Young Writer Spotlight: 17-year-old published poet, Deborah

Meet Deborah: a 17-year-old poet from Brazil who's been selected to be our next young writer spotlight on Write the World! She recently published her second book, A Tradução da Minha Alma (The Translation of My Soul), and we had the unique opportunity to interview her about her work, writing process, and personal advice for other teen writers.

Tell us a little more about your poetry book, The Translation of My Soul. What is it about?

The Translation of My Soul, or the original name A Tradução da Minha Alma, is a collection of poems I wrote from age nine to sixteen. It’s a journey through the darkest stages of my life until I finally find hope again. The name was chosen based on how I felt about it, like it was depicting every part of me to the reader. I can summarize by saying it’s about how I survived, and more than that, how I learned to live.

What inspired you to write this book? Does it follow a certain theme/did you write it in response to a certain time in your life?

I wrote The Translation of My Soul through the years. Like I said, it’s a collection of poems from nine to sixteen years old. I never intended to publish all of them, but my grandpa (God bless him) read one of them and asked me to send him literally all the poems I had written until then. So that’s what I did. And he probably liked it, because the next thing I know I had a prototype of the book in my hands.

The inspiration for most of the poems in that book were my feelings. I went through a serious depression that started when I was twelve and writing saved me. Poetry was my way to confess the feelings I kept inside. And when I started to see the Sun, hope infiltrated into it. So yes, we definitely can say it was a response to a certain time in my life.

You mentioned that The Translation of My Soul is your second book. What is your first poetry book called? Where can readers find it?

My first book is a novella titled Um Recomeço para o Amor, which means "A New Beginning for Love." You can find it on Amazon, where you can read it as an ebook. Unfortunately, both of my books are available only in Portuguese.

Do you market your poetry? How do you get yourself out there to readers? Congratulations on selling 30 copies of your book, that's so exciting!

I have an Instagram account where I share poems, mental health insights, and my opinions on books. I think that’s the biggest part of my marketing, alongside word of mouth. Recently, I was published on Instagram by Beyond Horizons Magazine in a series called Open Letters with my poem What My Intuition Said. If you want to read more of my works in English, I have a Substack newsletter Letters Made of Silk where I write personal essays and literary pieces.

How long have you been writing? What motivates you to write and what inspires you from day to day?

I think I’ve been writing since eleven or twelve years old, around the years when the pandemic started. Writing for me is a way to not just survive, but express what it’s like to be alive. I didn’t start with the intent of publishing, but because I needed it, and that’s still a part of me. My inspiration for my poems comes from what I feel about daily events. I don’t need something huge to happen, I just need to feel deeply, and I’m an expert at this. I also take inspiration from other types of art, the people around me, and daydreaming, especially for my fiction.

Are you currently working on any other books/have plans to publish anything else in the future?

I’m currently finishing the editing of my third book, a romance about an autistic girl with her best friend. It's set in Pernambuco, Brazil, and I hope to still publish it in the first semester of 2026. I also plan to translate my books in the future so it reaches more people.

Do you have any advice for other young writers who are thinking about writing/publishing a poetry book?

The first thing I’d tell to a young writer who wants to write or publish a poetry book is to read Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. That book has a lot of advice and it definitely helped me with my own process of writing poems. Also, don’t be scared to show your feelings, to be vulnerable, that’s how you connect with people. And finally, write as much as you can, because this is the best way to improve, and promote your work not only through social media, but also to your peers. Word of mouth is still powerful nowadays.

Check out our previous Young Writer Spotlight, Novelle Dennis, here! If you’re 13-19 years old and have any writing accomplishments you’d like to share, fill out this form for a chance to be featured on our blog and Instagram.