Martina Matijević Interview

Welcome to the 17th Wolf Twin Review!

Introducing our Spring featured poet Martina Matijević: a haikai poet, law student, family grape picker, and lover of astronomy.

Portrait by: Tré

capturing 

child’s first swim — 

waves

sparrow song — 

grandad dusts off 

his farm boots

choosing 

a side I’ll take… 

beach towel

Martina Matijević Interview:

1. Of all the creative outlets, what made you choose haiku?

I think that it wasn't a choice at all. One summer afternoon, I sat in the yard, thinking about the armed conflicts that were taking place at the time. I felt the need to express my thoughts. Haiku came to my mind as an interesting way to make a comment succinctly and sharply. So I grabbed a pen and a piece of paper, and the first three pieces that I ever wrote were anti-war. From then on, writing haiku has become a basic need for survival, such as water or food, especially since I have always struggled to express my emotions. When I finished the three pieces, it felt like I finally took a deep breath after a long time. Though I was too green to realize that the resting poet, feeling the satisfaction of finishing a piece, is very different from the working poet struggling with inspiration.

2. How long have you been writing haiku?

I have been writing haiku for about a year now, primarily to calm cognitive anxiety and dilute it onto paper. I have to thank DJ Tyrer, the editor of 5-7-5 Haiku Journal, who was the first to accept my submission. If he hadn’t accepted my poems, I don’t think I would have continued writing. However, those very early haiku were, quite privately, at a beginner level.

The following summer, everything seemed to take off. I still don’t fully understand why. My best friend from high school passed away, and I was grieving. Perhaps it was the summer, full of nature motifs that ignite the senses, that inspired me deeply. However, I was most inspired to write about her:

constellation / the trip you took / without me

(Previously published in Fropond.)

I also reflected upon unrequited love:

field of daisies / I fix the result to / "he loves me"

(Previously published in Acorn.)

I should also mention that the words of Sue, the chief editor of Acorn, have motivated me to keep going.

3. You’ve touched on a wide range of themes in your work, both light and heavy. Have you enjoyed pushing yourself further?

I usually like pushing myself further, but it's not necessarily enjoyable. That's when real poetic growth happens, I think. For example, I wrote an anti-war piece and submitted it to the City of Perth's Haiku on Hay Competition, which was the first time I had entered a haiku contest. I wasn't focused on winning anything. I just wanted to use the opportunity to share my message. In the end, it was Highly Commended. 

4. What is your focus for this year?

My focus for this year is to dabble in prose writing. I have always had a special interest in short stories with a unique perspective on common themes, such as Prosenjak's The Happiness Sower, which is the last short story in his eponymous book. Furthermore, I want to explore dream-like states and the unconscious mind through Surrealism in longer poems. Perhaps this is because García Lorca’s Farewell is the one piece from high school that has stayed with me since I first read it. I also want to explore haiga and tanka, and I have been heavily influenced by Lavana Kray's work in haiga.

5. You’ve been writing while in school. Can you tell us about your studies?

I'm majoring in Law. Legal terminology has unexpectedly inspired me on a few occasions. My favorite class so far has been Criminal Law. I haven't fully decided what I will do, but I imagine it will be in the aforementioned branch of law.

6. Do you have a favorite writing spot?

I don't prefer a particular writing spot in the sense of a physical workspace. It's any place that gives me an idea about something to write about. Therefore, it changes. Most often, it's my usual walking route, lined with neatly kept front yards full of flowers. But it's not just about a literal space. Lately, my favorite writing spot has been wherever I stumble upon a fascinating passerby. Just yesterday, it was a nice old lady talking about her grandsons. I'm particularly inspired when they can teach me about a subject I'm not familiar with. I mean, one of them explained how to properly prune. I keep mental notes of these conversations to use as metaphors in my poems.

7. Are you active in local writing communities, or are your interactions mostly online?

The town is rather small, so the haiku community is virtually non-existent. Therefore, most of my interactions take place online, because it is much easier to find fellow haiku writers. These interactions have helped me learn more about the craftsmanship, and the feedback I've received has proven to be invaluable. I have been publishing a haiku inspired by a famous painting every Tuesday for a while now, and I absolutely adore discussing the interpretations with other poets.

8. What was life like growing up?

I was born in the small town of Požega, where numerous hillsides are covered in vineyards. My grandfather also had one, which became the central motif of my first haiku published in Haiku Commentary. I was still facing rejections at the time, so that acceptance meant a lot to me. My parents, my sister Marta, and I would go help harvest the grapes, and those were some of my favorite childhood memories. I liked playing in the streets with other kids during summer nights. I was also a curious child, always wondering why things are the way they are, especially in astronomy and medicine. I would stare into the night sky and try to imagine what the other galaxies look like. However, I wasn’t disciplined enough to tame that curiosity and sit down to write about the things that interested me.

9. Do you find yourself switching haikai forms according to your mood?

Haiku, I must admit, has sometimes felt like a straitjacket when I wanted to capture more of life, including its extremely trivial everyday moments, such as washing a face, or, technically, when I wanted to use more adjectives. Haiku demands that these accessories be removed. Therefore, I started experimenting with tanka, longer poems, and prose. In fact, my first tanka was recently published in Quail Eggs. I like the ordinariness of everyday life, and though haiku is almost always my first choice to capture it, I find myself engaged with other haikai forms and even other poetry forms when I desire more peripherals. 

10. What has this last year of writing taught you?

Through all of this, I’ve come to see haiku not just as a form of poetry, but as a lens for understanding the world and myself. Writing helps me navigate emotions, celebrate small moments, and reflect on life’s complexities—from childhood memories and personal loss to curiosity about the universe and society around me. I’m always exploring new ways to push the boundaries of the form, whether through haiga, haibun, or slightly longer poems, and I’m excited to continue learning, experimenting, and connecting with other writers along the way.

11. If you were a tree, which would you be?

If I were a tree, I would be a birch. My grandmother has one planted in front of her house. I remember observing it through the window during summer night storms as a child and thinking about how strong it actually was, even though it looked fragile at first. It bent like paper, and its branches graciously swayed in the wind, as if barely noticing the gusts.

Follow: BlueSky

To Martina:

Thank you very much for submitting your fantastic poetry and for being our Spring Featured Poet. Joining your journey and imagining where haikai poetry shall lead you is a joy. We are honored to say, "Welcome to the Wolf Pack!"

Dearest Readers:

Greetings, fellow poetry lovers. We hope you enjoyed our Martina Matijević interview. Thank you for your continued support of the literary arts! Subscribe and return to experience all our moonstruck poets. Owwwoooooo!

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