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Post office worker Paul Immanuel has only written one poem but is currently immersed in writing a novel about a serial killer. He explains why his children are the source of his creativity.
April/May 2007
Paul Immanuel
I wrote the poem ‘BlackFace’ years ago, and I haven’t written another one since. I can only hope that my muse hasn’t left me.
I’m currently writing a book about a serial killer. It’s a huge challenge but one that I enjoy. My two children have made me more focused and determined to contribute to the black community.
From an early age I found creative writing a joy. Writing seems to come quite naturally to me. Characters and words seem to effortlessly spring to life. However, at times they remain elusive and it is at these moments that I really see what I’m made of.
Writing provides fantastic escapism. It enables me to momentarily escape reality and create my own world. But I also find it to be a great tool which enables me to deal with reality, be it social, philosophical or political.
As a writer you have an ability to move people and stir their emotions; this is a fascinating thing. I consider writing to be a potent tool that can entertain, bring hope, express love, project pain, incite hate, arouse passions, and in short manipulate the thoughts and emotions of others. This is why I am very critical of what words I put down on paper.
Writers who inspire me are William Wordsworth (‘Daffodils’), Edward Bunker (‘Dog eat Dog’) and Ralph Ellison (‘The Invisible Man ’). But my biggest inspiration is life itself. I try to communicate my experiences and interpretations as precisely as possible, but at times it’s like a group of people staring at a painting. Each have their own interpretation, but as long as they keep looking then all is well.
Read: BlackFace
Biography
Paul Immanuel is a 29-year-old post office worker with two children (a boy and a girl). Of Ghanaian parentage, he is ‘attempting to learn the language’ before a planned trip to Ghana. He is active in the community and supports a number of charities. Paul, his sister and a friend are developing a ‘pragmatic approach’ to aid and assist parents who have difficulty bringing up their children. And along with two work colleagues, he has collected 130 signatures from people at work who are willing to give a weekly donation to the Sickle Cell Society.
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