Interview with Helen Oyeyemi

In an interview that was conducted with the host of WellRead, Terry Tazoili, Helen Oyeyemi, talks life, literature, and lessons. Oyeyemi discusses her new novel release, titled, What Is Not Yours, Is Not Yours, which is a collection of short stories. The short story focuses on the aspect of keys and their meanings in our daily lives. Oyeyemi makes mention that everyday objects are witnesses to our interior lives, therefore by extension, the novel is a way to explain what the objects that we live with everyday say about us. She also discusses the ideas of fairytales and how their full of ambiguous imagery, which allows readers to read anything into them. For this reason alone, the idea of fairytales have great influence in not only her writing but also in her life. Toward the end of the interview, Oyeyemi is asked whether she has one message that is carried through from book to book. Oyeyemi responds by claiming that her works are a journey in trying to find that one clear message that she wishes to display one day. The interview is concluded with Helen Oyeyemi making mention that she wants to write as many books as she is allowed to publish.