Bill Ectric Interviews Tonya Smart Introduction to Tonya Smart, from her web site:
Tonya M. Smart, a native of Rhode Island , currently lives in Jacksonville , FL and is a writer and performance poet. She is the Co-founder/Editor in Chief of Femme Horizon, Owner/President of Femme Horizon Inc. and a contributing writer for Blacksonville.com, BlackCityMagazine.com, Writers Crib.com, HaveYouHeardJax.com and Pop and Politics. Among her interviewees are R&B sensation Dwele, world renowned poet Ainsley Burrows, indie rocker’s The Michelle Payne Band, Tony award winner Poetri from Def Poetry and up and coming super group Sol.illaquists of Sound. She has performed her poetry at various venues throughout Florida , Georgia , New York , New Jersey and Louisiana . She has participated and won slams in Orlando , Pensacola and Jacksonville , Florida .
The Interview: Bill: How did you form your corporation, Femme Horizon? Tonya Smart: It started with four women – me and three others – who had certain ideas about what they wanted to do with their lives. We wanted a feminist publication, but not one that would “hit people over the heads," so to speak. The amazing Tonya M. Smart Bill: So, are the other three still part of the organization? TS: What happened was the other ladies involved had a lot of other activities going on and eventually bowed out. They submit articles when they can, but for now I am running Femme Horizon. Actually, I'm in the process of building a staff so that we can go to print. Bill: You have a statement on your web site which says, “The voice of the unheard and the face of the unseen." Did you originate that slogan? Can you elaborate on it? TS: Yes, that’s my phrase. What it means is that my publishing company will not discriminate against anyone. For example, when a person is trying to get a job, the employer usually asks you if you have any experience. We don’t have a requirement for that. How do you get experience if you don’t get a chance? If we like your stuff we will publish it. There are only a few publications that are independent. Most publications go for the sensational approach and give us the same stories over & over again because they are likely to sell. TV is the same way. I’ve approached some of those publications with good, original ideas and they said, “No thanks." Bill: How did it come about that you got to interview the Tony Award Winning Poetri? TS: I met Poetri in Pensacola at a Poetry Slam on a Friday. I knew he was going to be in Jacksonville the next day because I had seen his schedule. wanted to speak to him, and it turned out he was very approachable for someone who has been so successful on Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam, and then the Tony Award, so I said, “I’ll see you tomorrow in Jacksonville." The next day In Jacksonville , we talked some more, then corresponded by email, and finally I asked if I could interview him and he said, “Sure." Poetri Bill: Cool. How did you get into writing? TS: I was writing in college but I didn’t become a good writer until after college. Bill: Well then, let’s fast-forward to your good writing. TS: I was writing mostly rap. My rap was better than my poetry - it was more inspired, more interesting. Bill: Why do you think that was the case? TS: Poetry felt more confined. I think that was because of my limited exposure to the real poetry scene. I thought I had to write poetry a certain way, and felt confined by the words and structure. But then I started to combine rap and poetry. That’s when I really started improving. Bill: How did you get into reading your poetry out loud? TS: I read a couple of times in college but didn’t think anything of it. Then, when I came to Jacksonville , FL , a friend and I went to the Ritz Theatre to see the LaVilla Museum . While we were there we found out there was a Spoken Word event scheduled for later in the evening, and we also found out about Nokturnal Escape's monthly poetry reading. The Ritz Theatre and LaVilla Museum Bill: Did you do well that night? TS: No, the first time, I stunk. But I just kept going back and got better & better. Bill: Name three people who have been an inspiration to you. TS: I would say, my Mother, my Grandmother, and a teacher named Mr. Burns in 11th grade U.S. History class in Newport , RI . He inspired me to want to study history in college. I got a degree in history and I minored in English and Public Relations. I thought about teaching history, but I was drawn to other paths. Bill: What do you intend to publish? TS: My company publishes unknown authors and will eventually go into CD production. For example, the first artist to be published on Femme Horizon has been me. I published my own chapbook called A Glimpse Into My Soul. I'm looking for other poets to publish. I'm also working on a spoken word CD. Some people go straight to CD, but I think a chapbook is a nice progression to recording a CD. Bill: Do you have a routine when you write? Do you use a word processor, typewriter, or what? TS: I prefer writing in long hand. It’s easier to write notes in the margins that way. I type it after it’s finished. Some people write every day. That’s not me. If I just write to write, it’s garbage. I wait until I have an idea, a theme. I take that theme and work around it. Something will happen in my life, either happy or sad, and it inspires me. Bill: Did you ever write a good poem, and then lose it, and wonder if you could write it again? TS: No…wait, yes. Yes, I have. But then I found it. Tonya Smart and Bill Ectric at the Boomtown Theatre in Jacksonville, FL Link To Femme Horizon
Bill Ectric’s two books, Time Adjusters and Space Savers, contain short stories that blend the genres of mystery, humor, horror, science fiction, satire, and psychological drama.
