Asmhmore Green man’s anthology picked up by international publisher

An Ashmore Green man’s book of poetry has been picked up by an international publisher.

The Spark an Ode to Life is 29-year-old Rahul Mirchandani’s debut anthology based around the themes of nature, relationships, love and hope.

The book, published by Austin Macauley, is available in major outlets such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Waterstones throughout the UK, USA, India, China and Europe.

Mr Mirchandani started compiling it in 2017 as a book of longer poems.

But over time decided to condense it into much shorter verses that were easier for people to read and digest.

“I’ve had these poems on my laptop for a long time, but I wanted to share them with the world,” he said.

“There are people out there who share the same passion and express their emotions in a way others can relate to and that for me was who I wanted to connect with.”

Mr Mirchandani has always had a love of poetry, but said it was past relationships that gave him the inspiration to start writing it.

“For me, saying things we are not necessarily able to say out loud, feelings other people can relate to but we can’t necessarily put into words, is a very powerful thing,” he said.

“I have seen a lot of poetry about loss and hate and grief, but I have tried to keep it as upbeat and as positive as possible.

“There are always things that will get us down, but I have never wanted to express pain in my writing.

“It has never come naturally to me.”

He said there are different things that inspire him, from everyday situations to social media.

“It could be something like a party,” he added.

“Where different people are gathering to talk about different things, all chatting about their life and enjoying each other’s company.

“The different sounds, sights, smells, the atmosphere, there’s so much you could write.

“I also love reading other poetry on Instagram, it’s a great platform for people to express themselves.”