Welcome to Kala’s Quick Five, where I chat with fascinating authors, artists, teachers and researchers and ask them five questions about their work. My guest today is Cendrine Marrouat, an author, poet and freelance writer for Examiner.com. Her new book of poetry, Five Years and Counting: A Journey into the Mind of Soul, is the topic of our discussion for this interview.

Kala: Cendrine, you spent most of your life in France, before moving to Canada is 2003. How has your life experience of living in France and then moving to a new country, affected your writing and your view of the world?

Cendrine: I believe that everybody should be an immigrant at some point in their life. It would make a lot of people more humble and compassionate. As a result, the world would be a much better place.

I love Canada. I feel I belong here. However, a small portion of the population is very racist and I have had to bear the brunt of it, like many other foreigners. However, I am grateful for the experience. Now, I look at people in a different way and stop taking them for granted; I understand that most of the time, they are not even conscious that fears run their lives.

Also my relationship with God is more meaningful. And of course, it shows in my writing.

Kala: In your new book, ‘Five Years and Counting’, you selected poetry from a five year point of your writing and grouped it into what you describe as the most important stages of life, including: birth, teen years, adulthood and elevation. What inspired you to group the poetry this way and to write the book?

Cendrine: At the inception of my career in 2005, I knew a book like ‘Five Years and Counting’ would come along. I wanted to celebrate my first five years as a writer; it was a milestone for me.

Last year, as I reread my poetry from 2005 to 2009, I realized that my style had changed a lot. While the first poems focused on painful emotions, the more recent ones were assertive, peaceful and mature. Then in the middle, there were grieving and the search for answers at a deeper level. The stages came naturally, as I realized that poetry is both a personal and universal language.

‘Five Years and Counting’ contains more than 160 poems that will lead you through the labyrinth of life. Human beings start with the primal cry — the need to be heard. Then, they reach adolescence and look for independence. The adults they become find answers to most of their questions and start learning how to cope with the pain of losing. Elevation occurs when we are no longer afraid of experiencing life beyond loss and understand that there is beauty beyond death.

Kala: Looking back on these stages of your life, what did you discover about yourself, that you may not have been aware of, until you wrote about it?

Cendrine: I would not say that I discovered anything new about myself. Regrouping the pieces into stages helped me realize that I had really made the right decisions in my life.

Kala: As a poet and writer, what tips would you give to our readers, who may be interested in writing poetry for the first time or writing in general to express who they are and what they feel?

Cendrine: Always write with your heart and soul. Get out of your comfort zone and embrace your fears. Open yourself to the world and see it with the eyes of a child. Once you stop judging and comparing yourself to others, the rest will come in due time.

Kala: Beyond the work that you do as a writer, how do you ‘Explore Your Spirit’?

Cendrine: Exploring your/the Spirit is something that can be done at any moment of the day or night. When I am not busy with my journalistic career (I write five columns for Examiner.com and contribute articles to a few other sites and my poetry, I love spending time in nature and taking pictures. I also enjoy recording spoken word poetry (I am currently working on the new version of ‘Rizen‘, my debut CD) and listening to silence. If you have never sat in the middle of the night with your eyes closed and let silence whisper in your ears, you have not really enjoyed a true connection with God and your inner child.

Kala: Cendrine,  thank you for joining me here on Kala’s Quick Five. More about Cendrine and her book can be found at www.cendrinemarrouat.com

Cendrine: Thank you so much for the opportunity!

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More about Kala Ambrose: Kala Ambrose is an award winning author, wisdom teacher and host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her book 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled, delves into the mysteries of ancient Egyptian mystery schools and explains their wisdom teachings. Kala Ambrose is a highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire. She teaches and lectures around the U.S. on the Ancient Wisdom Teachings of Egypt and Greece, Exploring Auras, Chakras and Energy Fields, and Wise Woman Wisdom (how to connect with your feminine power). More information about Kala at www.ExploreYourSpirit.com