A special feature of Gloria Magallanes-Loeb interviewed by our Contributing Editor/Interviewer, Carl Scharwath.
Photo above is Author, Gloria Magallanes-Loeb holding her newly published book: "Nature"
I had the pleasure of interviewing Gloria Magallanes-Loeb for ILA Magazine. (Her family and friends call her "Glo") I present to you, first, Gloria's impressive biography and I hope you find her insights will benefit your own art: Gloria is the author of "NATURE: The Moon, The Sky, Flowers and Feelings" that was recently published and available on Amazon, Lulu and Barnes & Noble. It is under the McKinley Publishing Hub, aka (MPH). Her name is pronounced "Ma-ga-Yllanes" and married name like an EARLOBE. She was born in Walnut Creek, California to a father who served in the US Army and decided to bring his whole family back to his homeland in the Philippine Islands. It was supposed to be a vacation for a month but lasted for years! All her siblings went back to California after graduation. Gloria studied Bachelor of Sciences in Commerce and majored in Business Management. She now resides in California for over 30+ years, is married and with one grown son. She started writing poetry in grade school but it was in high school, she had her poems published in the school paper Tolentine Star @ UNO-R University of Negros Occidental Recoletos. She wrote off and on through the years but during the pandemic, started to write again with the encouragement of her high school classmate and fellow poetess, Helen Sarita, who invited her to the very first poetry group, PASSION OF POETRY, aka, POP, since she knew it was my passion. She's the founder and president of Filipino Poets in Blossoms, aka, FPB and also Blossom International Magazine, which I was featured twice. I'm also one of her moderators and joined more or so about 50 groups which I'm an active member. I've won several certificates, awards and recognition. I was invited by POP Founder, Annette Tarpley last 2022 to do an Open Mic Event along with other poets all over the world on Zoom. Also recited my poem on the YouTube channel on Coffee with Loi by founder of Vibrant Poetry and administrator of Pen Wonders group by Loi Monroe. I have recently received the highest of all Lifetime Achievement Award by GWWC Genesis World Writers Community headed and co-founded by Aida Rogue who is a respected writer and author, who now has founded a new group, Poetic Gold Flame Ink Society. Gloria is also a contributing author of 13 book anthologies. She also wrote the Foreword of Myths & Legends along with another poetess by McKinley Publishing Hub, founded by Eureka Robey. It tops the ten best newly released books on Amazon. When not working, Gloria likes to go on walks and hikes to the parks enjoying the sunny weather. She loves visiting museums, art galleries, farmers markets and watching movies. Once in a while, as time will permit, she sketches, too. She's a lover of nature.
CARL SCHARWATH: Good morning, Gloria and thank you for your time today with ILA Magazine. I noticed you had a mentor, Helen Sarita, so my first question is, how important is it to a writer to have a mentor or someone who encourages you?
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GLORIA: It's important to have a mentor because it gives you inspiration, confidence and trust in yourself that boost you to write anything coming deep inside you. Especially when this mentor assures you have the natural talent and keeps on doing what you love most.
CARL SCHARWATH: Can you tell us a bit about your journey as a poet? How did you first become interested in poetry?
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GLORIA: I was in grade school, probably 10 years old, I think. When I was captivated by the sky, the patterns of clouds and birds flying that I thought, what a nice idea to write about the wonderful things around us. So, I got a pen and paper and started to scribble describing about the scenery. Just like what William Wordsworth said about nature,
"A good relationship with nature helps some individuals to connect to the spiritual and social worlds for their development in life."
CARL SCHARWATH: Could you describe your creative process when it comes to writing poetry? Do you have any specific rituals/routines that help you get in the writing mindset?
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GLORIA: I like to wake up very early in the morning when everyone else is still asleep. A quiet ambiance makes you think clearly and sharp as it automatically comes to my mind and I'm sipping my hot mug of green tea. I can write a simple poem within ten minutes or 30 minutes if I need to do a rhyming poem, an hour maybe, if it's something a bit hard, which I take a break and then go back to work on and finish. Words would jump out of nowhere and I need to jog down right away before I lose the idea. Even when I'm about to go to sleep, a lightbulb just flashes in my head. I can write about on average, 5 poems a day.
CARL SCHARWATH: What messages or emotions do you hope your readers or listeners take away from your poetry?
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GLORIA: I want all young and alike to enjoy reading something that makes them feel comfortable, happy and stress free after a long day, to go home and unwind. Let their thoughts wander freely in the world of nature and immerse themselves into the beauty that surrounds us and appreciate God's gifts we take for granted.
CARL SCHARWATH: Please give us your best advice for an aspiring poet who is just starting out.
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GLORIA: If your passion is to be a poet, don't stop writing. Keep going till you finally achieve your dream. No one can say you're not good enough. Because even the well-known poets and artists started out from scratch, from nothing. Becoming what you want to have, takes sacrifices, determination and confidence. Write about anything that comes to your mind, like family, friends, current events, tragedy, happiness from your childhood, your first crush, heartbreak or even a bad experience, and put it into writing by pouring out all your emotions as this could be your winning piece as a poet or poetess.
CARL SCHARWATH: I see you are in multiple poetry groups, so my final question is what do you like best about our ILA Group and why should a writer join a group?
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GLORIA: What I like about ILA is the feeling of camaraderie among its administrators toward its members giving a welcoming hug to everyone. A great poetry platform in learning about literature, the different poetry forms, understanding the meaning of words to use in your poem that gives an effective touch. Most of all I think it's good as a writer to explore his or her career to get more exposure to be known out there in the world of poetry and be connected to other people and also help them be inspired and encouraged them to continue what is closest to their heart, be steadfast, patient and successful without turning back.
CARL SCHARWATH: Thank you again for everything Gloria, we at ILA, wish you a bright future and look forward to following your journey. ** About ILA Magazine's Contributing Editor/Interviewer, Carl Scharwath: Carl Scharwath is from the sunshine state of Florida. He is the Art Editor of Minute Magazine, a Contributing Editor/Interviewer of ILA Magazine and Contributing Editor/Interviewer of CreatiVIngenuitiy Magazine. His work appears globally, with 150+ journals selecting his poetry, short stories, interviews, essays, art/photography and most recently, plays. Carl is the author of seven (3 literary and 4 photography) books.