry Treasures: https://books2read.com/PoetryTreasures
Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships: https://books2read.com/PT2-Relationships
Poetry Treasures 3: Passions: https://books2read.com/u/b5qnBR
Poetry Treasures 4:In Touch With Nature: https://books2read.com/PT4-Nature
Magical Mich, she’s a poetess extraordinaire … 🌏📘😍
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thank you so much Ivor❤️
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My pleasure Mich … 😍🌏📘
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She is, thanks for reading. Ivor
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Thank you so much Robbie for featuring me on your blog this month and for your insightful review of Locker. I am honored to be read by a brilliant poet like you.
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Hi Michelle, I am delighted to host you. Locked is a wonderful book
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[…] Treasuring Poetry – Meet talented poet, author and editor of Hotel by Masticadores, Michelle A… […]
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Great Q&A! And “What If Snowflakes Don’t Fall In Winter?” is an excellent poem.
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Thank you so much Dave❤️🙏
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You’re very welcome, Michelle! 🙂
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Hi Dave, I’m glad you enjoyed this post. Michelle is a wonderful poet 💖
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Thanks for the introduction to Michelle, Robbie. Shared both posts on Twitter.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thank you, Pete 🌻💛
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Thank you so much Pete❤️
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I too love Annabelle Lee–and so many of Poe’s poems. Your book looks excellent and has stellar reviews on Amazon. .
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Hi Jacqui, thanks for visiting, I am also a Poe fan. The Sleeper is my favourite of his poems. Locker is a lovely read.
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Thank you so much Jacqui❤️
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Wonderful review!
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Thank you Dawn❤️🙏
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Thanks, Dawn. This is a lovely book.
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Thank you for this engaging feature of Michelle and her work! I particularly like the first and last stanzas of her poem, which echo “Annabel Lee,” but in their own way.
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Thank you so much Liz ❤️
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You’re welcome, Michelle.
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Hi Liz, I’m so pleased you enjoyed Michelle’s interview. Her poetry is beautiful with a strong focus on love.
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Another multitalented writer. I could see her poem set to music, it would make a wonderful song. (K)
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Aw, thank you so much K ❤️
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Hi Kerfe, yes, you are right and love is a great subject for songs
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I enjoyed this interview, Robbie. Thank you for sharing Poe’s Annabelle Lee.
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My pleasure, Jennie. I’m glad you enjoyed this post 🌹
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This is a sublime presentation of a book, its author -Michelle Ayon Navajas- and all she does to bring the works of others and herself to light.
“What If Snowflakes Don’t Fall In Winter?” is an increasingly topical poem, prophetic, actually.
Robbie, you write terrific reviews. Thank you!
Thank you to Michelle, and congratulations!
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Hi Resa, it is easy to write good reviews for great books 😀💗. Michelle has some excellent poems about abuse of women and children. Hard to read but really revealing.
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Honesty is an honourable quality. Revealing is good, even if the truth hurts.
“Square Peg in a Round Hole” is like that.
I appreciate you both using creativity to this end.
Thank you to Michelle!
Thank you to Robbie!
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Huge hugs 🤗
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🌹🤗
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Mich writes such beautiful poetry. It was wonderful learning about her favorite poems. “What If Snowflakes Don’t Fall In Winter?” is lovely. Her approach to getting the word out about her poetry is impressive. Congrats to Mich, and thanks for hosting, Robbie and Kaye Lynne. 🙂
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☺️
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Hi Diana, thank you for your lovely comment. We can all learn from Michelle’s marketing. Her poetry is poignantly beautiful.
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[…] Treasuring Poetry – Meet talented poet, author and editor of Hotel by Masticadores, Michelle A… […]
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What a truly enlightening interview of the amazing and beautifully prolific writer Michelle Ayon Navajas. Thank you so much for this wonderful interview. It was a treat to hear her favorite poem, I too, an a big fan of Poe. I also love the piece that she shared which is her own writing – quite gorgeous. I appreciated her talking about “LOCKER,” and how the title of the poem along with the fact that it is a metaphor for so many important things that happen to us, was so interesting to read. Mich is an amazing writer, great educator of many important issues in our world today as well as being a community leader in bringing attention to other writers. She is an amazingly kind woman who has a very gracious and compassionate heart. To thank you for this great interview. Have a great rest of your week, hugs Joni
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Hi Joni, thank you for this lovely comment. Michelle is all of these things and more 🌹❤️
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Yes indeed she is and thank you again. Have a blessed rest of your week as well. Big hugs too. ❤️🙏❤️
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🪻💜
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[…] Treasuring Poetry – Meet talented poet, author and editor of Hotel by Masticadores, Michelle A… […]
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[…] Well, glad you asked. But this human is superhuman. I will direct you to one of thelast interviews I read about who this extraordinary human is. My friends, this is onehuman you will want to know: Let Robbie Cheadle introduce you. […]
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