Creative on the rise!
Introducing Henrietta!
Henrietta O. is an exceptionally talented and gifted poet, with remarkable passion and determination to make impactful strides in the world through her craft and this is very obvious in her remarkable talents and consistency in the world of Literature, specifically poetry which speaks for itself. Her introspective and brilliant style of writing is exactly why Henrietta is now here on the most prestigious writers platform in the world.
Today, we take a foray into the world of Henrietta O. with excerpts below detailing her amazing story.
I’m Henrietta O, a self-taught poet and multidisciplinary creative based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Born March 6th, 1995, and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. I am the second of three children, with my brother (Henry Jr) the oldest sibling and my sister (Harriet) being the youngest. My parents are Henry Ufuoma Odiete and Uduma Justina Odiete. I grew up surrounded by music, art, creativity and family. I’ve always been drawn to the quiet places where emotion and expression meet. I started piano lessons at 9 years old and later went on to master sight reading and join my secondary school’s orchestra, playing second flute at age 13.
My father taught us how to draw as kids, and he bought me my first guitar at 12 years old later buying me my first electric guitar and lead guitar instruction book at age fourteen, encouraging me play.
I taught myself how to write poetry to give shape to what I couldn’t always say aloud. Over time, that same curiosity and inner drive led me to paint, to draw, to become proficient in acoustic and lead guitar, and to speak other languages, French and Italian each offering a different lens through which to feel and connect.
Creativity is how I’ve learned to come home to myself. My work is deeply personal, rooted in themes of healing, memory, identity, and love. Whether through words, melody, or colour, I create to understand and to be understood.
I obtained my bachelor’s (Bachelor of Applied Sciences, Honours Electrical Engineering) degree from the University of Waterloo in 2018. I currently reside in Toronto Ontario.
I began writing poetry at 13 to explore the complexities of my inner world. I was considered highly sensitive and always in deep thought as a child. In the early days, my work was something I did in private due to its heavy themes, but everything changed when, at 16, my English teacher saw something in me after handing in a poetry assignment, encouraging me to keep writing. She then submitted one of my poems to a Young Writer’s Canada in 2011. I had no idea how pivotal that moment would become.
For years, my writing remained a private part of my life, something only a few people knew about. Eventually, I decided to gather poems from scattered places my diary (aka The Green Book), my phone, notes, and laptop. What began as a personal outlet has grown into something much more, culminating in the upcoming release of my debut poetry collection, What the Silence Gave Me, and other creative projects on the horizon.
When I write: I write when something moves me; an emotion, a prompt, a thought, or a moment of clarity. I don’t force poems to come; I wait until the words feel ready. Most of my writing begins with a strong feeling or image, and from there, I follow the thread wherever it leads.
How long it takes: Many of my poems come together in 5 to 10 minutes as first drafts, especially when the emotion is clear and focused. Some pieces take much longer, weeks, even months and years depending on the depth of what I’m exploring. I trust that each poem knows how it wants to unfold.
Revision Process: I usually revise within a week of writing. I might adjust the flow, tone, or structure, small changes that help the poem land more honestly. I also revisit older pieces from years ago, refining the language or adding new stanzas when something new wants to be said.
Where I find Inspiration: A lot of my inspiration comes from diary entries, writing prompts, and thoughts that stay with me throughout the day. I’m also deeply inspired by music—especially lyrics that explore emotion, myth, and inner transformation. My favourite genres are progressive metal, alternative metal, symphonic and gothic metal, progressive rock, alternative jazz, soul, alt-rock and anything soft and melodic. These genres feel emotionally rich and dramatically honest, and they’ve played a big role in shaping how I express myself.
My early poetry was heavily influenced by gothic and symphonic metal bands like Within Temptation, Theatre of Tragedy, Evanescence, Lacuna Coil, Epica, and Nightwish. The lyrical, atmospheric nature of their music taught me how to write from a place of intensity and imagination. That influence is still with me today, it’s how I learned to give emotion a voice and rhythm. It’s become a part of my poetic language.
My later work comes from the whispers of my inner voice, that unwavering voice within guides every pen stroke on the page and every word choice, I am also heavily influence by authors such as Pablo Coehlo, Maya Angelou, Viktor Frankl, Albert Camus, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Mark Lawerence and R.F Kuang.
I choose titles intuitively. Some come to me long before the poem is written, often inspired by a song, a feeling, or a phrase that lingers in my mind. Summer Heat and Come Clean are good examples both titles existed in my notes well before I ever sat down to write the actual poems. I just knew they held something I would eventually need to say.
Other titles emerge after the poem is finished, when I can feel what the piece is about. Smile, Le Hasard, and Liminal Spaces were all named after I reread them and understood the emotion or message coming through. Some titles revealed themselves once I was ready to hear them.
Every title feels like a doorway. It must reflect the heart of the poem and resonate with both my inner voice and the truth the poem holds.
How I know it’s ready: I know a poem is ready when I can read it back and feel it resonate not just emotionally, but spiritually. When it echoes my inner voice and feels aligned, I know it’s complete. If it stays with me after a few quiet readings, and nothing feels out of place, then I trust it’s time to let it go into the world.
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By Carl Armstrong
(Editor at large)
