Conversations at Arkore: An Interview With Timileyin Adepoju

Marcel: Every writer has a unique style, bringing a fresh perspective to the themes they explore. There is nothing new under the sun, as Solomon once said—but for creatives, there is always a new way to sing the same song.

Each singer carries a different voice from the last. Yours, I have come to note, is quiet, evocative, and deliberate. There’s a gentle ache in your writing, as you explore identity, loss, longing, and light in your verse.

I’ve looked forward to this—because beyond the words, there’s a story worth telling.

So let’s begin at your beginning.

Who is Timileyin Adepoju—behind the pen, beneath the poems?  

What sparked the voice we now know as Juste Ink?

Timileyin Adepoju: I read of recent, though I can't trace the exact source—that "a bad writer imitates, but a good writer steals. I use this to justify that truly, there's nothing new again. Our way of telling is the difference. 

I attest that my voice explores identity, loss, longing and most importantly, light—because they are all I choose to represent and chase.

Timileyin Adepoju is a young boy hoping to make his voice known and heard while earning how get better with every given opportunity. 

The pseudonym 'Juste Ink' —with "Juste", the French spelling of "just" is from the desire to be different. I once had the intention to learn French, but I dropped the idea. I chose to continue with the pseudonym because it's unique.

Marcel: That quote is from T.S Eliot, and he said it well, to be honest. You always find that everything written is always an offshoot of a prior text. There's always intertextuality in the works of multiple writers and by extension, a semblance in their authorial personae. Speaking of stealing, which writers do you find yourself stealing from? I'd like you to tell us how both community and personal preferences have played the roles of pieces in the mosaic that is Juste Ink.

Timileyin Adepoju: I'm an avid reader, especially when it is pertaining to poetry. I sometimes go to literary sites to read their publications. Therefore, I have endless list of writers that have shaped my thoughts, writings and views. I also read from the works of friends and colleagues, attend literary gatherings to hear people read and perform and I believe that it consciously or unconsciously affect my writings. 

With the aforementioned, my list is endless, so I rather give kudos to every writers for doing such brilliant beautiful work. They are reason I dream vast enough that I hope to contribute my own verse to the world.

Marcel: It’s beautiful, really—how voices we’ve never met still echo within us giving birth to tunes of our own. Your poetry is not born in isolation, but in communion with friends, pages, and performances. You speak of dreaming vast, and it shows. But even vast dreams begin somewhere. 

So let’s talk about your own path. What has your writing journey been like—from the first spark, to days when your creative flame roared, and moments of doubt when hope felt like a smouldering ember? 

How did you begin, and what has kept you going even when you didn't see where it would lead?

Timileyin Adepoju: I love that you stated that I still don't know where this path leads, and it's quite funny. I'm currently in a moment of doubt but I can't explain something in me always wanting to get better. The voice is like, "Even if you will stop, it definitely would not be because you can't have it figured out." And honestly, leaving poetry is not an option. 😂😂

My journey began during my university days, around 2019/2020, in my second yeah. I got to know that anyone could write poetry. My best friend writes poems and through him, I developed interest in it. My friends were supportive and, fortunately, a writers' community in Akure announced a contest. It was early in my writing journey, and although I didn't make it past the first stage, my score was close. That inspired me that I could do more. 

Subsequently, I joined various communities, met new people and made friends and learnt from them. I became a recipient of Punpoet Spoken Word Workshop and I transitioned into a stage poet (Big shout-out to everyone who made that happen. It's a long list!) I'm still learning from critics, reviews, and engagements with all literary enthusiasts I've come encountered. The desire to express myself and get better keeps me going. I'm still a journey unfurling.

Marcel: Can you share a story, perhaps an event or a moment that you consider striking or unforgettable?

 Something that made you see the world or even yourself a little differently.

Timileyin Adepoju: One striking moment I'll never forget, was when I came third in the BKPP'24 contest. It was an honorary feat and I really feel great about it. Being a shortlist entry felt like a win in itself, because the list was filled with amazing fellows. I remember the announcement being made on X, and when they mentioned my name and piece as third place, it felt surreal. It was monumental.

Marcel: If a reader stumbles on your writings a few years from now, what would you like them to feel? What is Juste_Ink trying to say through his poetry?

Timileyin Adepoju: Becoming—that's the heart of my poetry .I believe my poetry carries the scent of the concept of growth and everything that it entails. Even now, I often leave out the pseudonym. Not because I'm denying the name but because I'm growing beyond it, accepting responsibilities, and brewing my identity. Thus making myself as vulnerable as my poems.

 My poems are either by experience or deep imagination, and so, I'm linked to them.

Timileyin Adepoju is simply a voice ready to express his views on how people in his likeness relate to grief, love, loss, and longing.

Marcel: So, next up is a game session and we have three games.

1. I’ll give you three random, thought-provoking words. Your task? Come up with a poem title using them. Bonus points if you explain what the poem might be about!

Here are the words: Mask, Breath, Tomorrow

2. I’ll give you a famous line from a poem, and you have to rewrite it in your own style. The catch? It must still carry the same essence! "

"And I stood, drained

Submitting like the sands, blood and brine

Coursing to the roots.” Wole Soyinka's " Night"

3. I’ll throw a random word at you, and you have to instantly turn it into a metaphor. The word for today is "Memory"

Timileyin Adepoju:

MASK

 Beneath the Mask : Though the phrase is becoming a cliche but its reality is second to none. Individuals most times find it hard to present their true identity 

BREATH

Breath of life:- The title is a biblical allusion which celebrates life or renewal.  

TOMORROW 

Tomorrow will come:- This is a thought provoking and optimistic title that prompts readers to hope for a better future despite the turns of life.

2. I'm still here, like the roots, daring as the brine courses through sands and bloods

3. MEMORY

Oh, woman, your touch is an ambience.

Marcel: Finally, we have The Writer's Desk session where we ask for something you'd like to leave us with... a poem, a quote, short story or work of yours.

Timileyin Adepoju:

BOYS IN HALLWAY 

Timileyin Adepoju 

The hallway stinks when it's grey

Silence yells like ripples

Wind scurries footsteps into corners.

Bodies are graves on cold floor,

Their worries are rosebuds fluffing in morning rays;

Their cries are knocks on doors—

Subtle, daring, seeking home in mumbles.

The boys are poems of dearth,

Couplets of glittering fantasies,

Pages of broken verses 

Lost like a gaggle of empty dreams,

Finding God, finding miracles.