"Spotlight" Poet Interview:
Nila J. Webster
Nila J. Webster
Hello Nila. How are you doing? Thank you for taking this time to be this month’s Creative Inspirations “Spotlight Poet” for the month of April. Your support of this publication and ministry are appreciated.
How long have we known each other, Nila?
Thank you for this golden opportunity to further partake in the wonderful vibrant Creative Inspirations community. We met in 2013, shortly after the crossing-over of my mother, jani johe webster, and through the gifted poet Karen O’Leary, I received an introduction of a lifetime: my introduction to you. Thank you for all your compassion those years ago, and your unwavering faith in the journey of the soul.
Twelve years! That is amazing and a true testament to the working and blessings of God…allowing people to meet and connect, to form and maintain friendships. A true blessing! So, can you tell us a little bit about Nila?
What a wonderful question! I have noticed a wonderful shift in my life since the pandemic: almost as if that event yielded an opportunity to reflect on these very questions and how to approach them. My prayer life has deepened and I love nothing more than to spend time in prayer, throughout each day, informally, and a time of morning and evening gratitude to our Loving God. I have also streamlined my work schedule (I practice Reiki in a nearby town), both in honor of the Earth’s healing and also to afford more time off the earthbound illusion – time to be with our angels and the Muse.
Tell us about your love of writing and what types of material have you had published.
My love of writing was instilled in me at a young age when my wonderful magical mother introduced me to the pure joy of creative writing: of taking a blank sheet of white paper and filling it with something new and magical. I have written several children’s books, and also created several Shutterfly books showcasing my Mom’s poetry paired with beautiful imagery. Currently I am working on a Vista Print book, super limited edition, called “What’s Your Metric?” – meaning, what are our guiding questions at the end of our day? How do we measure and contemplate our lives? Some of my favorite questions are, “Did I see the God-winks as they were given to me?” “Did I go full-blown I-Thou with myself, with others, and with God?”
Do you write full-time?
How I wish I did! More and more I crave time in front of my laptop, letting the ideas and poetry spill onto the page. Although the demands of the space-time continuum can get in the way all too often, the earthbound dramas, however time-consuming, can also yield rich source material to be converted into shimmering poetry, fiction, nonfiction and beyond.
You sometimes share some of your late mom’s wonderful work with Creative
Inspirations. Can you share with us how much of an inspiration your mom was (still is)
to you in your writing?
Thank you for this chance to love and honor my Mom, a gift from our Loving God beyond any measure. Her poetic voice, her ability to observe divine process in the smallest moments, her recurring themes of seeing beyond, of looking deeper, of unearthing the poetry – these are treasures and guiding forces in my life, and although I miss the luxury of sitting at the dining room table with her, living out one of her golden lines of poetry (“perhaps tea / and a long afternoon of dreams”), I also know she and I continue to collaborate, to support each other, and be together, again in her words, in a “forever time.”
Tell us about your latest work of poetry.
In a recent single-edition Shutterfly book called Radiant Stars for a Dark Night, I showcased several of my favorite poems by my mother, and included one of my own:
Dance and Be Free
Be the poetry your soul longs to sing
Be the first green bud,
The aberration and the miracle
The color of the sky before dawn
On the day of the solstice
The leaf in autumn that will not change its hue
No matter the coming of the frost
Be the poem that goes down by the bans of the river
Where no man-made light has ever touched
And dances along with the stars
Be the imaginary numbers
Who laugh and make merry
Dance and be free
The time for scrambling is over
Because you are the radiant beauty
Of your own poem
Very nice. That is beautiful! What are a few of your other favorite poems from this book of poetry, and why?
The poems in this book, including those of loved ones, are all my favorites for this reason: as with the poetry in Creative Inspirations, the poets involved are turning pain, hardship, doubt, and injustice into something of beauty, hope, inspiration – a portal to the realms of the divine.
You are also working on a novel, correct? Without giving away any pertinent
information, can you tell us a little about this work?
Thank you, yes, I have been working on a novel for several years and have come to realize it is more a vehicle for my personal growth and wholeness, whereby the characters, with all their savvy and all their flaws, have become guides for me, such that when some new drama crops up, I can wash it through the characters, letting their wisdom inform me. It is truly an ongoing project and far from wanting to finish it, I hope it remains my work-in-progress companion.
Also, you make inspirational and motivational videos on YouTube, correct? Can you tell
us about this wonderful endeavor (ministry), what it is comprised of and the inspiration
behind it? Where can someone find your YouTube channel for these inspirations and
meditations?
YouTube is a wonderful platform to share our experiences and life-lessons in a meaningful way. To find the videos, simply type my name and “YouTube” into any search engine, and you will find several videos, including meditations for healing, with soothing music and glorious images of nature.
Any big plans for 2025?
My hope and plan for 2025 is, in the words of the all-embracing Episcopal benediction, to “go in peace to love and serve the Lord,” seeing each drama, setback and obstacle as a gift from the Lord, an opportunity to go “highest-road,” wishing everyone (including a cranky officious state trooper who recently pulled me over for no reason whatsoever) the very best. My hope and plan also includes to view every circumstance, favorable or not favorable, as part of my spiritual curriculum.
Sorry about you getting pulled over by that state trooper; those types of things are almost always no fun. In any case, please allow me to thank you again for this time and opportunity to interview you. It has been a blessing! Please have some closing words.
Thank you for this beautiful opportunity to participate in the Creative Inspirations community, a community I have come to love and for whom I pray always. Thank you, MJ, for your tireless work in giving all of us such a high level and truly uplifting venue to share our creativity, our visions, and our spirituality. To God be the Glory!
Thank you, Nila, and yes, To God be the Glory!
How long have we known each other, Nila?
