The past ten days have been a blur of illness, transforming my life into a nonstop subway with just three stops: bed, bathroom, and kitchen, only to return to bed again. Sleep has been elusive—no position, whether sideways, overturned, or otherwise, seems to satisfy my body’s restless appetite to escape the mattress. Yet, in moments of derailment, I’ve found myself at the computer, typing emails, press releases, or other tasks for the upcoming Homage to İlhan Sami Çomak on Wednesday, March 26, at 6:00 PM at the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung. It’s during these brief escapes from the mandatory stops that I’ve often drifted into intense dreams, only to drag myself back to bed, waiting for the cycle to repeat.
I’ve meant to write this interview for a while now, but energy has been scarce. Today, I finally began, opening the anthology Words That Walk Through Walls. In its pages, poets like John Casquarelli, Gabriel Don, Jeffrey Cypher Wright, and Caroline Stockford engage in poetic correspondence with İlhan Sami Çomak. Others, such as Haleh Liza, Gabriel Don, Jordan E. Franklin, and Thaddeus Rutkowski, dedicate poems to him. In this interview, we have the privilege of speaking with Meg Kaizu, whose poem “Juniper” offers a profound tribute to İlhan’s resilience and spirit.
Before writing, I revisited Meg’s poem, “Juniper“, and after reading it, I fell asleep. I dreamed I was a mouse, deeply in love with a scent—not of rice, cheese, or peanut butter, nor the smell of another mouse. It was a human scent, one I couldn’t identify, yet it drew me beyond the labyrinth of mouse holes, beyond the lurking cat. Regardless of whether I could escape or end up in the cat’s claws, I ran and ran, inhaling my pleasure.
When I woke, I re-read the poem, which I had remembered as being in the second person but realized was in the first. As I reached the lines,
“If I could ever recover / From this swollen heart / This red,”
I noticed it was raining outside. Suddenly, the opening verses came alive in my reading:
“The scent of the rain / And juniper.”
Meg’s poem invites the reader to embody İlhan himself, a poet who spent thirty years in prison, yet from behind bars, he wrote eight books of poetry. The title of the anthology honoring İlhan, Words That Walk Through Walls, resonates deeply with what Meg’s poem evokes: an acute awareness of our own confinement and the uncertainty of existence:
“I am fading / Pale flowers on the wallpaper in the sun.”
“Juniper” honors İlhan not only for his resilience but also for his ability to awaken our physical sensations, grounding us in the beauty of the memory. But now, let’s finally meet. Meg Kaizu.
JS/ Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you first became involved in the campaign to free İlhan Sami Çomak?
MK /I’m a writer and artist originally from Japan and I learned about the campaign from my friend John Casquarelli in Istanbul.
JS/ How did you become involved in the anthology Words That Walk Through Walls, and how would you describe the book’s significance?
MK/ John Casquarelli invited me to submit my poem. I think the campaign and anthology contributed greatly to awareness-raising and community-building. It is important to have a group and circle of collaborators in the arts coming together to inform the general public about various issues of freedom of expression and incarcerated writers including İlham Sami Çomak.
JS / What does İlham’s release mean to you personally, and how do you think it impacts the broader struggle for justice and freedom of expression?
MK / It was wonderful to hear about Ilham’s release last November. Freedom of expression has been a complicated, pertinent issue around the world for a very long time. I hope the anthology can help raise awareness about crucial, pressing issues around freedom of expression and raise awareness about not only Ilham but also other incarcerated writers.
JS/ Since İlham’s release, have you had any correspondence with him? If so, what would you like to say to him now? If not, what message would you want to share with him?
MK/ I haven’t had personal correspondence with him but I would like to tell him that I am happy and relieved that he’s been released and I look forward to reading more of his beautiful poetry.
JS/ Why do you think it’s important for poets to engage in campaigns like this one, advocating for freedom of expression and justice?
Mk/ I think it is important for writers and poets to deeply reflect on issues of freedom of expression and justice, as we deal with various political and societal issues in our writings. Writing and expressing our thoughts freely could come with risks and it is important for writers to encourage one another to face these challenges and write bravely.
JS / Do you believe poetry should address political issues, such as those faced by İlham and others around the world? Or do you think these topics belong on the margins of poetic expression?
MK/ I believe these topics are important to write about creatively and poetically. I don’t think they belong on the margins of poetic expression. At the same time, ultimately each poet must decide for themselves what themes and subjects they want to explore and write about. I think freedom of expression also means that writers decide what to write, for others cannot dictate what writers should or can write.
JS/ How do you see the role of poetry in creating solidarity across borders, especially in cases like İlham’s?
MK/ I think the international campaign made it more impactful, as we came together to create solidarity across borders. Freedom of expression is a significant issue around the globe. Writers can show solidarity around the world and writers must come together to support one another, regardless of their origins, as freedom of expression is not an issue confined to specific borders.
JS/ If you could speak with another imprisoned writer today, who would it be and why?
MK/ Anna Politkovskaya was killed almost 20 years ago but her work was impactful in my youth and I would like to talk to her, if that is possible.
About the authors:
Meg Kaizu is an artist, writer and translator. She has exhibited her artwork internationally and published her poetry, fiction, essays, reviews and translations in anthologies and journals such as Words Without Borders and Brooklyn Rails.
İlhan Sami Çomak (born 1973) is a Kurdish poet from Karlıova in Bingöl Province in Turkey. He was arrested in 1994. In jail, Çomak has released eight books of poetry and become one of Turkey’s longest-serving political prisoners. In 2018, Çomak won the Sennur Sezer poetry prize, for his 8th book of poems, Geldim Sana (I Came to You). He was released from prison in November 2024.
Jhon Sánchez A Colombian born fiction writer, Mr. Sánchez, arrived in NYC seeking political asylum where he is now a lawyer. ‘In 2025, Tribe Broken Press will publish his collection of short stories Enjoy A Pleasurable Death and Other Stories that Will Kill You.
