Conversations #1 - Millicent Ally

Author & Poet

Nicholas McCay

Jul 29, 2019

A Conversation With Author & Poet Millicent Ally—

*First Episode Disclaimer - Please excuse the dogs, audio/video recording issues, and jitters of over talking, caffeine, & excitement. We will continue to improve! ;)*
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Last month, I sat down and had a conversation with author & poet Millicent Ally. She self-published a collection of poems called Tales of the Human Condition in 2012. I found Millicent’s poems in a roundabout way, but they will be on my bookshelf for a long, long time. The first half of the podcast is about getting to know Millicent, and her journey until now. The second half is Millicent reading her poetry, and then us discussing it.

I was immediately enamored with her honesty, personal themes, and ability to make a legitimate attempt of encapsulating the human condition. (I don’t think any human could ever begin to do that, but the effort is appreciated!) She breaks up her collection into four pillars of her/your human condition: Life, Love, Introspection, and God.

“LIFE” tells you that you are a “compendium of variety and varying states of awareness, existence is both a personal matter and one which encompasses the entirety of mankind.”
“LOVE” speaks of “its basis of life and creation, the foundation of man and the universe. It is the truth hidden in each individual.”
“INTROSPECTION” is the “hard-won knowledge of the self, and can tap into limitless possibilities. With a self intact, we can become a vessel of brilliant light to illuminate the world.”
“God” is not the big G up in the clouds, but perfection. “It exists in everything said and unsaid because all exists in God—the duality exists simultaneously with that which is complete, perfect, and whole.”

Tales of the Human Condition concludes with this heartfelt passage:

“I dedicate this book to the universal consciousness, the infinite wisdom, the eternal presence known as God. This presence, which is glorified throughout every religion and race of man, has many names by which we praise Him for the creation of our magnificent world. In this process, despite my ups and downs, I have become more loving, empathetic and thoughtful. I regret nothing, not a single step along the path, for I needed Life's complexities to formulate my life and journey. And then lastly, What life is, I do not know for sure, except that it is what you make of it. On these pages, I have shared my perspectives in my personal struggles. I hope reading this book was as healing for you, as writing it was for me.”

Reading Millicent’s collection of poems was indeed healing for me. I hope more people can discover her poetry. Please share with anyone that could use a subjective tale of the human condition to finding their own.

Below are timestamps of the conversation to skip around (or just clear your mind and press play to hear a thoughtful conversation), more info on Millicent, and where you can purchase her book & audio book.

Enjoy & until next time Ad Astra!

Timestamps

Where are you from originally? (0:25)
What influences did you get from LA/”the south?” (1:10)
What age range? (2:35)
What were your writing influences? (05:19)
Millicent reads her poem “Fourteen.” (08:25)
“It's like we're more of a spiritual creature inside of a biological.” (11:28)
"So by acknowledging my character flaws and accepting my own shortcomings with love, forgiveness and a willing to change, I improve my humanity.” (13:50)
“I am more forgiving with other people than I am with myself.” (15:00)
What were the internal & external factors when you wrote Tales of the Human Condition? (19:35)
“I self-published and it was really interesting.” (28:00)
Would you in 2019 keep those same four pillars of Life, Love, Introspection, and God? (35:45)
Imagine yourself at International Space Station or the moon, and the world is looking at you. - What would you say? (38:00)
END OF PART ONE (41:32)