Anyone can write words on a piece of paper, but it is a writer who beautifully articulates something very average, describes artistically the typical, transforms the ordinary into extraordinary pieces of art. Author, poet and artist, Joe Straynge, armed with his talent and creativity, does just that.
Originally from Canada, Straynge lives in Burlington, Ontario with his brilliant mind that he uses for his poetry and the cluttered desk that he writes it on.
He had a very, very successful 2015 with his debut poetry collection Rambler (Volume 1) being published in that year. His second poetry book Hometown Blues: City Stroller Poems was also published in the same year along with his debut novel A Little Red Book. It doesn’t stop there – success has flowed into this year as well with his second novel Young Violence set to release this May; if you read his poems, it’s easy to understand why.
He studied Philosophy and Creative Writing at Oxford, UK and then did a course in Print Journalism from Sheridan College, Ontario for a year before he decided to drop out. He also worked at a few places including FedEx and Isotope Music Inc. for a couple of years before deciding to pursue his love for poetry and writing and now gets his amazing work published through Underwater Mountains Publishing.
I stalked him terribly (and I mean terribly – across all social media platforms he has made an account on, yes!) to realize that he is deeply philosophical and his understanding of the world goes beyond the superficial and the shallow. His responses to the comments he receives on his Instagram pictures are as thought-provoking as they are thoughtful.
His poems broach mainly the topic of love, the nature of truth and the flow of life. He talks about growth, existence, the struggles of life, how they calm and terrify him at the same time, and the movement that surrounds us, eternal yet painful. His poems gently prod the past, discover the present and explore the future. The idea of love features in several of his poems; they express how love moves him, how the emotion has affected him as a person and how it slowly, in the due course of time, changes his life, only to make him complete.
He is of the opinion that poetry is much needed in the world today. We have ideas, thoughts, opinions, voices, all bursting at the seams to make a change in the world we live in. He believes a silent revolution is starting on Instagram by these very poets who mesmerize audiences with their poems. There will be a change, and with all his creative expression and exceptional talent, Joe Straynge will definitely be a part of it.
