Zane St.Juste
Zane St. Juste is a poet, songwriter, teacher, composer and now a FRESH NEW author! Zane was born on the beautiful island of St. Lucia in the West Indies and grew up in Bronx, New York. Zane now resides in Stratford, Connecticut with his beautiful wife, son and daughter. I Know why the Birds Sing Their Praise is a legacy he wants to leave to his family: A message of words and imagery he wants to give to the world.
Connect with Zane St.Juste
Website: https://www.zanestjuste.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justepictures/
A fusion of faith, family and cultural observation, Zane St. Juste’s pen is classic. I noticed quite a few metered poems and sonnet-esque pieces. Now let me be clear…I hate sonnets and anything Shakespeare-related-poems. I don’t even like Shakespeare! He bored me in high school and he does now. Slide in my DM’s all you want- ain’t no persuadin’ me: ion like Shakespeare.
However, Zane’s pieces are down to earth and relatable. The rhyme schemes don’t feel forced which was surprising because whenever, I read meter-styled-poetry, after a while the pieces are cheesy. Or, the rhymes feels as though it’s being shoved into the eye of a sewing needle. I kind of figured he was a teacher, because he writes with the unintentional “teachable” moment at the end of some of his poems (such as, A World With No Colors).
Reading Zane St. Juste’s pieces brought me back to when I was a Christian: No extra fluff- just me, my family, love and God. Especially reading the signature piece: I Know Why The Birds Sing Their Praise. I Found Rivers read like vintage hymnal that I’m sure the church, I grew up in, would’ve sang. My off-key having vocals would’ve been all up in that hymn.
As a de-converter, I was little nervous that this collection would feel like a poetic Christian tract- NOPE and thank goodness because I’ve had enough of those. I do wish he would have made the chapters a bit beefier- like add at least 8 poems for each chapter. Or, maybe have five chapters instead of three. Unless he is going to have a part II to this collection…hmm… There were some abstract pieces for those who would like something to mentally chew on for a while as well. Alliteration, internal rhyming and descriptive imagery appears to be St. Juste’s go-to which works well for him being that he is a poet and photographer. A World Without Colors read like St. Juste was kindly calling out the whole “color-blind” jargon.
A world without color is like a covetous country with no crime. Like DaVinci without art, his Last Supper without life just artistic work with an outline.
For someone who also believes diversity should remain pure WITHOUT stripping the culture and melanin off of people- I was all for this poem. The tone of Zane’s pieces were welcoming. It was refreshing to read being that a plethora of writers speak from a soapbox (you know…writers like me) when it comes to matters such as race and where we sway on the African Diaspora. St. Juste’s poetic voice reads like a friend talking about his life, family and the community he comes from. I would definitely recommend this book for my christian poetry lovers.
Zane St.Juste E-Interview
1. What was your writing process like when creating, I Know why the Birds Sing Their Praise?
I’m always creating throughout the day, some may call it day dreaming but when I get lost for a moment, I am actually getting ideas. My visions come to me in images, it’s part of how my ideas come to me. However, in order to make this book I had to become still. I had to quiet the overflow of thought and organize it which meant waking up at 4am when the world around me was quiet so that I could hear my thoughts. I sang hymns, read the Bible, talked to God about my purpose and vision and then I listened to Him speak to me. This is how I got the vision for the book. Much of the book is material that I already had but just needed organizing. I also included newly written poems, songs and of course photographs. My research was life experience, things I’ve read, conversations I listened to, relationships, our society, history, my belief, truth, justice, hopes, dreams, my faith. Poems, songs and photographs are always around. I just have to hit the pause button, stop and write or create.
2. I love how you infused photography and poetry to create this collection. Did you generate this collection to also reveal your true passions/gifts: Poetry and Photography?
Yes I did. I used to write poems to my mother and she always encouraged me and then my love for music led me into writing songs, so I was always a writer. It’s not until I picked up a camera when I was much older that the photography bug bit me. At first I thought that I shouldn't do too many things at once until I realized that photography is a song that I can see. Photography is poetry and poetry is photography. A photograph is worth a thousand words and before or during the process of writing poetry or songs, I see images. So both art forms go together in a sense.