Thank you for this golden opportunity to further partake in the wonderful vibrant Creative Inspirations community. We met in 2013, shortly after the crossing-over of my mother, jani johe webster, and through the gifted poet Karen O’Leary, I received an introduction of a lifetime: my introduction to you. Thank you for all your compassion those years ago, and your unwavering faith in the journey of the soul.
Twelve years! That is amazing and a true testament to the working and blessings of God…allowing people to meet and connect, to form and maintain friendships. A true blessing! So, can you tell us a little bit about Nila?
What a wonderful question! I have noticed a wonderful shift in my life since the pandemic: almost as if that event yielded an opportunity to reflect on these very questions and how to approach them. My prayer life has deepened and I love nothing more than to spend time in prayer, throughout each day, informally, and a time of morning and evening gratitude to our Loving God. I have also streamlined my work schedule (I practice Reiki in a nearby town), both in honor of the Earth’s healing and also to afford more time off the earthbound illusion – time to be with our angels and the Muse.
Tell us about your love of writing and what types of material have you had published.
My love of writing was instilled in me at a young age when my wonderful magical mother introduced me to the pure joy of creative writing: of taking a blank sheet of white paper and filling it with something new and magical. I have written several children’s books, and also created several Shutterfly books showcasing my Mom’s poetry paired with beautiful imagery. Currently I am working on a Vista Print book, super limited edition, called “What’s Your Metric?” – meaning, what are our guiding questions at the end of our day? How do we measure and contemplate our lives? Some of my favorite questions are, “Did I see the God-winks as they were given to me?” “Did I go full-blown I-Thou with myself, with others, and with God?”
Do you write full-time?
How I wish I did! More and more I crave time in front of my laptop, letting the ideas and poetry spill onto the page. Although the demands of the space-time continuum can get in the way all too often, the earthbound dramas, however time-consuming, can also yield rich source material to be converted into shimmering poetry, fiction, nonfiction and beyond.
You sometimes share some of your late mom’s wonderful work with Creative
Inspirations. Can you share with us how much of an inspiration your mom was (still is)
to you in your writing?
Thank you for this chance to love and honor my Mom, a gift from our Loving God beyond any measure. Her poetic voice, her ability to observe divine process in the smallest moments, her recurring themes of seeing beyond, of looking deeper, of unearthing the poetry – these are treasures and guiding forces in my life, and although I miss the luxury of sitting at the dining room table with her, living out one of her golden lines of poetry (“perhaps tea / and a long afternoon of dreams”), I also know she and I continue to collaborate, to support each other, and be together, again in her words, in a “forever time.”
Tell us about your latest work of poetry.
In a recent single-edition Shutterfly book called Radiant Stars for a Dark Night, I showcased several of my favorite poems by my mother, and included one of my own:
Dance and Be Free
Be the poetry your soul longs to sing
Be the first green bud,
The aberration and the miracle
The color of the sky before dawn
On the day of the solstice
The leaf in autumn that will not change its hue
No matter the coming of the frost
Be the poem that goes down by the bans of the river
Where no man-made light has ever touched
And dances along with the stars
Be the imaginary numbers
Who laugh and make merry
Dance and be free
The time for scrambling is over
Because you are the radiant beauty
Of your own poem
Very nice. That is beautiful! What are a few of your other favorite poems from this book of poetry, and why?
The poems in this book, including those of loved ones, are all my favorites for this reason: as with the poetry in Creative Inspirations, the poets involved are turning pain, hardship, doubt, and injustice into something of beauty, hope, inspiration – a portal to the realms of the divine.
You are also working on a novel, correct? Without giving away any pertinent
information, can you tell us a little about this work?
Thank you, yes, I have been working on a novel for several years and have come to realize it is more a vehicle for my personal growth and wholeness, whereby the characters, with all their savvy and all their flaws, have become guides for me, such that when some new drama crops up, I can wash it through the characters, letting their wisdom inform me. It is truly an ongoing project and far from wanting to finish it, I hope it remains my work-in-progress companion.
Also, you make inspirational and motivational videos on YouTube, correct? Can you tell
us about this wonderful endeavor (ministry), what it is comprised of and the inspiration
behind it? Where can someone find your YouTube channel for these inspirations and
meditations?
YouTube is a wonderful platform to share our experiences and life-lessons in a meaningful way. To find the videos, simply type my name and “YouTube” into any search engine, and you will find several videos, including meditations for healing, with soothing music and glorious images of nature.
Any big plans for 2025?
My hope and plan for 2025 is, in the words of the all-embracing Episcopal benediction, to “go in peace to love and serve the Lord,” seeing each drama, setback and obstacle as a gift from the Lord, an opportunity to go “highest-road,” wishing everyone (including a cranky officious state trooper who recently pulled me over for no reason whatsoever) the very best. My hope and plan also includes to view every circumstance, favorable or not favorable, as part of my spiritual curriculum.
Sorry about you getting pulled over by that state trooper; those types of things are almost always no fun. In any case, please allow me to thank you again for this time and opportunity to interview you. It has been a blessing! Please have some closing words.
Thank you for this beautiful opportunity to participate in the Creative Inspirations community, a community I have come to love and for whom I pray always. Thank you, MJ, for your tireless work in giving all of us such a high level and truly uplifting venue to share our creativity, our visions, and our spirituality. To God be the Glory!
Thank you, Nila, and yes, To God be the Glory!
Please be sure to check out Nila's YouTube page.
For past "Spotlight" interviews, please contact MJ at the email below.
January - Joan Leotta
February - Glenda B. Fraizer
March - Rishan Singh
January - Joan Leotta
February - Glenda B. Fraizer
March - Rishan Singh
Creative Inspirations - P.O. Box 19051 Kalamazoo, MI 49019
[email protected] - www.cipoetrypublication.com
[email protected] - www.cipoetrypublication.com