Poetry

Marinarena is an observational poet, who’s a tad bit on the mysterious side, mostly happy, very down-to-earth, curious, and absolutely looks forward what life will reveal to her. She resides in southern California, which has been home for most of her life. The golden state is where her heart and soul thrives but they drift to all parts of the world, of which she plans to see more.

Writing has been a way to let her inner thoughts run rampant and has become like a best friend to whom to turn in need for understanding and healing. Particularly, it is poetry that is a muse for her, thriving on freeform and a confessional style. She has a strong admiration for metaphors and irony. Poetry has become a source for wit and insight for human relationships. One of her common writing approaches is to recognize but expand on poetry’s conventions, such as the haiku. Beyond poetry, expanding on to short stories is anticipated along her developmental path.

Favorite poetic writers who inspire her include the great Dante, Langston Hughes, Sandra Cisneros, and Merrit Malloy. The latter two writers are especially influential to her particular female perspective, especially when addressing matters of the heart and relationships. Another favorite author, Milan Kundera, influences her with the significance of recognizing the inner dialogue of human beings.

As a reader, she enjoys mostly poetry and 20th century novels and plays. She is drawn to stories of everyday life, incredible journeys and coming-of-age stories. Also, she has a great fascination with post-modern fiction, journal-style writing and biographies. Considerable all-time favorites books are: To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye and Island of Blue Dolphins, and she feels that there will be another classic or two to add on the list.

Aside from literary influences, she is inspired and has a great fondness for strong musician/songwriters. Many of these include folkish female pop/rock artists like Sarah McLachlan, Jewel, Alana Davis and Alanis Morissette. Other notable influences include Sting, Neil Peart and Prince. Moreover, she is a lover of most genres, including country and blues. Both of these reflect her gravitation to “slice of life” and “tell it like it is” storytelling.

As for her goals as a writer, she strives to connect with her readers, not to leave one thinking, “what’s the point here?” or “what the world is she trying to say?”

Read selections:

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