First Chapters Q&A with Koraly Dimitriadis

Koraly Dimitriadis is a widely published and acclaimed Cypriot-Australian poet, writer, actor and performer.  She is a hard-hitting writer of non-fiction and fiction who explores themes such as feminism, sexuality and culture while challenging the traditional norms of literature and art.

Koraly will be reading at First Chapters on Friday 3 August from her book Love & Fuck Poems.

1. Brunswick Bound has asked you to read a piece from your published work.  Tell us what we can expect from the piece you have chosen?

Since my story, Love and Fuck Poems, is told through poetry, I will be performing my poetry, so expect rawness of a Greek tragedy.

2. How would you describe the kind of books that you write?

My upcoming poetry book is Just Give Me The Pills, which is also a novel-in-verse like Love and Fuck Poems, but I have also adapted these two books into a theatre show KORALY: “I say the wrong things all the time” and I have also created short films of my poems, so my poetry lives in many different forms. I have also been working on my debut fiction novel, Divided Island, which I recently received a Wheeler Centre Hot Desk Fellowship for.

3. What was the first book that you read (or had read to you) that left an impression on you?

I have a very bad memory, so I am not sure, but I do remember being obsessed with Shakespeare and I read all the Virginia Andrews books like Flowers In The Attic, and when I was younger I read The Babysitters Club and all of Christopher Pike and RL Stine teenage mystery books.

4. Do you believe that books should answer life’s big questions?

Absolutely. It is through stories that we learn. I would have to say Christos Tsiolkas’s Loaded changed my life and inspired me to question my life.

5. What’s your go-to solution for writer’s block?

Olga Lorenzo, my fiction novel teacher at RMIT once said to me ‘there is no such thing as writers block, it’s just writers not giving themselves permission to have a holiday”. But also, another writer, Angela Mirabito, once said to me that sometimes in order to write the novel we are supposed to write we need to grow into that writer, and I would agree, particularly when it comes to my novel which I have been working on for years.

6.  What is your favourite word or phrase?

Believe in yourself.

7. What do you put down as your occupation when asked?

Writer/performer.

8. What is the question that you hope never to be asked in an author Q&A?

Nothing is off limits ha!

9. What question do you hope you will be asked and why?

I just hope I get asked questions that will help others in some way. My writing is all about connecting with people who feel isolated and misunderstood, because I went through a time in my life like that and I didn’t have anyone to look to. It was hard. 

10. Which author that you have read do you think should be better known or more widely read?

That’s a tricky question. There is so much great talent out there that isn’t being published because they don’t know the right people. Read widely and support underground arts!

Visit the Brunswick Bound website to find out more about First Chapters or book via Eventbrite.