3. As a former Christian I gotta ask: How did you come to Christ?
My mom and dad are both Christians so I come from a Christian family, but growing up in New York City there were many distractions so I had to discover Christ was for myself. I found him all throughout the Bible but it was in the darkest moments of my life, when I called on him, that he answered. It is my trials that strengthen my faith in Christ. The testimonies of how I made it through difficult seasons in life are a big help.
4. You have three themed chapters in, I Know Why the Birds Sing Their Praise. Why did you arrange the chapters the way that you did? Was it ordered based on importance?
Yes it is ordered based on importance. I wanted the book to give encouragement, hope and healing but in order for us as a people to be healed we may have to get to the root of what needs to be healed. For me as a black man living in America I had to give people insight into our stories, so I told the stories of the injustices of the people of color with the idea of starting where much of our pain began, off the coasts of Africa and then landed on the shores of America and throughout the Africa Diaspora. Before healing starts we have to get to the root, but then I know that from our stories we have spirituals that give us power so that we can overcome them. That’s where chapter 2 “power in our praise” comes from. Praise strengthens and defeats the giants we face. We praise to defeat our giants. praise can break strongholds, like how negro spirituals helped free us. And then chapter 3, the last chapter, Emancipation Proclaimed, is basically us proclaiming independence. When we say and think we are free we must proclaim it out loud even at times when we don’t think or feel we have the victory we must proclaim victory over our health, our freedom and our peace.
5. You seem to have a lot of structured/ metered poetry. Do you prefer structure in your poetry rather than free verse/free form?
Yes I prefer structured poetry. I want to do more free form though. I can say a lot because I have so much thought. The structure and meter first helps me stay organized. I hear melody a lot so that’s the meter, the beat, the melody I hear. The melody helps me write. Melodies give me ideas. Even though I may use much inspiration from Langston Hughes, who uses more structure in his poem, I also love how Walt Whitman uses free verse. It's very complex and inspiring to me, very challenging and I want to learn to write like that more. I write so my friends or the average reader don’t get lost with my style of writing. We all talk in free verse as humans but like Dr Seuss who had a formula to his poems so that kids could understand his books and recite them.
6. What’s the story behind your title?
The title was inspired by my poem in the book entitled I Know Why The Birds Sing Their Praise. The title Inspired by Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Poem sympathy, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Maya Angelou’s poem Caged Bird and Autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. The poem is about overcoming difficulties. I wrote it while in a very dark place in my life. I had to just be vulnerable and speak from how I was feeling at the time but what got me through those times is my relationship with God. I remember singing songs of praise to God even when I had no strength. Words strengthen me.
7. Please Explain your book cover concept
Seven black birds flying out of a cage. Seven means rest; it's a number of being complete or whole. The three birds near the cage are representative of God the Father, Son And Spirit freeing us from the cage.
8. You mentioned in your book that you are also a composer. Have you published any songs or music?
I’ve shared so many songs and sang at church, schools and various places over the years. I have a Jingle I did for a non profit organization in Africa called Africa Lift Inc, The Jingle is called Africa Lift Africa. And I recently published my first single “Lullabies” which was inspired during the the Covid-19 Pandemic. A song of encouragement and hope while most of America was in quarantine. The song is available on all music platforms and digital music stores.
8b. Have you also performed them before (any links)?
No official performance with this new single but I know I will in the future.
Lullabies —-> https://music.apple.com/us/album/lullabies-single/1512573746 If you don’t have Apple Music, try —> https://www.amazon.com/Lullabies-Zane-St-Juste/dp/B088DC158P
9. Are you working on any new poetic projects?
I looked to put together a photo book with words of sayings my mother encouraged me with when I was growing up. I believe the world needs to hear her words in a book. I have so many books inside me. I just need to get to my quiet place.
10. Do you have any advice for aspiring Christian writers and poets who dream of publishing their own poetry books/collections?
Ask God and you will receive, seek and you will find. Knock on the door and the door will open but you gotta keep asking, keep seeking and keep on knocking till closed doors become opened doors. Ask God for your purpose in life, ask him for a vision for your book and then listen to hear His voice. Turn off the distraction, find time alone so you can listen to yourself, when you have the vision it will give your focus and direction, disappointments and trials are stories from the journey to your success. Keep saying I CAN Do All Things through Christ who strengthens me and ALL things, whatsoever ye ask in prayer, believing you shall receive. Believe the world is waiting to your story.
I Know Why The Birds Sing Their Praise
Purchase your copy HERE