Citizens of Decadence, poetry from the next generation

A new writer has been added to the growing list of published poets.  The Factory Books product line is proud to include seventeen year old University of Belize student, Bastien Cantareul. The youth’s collection, called Citizens of Decadence, is filled with forty poems of pure, though dark, emotions. Cantareul shared some of his poems at the launching this morning at the Image Factory.

Jose Sanchez

“It’s very to notice that they are mostly dark.”

Bastien Cantareul, Poet

“Yes. That is correct.”

Jose Sanchez

“Why dark poems? You look very happy.”

Bastien Cantareul

Bastien Cantareul

“I’m not. I look very happy, but it’s in the first introduction; it’s like I am sad, but happy.”

Jose Sanchez

“Is it simply a representation of you, of your generation? What is your collection about?

Bastien Cantareul

“About me mostly. About stuff bothering me; about people bothering me—stuff like that. It’s like proving my worth or something like that. I feel like I’m actually doing something that helps me feel a little bit better.”

Jose Sanchez

“Don’t you feel a sense of nakedness now sharing it with the rest of the country?”

Bastien Cantareul

“Yeah I feel more like I just reveal everything to everybody and now I just wait for what everybody will think about me—all the bad reactions I wah get.”

Jose Sanchez

“Your inspiration for writing, where does it come from?”

Bastien Cantareul

“Everything. Anything, people, certain people, stuff I see.”