On the web, Bill’s work has appeared on SearchWarp, Literary Kicks, Dogmatika, MysteryIsland, Syntax of Things, Empty Mirror Books, Lit Up Magazine, and Zygote In My Coffee.
He lives with his wife in Jacksonville, Florida. By day, when not writing, Bill mows the lawn and complains about the heat. By night, he sneaks around in the back yard, convinced that the garden gnomes are “up to something.”
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Introduction to Tonya Smart, from her web site:
Bill: So, are the other three still part of the organization? TS: What happened was the other ladies involved had a lot of other activities going on and eventually bowed out. They submit articles when they can, but for now I am running Femme Horizon. Actually, I'm in the process of building a staff so that we can go to print. Bill: You have a statement on your web site which says, “The voice of the unheard and the face of the unseen." Did you originate that slogan? Can you elaborate on it? TS: Yes, that’s my phrase. What it means is that my publishing company will not discriminate against anyone. For example, when a person is trying to get a job, the employer usually asks you if you have any experience. We don’t have a requirement for that. How do you get experience if you don’t get a chance? If we like your stuff we will publish it. There are only a few publications that are independent. Most publications go for the sensational approach and give us the same stories over & over again because they are likely to sell. TV is the same way. I’ve approached some of those publications with good, original ideas and they said, “No thanks." Bill: How did it come about that you got to interview the Tony Award Winning Poetri? TS: I met Poetri in Pensacola at a Poetry Slam on a Friday. I knew he was going to be in Jacksonville the next day because I had seen his schedule. wanted to speak to him, and it turned out he was very approachable for someone who has been so successful on Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam, and then the Tony Award, so I said, “I’ll see you tomorrow in Jacksonville." The next day In Jacksonville , we talked some more, then corresponded by email, and finally I asked if I could interview him and he said, “Sure." Poetri 
Bill: Cool. How did you get into writing? TS: I was writing in college but I didn’t become a good writer until after college. Bill: Well then, let’s fast-forward to your good writing. TS: I was writing mostly rap. My rap was better than my poetry - it was more inspired, more interesting. Bill: Why do you think that was the case? TS: Poetry felt more confined. I think that was because of my limited exposure to the real poetry scene. I thought I had to write poetry a certain way, and felt confined by the words and structure. But then I started to combine rap and poetry. That’s when I really started improving. Bill: How did you get into reading your poetry out loud? TS: I read a couple of times in college but didn’t think anything of it. Then, when I came to Jacksonville , FL , a friend and I went to the Ritz Theatre to see the LaVilla Museum . While we were there we found out there was a Spoken Word event scheduled for later in the evening, and we also found out about Nokturnal Escape's monthly poetry reading. The Ritz Theatre 
and LaVilla Museum Bill: Did you do well that night? TS: No, the first time, I stunk. But I just kept going back and got better & better. Bill: Name three people who have been an inspiration to you. 
TS: I would say, my Mother, my Grandmother, and a teacher named Mr. Burns in 11th grade U.S. History class in Newport , RI . He inspired me to want to study history in college. I got a degree in history and I minored in English and Public Relations. I thought about teaching history, but I was drawn to other paths. Bill: What do you intend to publish? TS: My company publishes unknown authors and will eventually go into CD production. For example, the first artist to be published on Femme Horizon has been me. I published my own chapbook called A Glimpse Into My Soul. I'm looking for other poets to publish. I'm also working on a spoken word CD. Some people go straight to CD, but I think a chapbook is a nice progression to recording a CD. Bill: Do you have a routine when you write? Do you use a word processor, typewriter, or what? TS: I prefer writing in long hand. It’s easier to write notes in the margins that way. I type it after it’s finished. Some people write every day. That’s not me. If I just write to write, it’s garbage. I wait until I have an idea, a theme. I take that theme and work around it. Something will happen in my life, either happy or sad, and it inspires me. Bill: Did you ever write a good poem, and then lose it, and wonder if you could write it again? TS: No…wait, yes. Yes, I have. But then I found it. 
Tonya Smart and Bill Ectric at the Boomtown Theatre in Jacksonville, FL 
