Featured Author Perry Kay

Featured Interview With Perry Kay

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Perry Kay. I was born and raised in good old New York. Growing up in a very insular Ultra-Orthodox Jewish environment, I never had the chance to use my voice. Women in the community are required to be modest and silent. However, I always wanted more. All the questions I had were shut down, I was labeled an outcast. Now I know that an outcast is what I want to be. I have found my voice, albeit through writing and I intend on using it.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
The first time I realized I could write was when I was ten. I remember following my teacher’s instructions to create a fiction short story and when I stopped writing, I was stunned. My teacher was stunned too and ended up reading it out loud. That was my start as a “writer” and I never stopped. Reading however, was something I started earlier on. I would bury myself in novels that were almost twice my size. Believe me, I attracted a lot of comments from the adults in my life. Growing up I was only allowed to read books by Orthodox Jewish authors. Here I am at the ripe old age of 20 trying to catch up on all the classics I missed!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Unlike most people, I don’t have a favorite author or a favorite genre. I’m attracted to anything with words, even cereal boxes or instruction manuals. There is one poet who doesn’t have any published books, who is a big inspiration behind a lot of my poems. Toby Small is a poet who mostly posts her work on Allpoetry and Instagram. Her amazing use of metaphors is what inspired me to brush up on my writing skills. As far as other inspiration goes, life itself is what’s behind my writing. Sometimes it’s things as little as a raindrop falling on my nose. Sometimes it’s things much darker and more difficult. I like to believe that my struggles and experience with mental illness is what gave me the gift of art.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Beautiful Heartbreak is a book full of poems that spilled straight from my bleeding heart. Mental illness is more rampant than ever and so many people are struggling in silence. The media portrays a very glamorized version of the illness. The truth however is that there is nothing glamorous about battling your mind. My book is all about showing you the true, ugly, and dark side to Depression, PTSD, Anorexia. I want to make people feel understood and less alone. I also want to be the voice crying out for all the people who can’t. Today I am in a much better place in my personal recovery journey, but that doesn’t erase all that I went through. I think, every story deserves to be told.

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