I’m a poet writing for adults and children, I do a lot of drawing, translate poetry and prose from English to Latvian and work as an editor in “Punctum” literary magazine. I’m currently based in Riga and Brussels.

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In poetry, I tend to notice my interests and preoccupations after the writing is done, looking back at the text as a proof of what has already happened. 

Judging from my recent work, I am interested in the clash and weaving together of aesthetics and ethics, the beauty and violence of history and myth, the storage of personal and cultural memory. Sound and rhythm is central to my writing, and certain images tend to reappear: in my first collection it was the egg and other circular objects and concepts. In my recent work, the image of a vessel pops up frequently. Wounded trees, rivers of various liquids and eyes are also present. And multiple winds. 

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When working visually, I still have a rather verbal approach, starting with concepts, texts and ideas and turning them into images. Sometimes it translates into illustration, but even without this relationship there is often a textual basis to my work. 

I am currently preoccupied with patterns, the merging of geometrical and organic forms and finding clarity amidst detail. The urge for repetitive movement on page is one of the driving forces of my work, and there is an affinity with sewing, knitting and crocheting. 

I work with watercolor and ink pen on paper, but crafts are starting to sneak in – I sew, cut and weave, the image expands and becomes slightly rough. 

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email: linda.mencce@gmail.com

instagram: linda.mencce