Interview with Jasz Marieh, Author of the Poetry Collection “Brown-Eyed Wonder”
This week, I sat down with indie author, musician, and poet Jasz Marieh to discuss her writing, music, and of course, her inspiring new poetry collection, Brown-Eyed Wonder.
Watch our entire author interview on YouTube.
Enjoying life in South Carolina, Jasz Marieh has a busy schedule between work, creating poetry, and pursuing a degree in English Arts. When she's not working or writing, she's most likely spending time with family or making music with her siblings.
Jasz Marieh has always been passionate about writing. In our interview, she recalled being 6 years old, writing poems and sharing them with her mom and dad. When Jasz was in the fifth grade, her teacher, Ms. David, really encouraged her writing and would read her short stories to the whole class. With that supportive nudge, Jasz found her favorite hobby quickly shifting into a passion. In high school, she participated in poetry contests and also got published in the literary collection, The Pen.
After high school, Jasz started college at USC Beaufort in South Carolina, before taking a mental health break after COVID. After working on her mental health and taking time to create and pause, she was able to self-publish her book Brown-Eyed Wonder and start college back up this year at the University of Phoenix.
When I asked about the driving inspiration behind Brown-Eyed Wonder, this is what Jasz said: "It came from a time where I was in a very rough place in my life, growing up in my adolescence. Over the past two years, I've battled anxiety and depression really badly. I went through a spiritual awakening, and it brought me a lot of clarity in my life. I was like, 'How can I turn this pain into something positive that people are gonna read and be inspired by, especially poetry lovers?'
"I want people to interpret the book for themselves," she continued, "but it was a really deep process-- a long seven months of being really emotional. It's 29 pages of my experience."
Jasz also explained how this book was years in the making, starting with an idea for the title when she was only 15 years old. She said, "I'm 21 now, but at 15, I wanted to write this book and name it Brown-Eyed Wonder because to me Brown-Eyed Wonder is myself in a heroic form, if you will. I died down from the project, and I started doing other stuff, like creating music, working, and school."
After taking her mental health break, she wanted to return to her project with a fresh perspective. "I wanted to go back, not speaking from my 15-year-old self, but from my 20-year-old self and my experiences as a young adult," she explained. "It was a very long process. I had to isolate myself so many times, and sometimes I wondered how it would even happen, especially with self-publishing. It's a lot because it's all your responsibility, but it was great."
Jasz also explained how writing Brown-Eye Wonder was a very changing and healing experience for her: "I know a lot of people say it's very therapeutic to write, but it was something personal for me. Writing Brown-Eyed Wonder made me look at myself deeply because it was on paper. I was dealing with my emotions and articulating them as I wrote them down
on paper. I made it into something creative, and I was like, 'Wow, this is what I went through, and this is what I overcame.' It was very inspiring for me, and it was healing as well. When I read it now, I feel so at peace."
This transformative experience for Jasz ended up creating a beautiful piece of art, dedicated to anyone struggling with their mental health. "I just wanted to give a dedication to anybody battling mental health issues, anxiety or depression, anything dark," Jasz said. "This is my dedication, giving you a digital hug and saying it's going to be all right. You are strong. You are fearless. And you are powerful. Step in God's will and have a lot of faith. Continue to be creative and live creativity. That's what I'm doing."
Brown-Eyed Wonder by Jasz Marieh is available on Amazon.
In addition to writing poetry, Jasz loves making music with her siblings, dabbling in rap and indie music. To check out her music, visit her Audicloud.
Jasz is excited for the future, determined to jump into the author's life and push out more books and music this year! To keep up with her upcoming projects, follow Jasz Marieh on her socials!
Keep up with Jasz Marieh and her books!!
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