Interview With Krista Katrovas

Welcome to The Women Behind The Poetry, where we interview women from the 'Journey of The Heart: Women's Spiritual Poetry Project'!  

Today we introduce you to the lovely and very generous-hearted Krista Angelique Katrovas who runs a yoga studio and clothing boutique in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she empowers women. 

When and how did you first begin writing poetry? 

“Roses are red

Violets are blue

Sugar is sweet

and so are you”

This was the first poem I remember memorizing, and I wrote poems as a little girl off and on, privately to those I loved, yet never actually giving them to them. I was too scared to show them to anyone.

Which subjects are easiest or hardest for you to write poems on?

I don’t feel there is an easiest, or hardest, but I suppose the hardest were ones on topics that I couldn’t choose myself in school. The “assignment,” poems I suppose were always the “hardest,” and the “easiest,” are those which pours out with so much expediency that the poem seems to write itself and I dictate what is flowing out.

When are some of your sources of inspiration in writing poetry?

Reading others work who I love. Mother Nature, Divine Feminine and the Goddess, are probably the greatest sources of all, from source herself.

 What is your biggest fear or hesitation when deciding to share a poem with the public, and how do you move beyond it?

I suppose there is hesitation when I am telling a story through my poems that reveal those hidden parts of me, and sharing is so liberating, and healing, that there isn’t much fear around the sharing.

What is the most profound, meaningful or enlightening discovery you have made while writing poems?

There is magic in writing poems. A-HA moments always come.

How is writing poetry a spiritual process for you?

 I am an owl by nature. For me, writing poems always happens in the dark hours. The Moon is part of it, my power animals are part of it, and the “quietude,” that the late and great Maya Angelou spoke of, allows Goddess, the divine creative energy, Shakti, to do her dance with my breath and fingertips. 

What function or role has writing poems played for you in your life?

 Poems allow me to shave away the fat in life, so I can get right down to the bones of living.

Name some of your favorite poems, poets or poetry books.

Maya Angelou, I love everything of hers. I also love Alice Walker. Her writing resonates deeply in my bones. William Blake is glorious, Dylan Thomas, Elizabeth Bishop, Sappho, and not only because she was great, but because we share the same birthday, the wondrous Emily Dickinson is my birthday sister and I like to think when I write we’re dancing with every poet alive and also those in spirit.

What effect does reading the poems of others have on you?

To me reading is writing and writing is reading, or there’s something vitally missing. 

How did you first discover Journey of The Heart?

 In wonderful world of faces, Sacred Space Book (Facebook.)

Have you publically shared your poetry before doing so via this project?

 I hold an MFA in Poetry, so yes, I have had poems published and also poetry workshops were an intricate part of the MFA program.

What has been your general experience of sharing your poetry on Journey of The Heart?

AMAZING! Catherine is a Goddess, a Sistar, so dear and kind, and every poem she has made more beautiful through the images she chooses and how kind and sensitive she is to the fellow poetesses. She brings the poems alive on a visceral level, and the poems always come out more beautiful than I ever imagined. It is a blessing to know her and being part of this amazing community has been a true blessing to me. I am profoundly grateful she (Journey of the Heart) has given me the opportunity to dive deeply into my heart and the hearts of others.

 Any last words you’d like to share about poetry?

Poetry is music, dance, a painting, and a pretty dress. It is breath itself. Poetry is a good road, with so much to see along the way. Poetry is funny in that it takes you everywhere and also nowhere, fills you up and also empties, it is the moon and the sun, and the stars, and I’m definitely enjoying the ride.  

Krista Katrovas (E-RYT) has dedicated herself to the practice, study and teaching of yoga since discovering it in 1999 after dancing rigorously as a dance major in college. Krista has had scores of articles on Yoga, Wellness, and Spirituality published in nationally regulated magazines. She has a regular column at Elephant Journal here. She has taught Yoga in Prague every July since 2009 and has been sought to teach in Kuwait, Canada, Virginia, California, Kentucky, and Florida. She calls Kalamazoo, Michigan home, where she teaches Yoga, Meditation, offers Spiritual guidance, and practices Shamanism. She has cats, though also loves dogs, all animals. Her power animal is the Snowy Owl. Visit her yoga website here.

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~If you are one of the poetesses from 'Journey of the Heart', and would like to appear in this blog, just click here to request an interview. We are excited to learn more about you!~

~If you write poetry and would like to share it on 'Journey of The Heart', click here for submission guidelines. And thank you for your interest!~