Just American News got a chance to interview author Elizabeth Pridgen regarding her book Records You Don’t Care About. We got insights into her book, her source of inspiration and much more.
Q. Welcome! It’s great to you have on our platform. Your collection covers such a wide range of emotions, from heartbreak to self-acceptance. What was it like to pour these personal experiences into poetry for the first time?
First, thank you for having me! This was the first time I’ve written and published a poetry collection, so it was truly a challenge to be so raw with emotions in my writing. In my other books, I explored and wrote about the emotions of characters – not my own personal feelings like in “Records You Don’t Care About”. So writing all my personal experiences and emotions was an eye-opener and a challenge, especially when I’ve been writing about characters in my books and nothing about myself. I wanted to be authentic as I possibly could while also taking some risks at the same time and not being afraid to take such risks. I really had to do a lot of personal digging and self-reflection on things that have impacted me, and how it made me feel, whether if it was good, bad or somewhere in-between. It’s because the true beauty of poetry is that you can have poems tackle the good, the bad and the in-between whether if it be in a whole collection, or just one single poem.
Q. In “Records You Don’t Care About,” you explore themes of love and loss alongside growth and resilience. Was there a specific experience or moment in your life that inspired you to start writing this collection?
I first started writing “Records You Don’t Care About” after a tough break-up I had a few years ago. At that time, I already had a lot going on with plenty of difficulties and disappointments, but the break-up was really the big moment that inspired me to write the collection. Quite honestly, it’s a documentation of the healing process after dealing with heartbreak. It’s hard to deal with at first, but the longer it’s been, the easier it is to heal and move on, as well as accepting yourself more. When you first go through something that devastating, you really question yourself and your value much like I did. You constantly ask questions like, “What did I do?” “What’s wrong with me?” “What could I have done differently?”
Then, as time passed being on my own, I loved myself more and had different thoughts such as: “I deserve better.” “I know I deserve better.” “I know I can do better.” “This isn’t the end, this is just the beginning.” As I look back on this collection, I get blown away looking at where I was at the start of writing this collection, to now and it’s amazing how time works.
Q. Poetry has such a unique ability to convey raw emotion. What do you hope readers feel or take away as they read your poems on heartbreak and new love?
My biggest hope is for readers to relate to the poems. I’ve known several people in my life who have experienced heartbreak, then learning something from it, and then finding new love. It’s a bittersweet life experience, but it’s a shared one I think a lot people can relate to. You put so much time, effort, money and other things into this relationship that you think will work out until the end of time, and it doesn’t. It’s one of the worst feelings in the world, especially when you realize you wasted so much on something that didn’t last as long as you thought it would.
Obviously, no one wants to get their heart broken but sometimes, that same heartbreak can lead to a path that either makes or breaks you but the choice is ultimately yours. For me personally, the path after that break-up was tough at first. But the more time that passed, the more I realized that there was much I could learn from it and do better for myself. Ultimately I did because I’m in a happier and healthier place than I was.
Q. Who are your favorite poets and why?
One of my favorite poets is Ina Cariño. I adore their poems “Hibiscus Dream No. 4” and “Tell Me You Love Me Without Telling Me You Love Me”. They just have an incredible talent for showcasing raw emotions without giving too much away and that kind of talent is something fellow writers dream of having. It is also really inspiring to see their accolades and accomplishments especially being a fellow writer of Philippine heritage.
I also really admire Dorianne Laux and Eduardo Corral. I actually worked with both of them during my time at NC State University while I was in undergrad and they both taught me so much about the art of poetry. The one thing that both of them taught me was to take risks and to have fun with it. If it wasn’t for them, I don’t think I would be where I am as a writer and I just owe them so much for all that they’ve taught and shared with me while I was still trying to find my voice. To this day, I still read “Facts About the Moon” by Dorianne Laux and “Slow Lightning” by Eduardo Corral.
Q. What do you hope to explore in your next work?
One thing I’d really like to explore in my next work would probably be writing more poetry and tackling more complex emotions. I’m not entirely sure what type of emotions yet… Maybe one related to emotions of grief or loss, or perhaps happy poetry would be a good challenge, especially since my mom always asks when I’ll ever write happy poetry and I’ve never been able to.
Q. Finally, as we ask all our guests, do you have any closing thoughts that you would like to share with the world and our readers?
One closing thought I’d like to share is that I really hope people can relate to the poems in this collection. I also hope it brings some sort of peace of mind knowing that if you’ve been in the same situation, know that you’re not alone and that things do eventually get better. I also want to once again thank you for having me and thank all my family, friends and readers for supporting my work and I hope you enjoy “Records You Don’t Care About”.
About the author: Elizabeth Pridgen is an author from Nash County, North Carolina. Her career began at the age of 18 after publishing her first-ever novel, The Life of David Earl Penning, with Outlaws Publishing LLC. She is also the author of NEVERAFTER, and the Amazon Best-Seller Zero Gravity. She also recently released her first-ever poetry collection, Records You Don’t Care About. Pridgen graduated from Nash Community College with an Associate in Arts with honors in 2020 and NC State University with a Bachelor’s of English with honors in 2022. Whenever she is not writing, she spends time with family, friends, her boyfriend, Cameron, and her three dogs, Hershey, Daisy and Jack.
Get your copy of “Records You Don’t Care About” from Amazon today!
