Conversations with Lenny Mika Bonk

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lenny Mika Bonk.

Hi Lenny, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today. 
I have been interested in arts and culture ever since I can remember I learned how to read when I was 5 years old, spent most of my free time reading books, and then started to write my own poems in 2012. 

Back then, I struggled massively with my mental health for the first time – I’ve had to go through a lot of traumatic and other difficult situations in my life, so I needed to find a way to cope. At first, writing was nothing more than a way to deal with my intense thoughts and feelings, to give the darkness inside of me some room and turn it into something more beautiful than just negativity. Eventually, it turned into a passion very quickly. Ever since then, it’s my biggest passion, and I can’t imagine a life without writing. 

By now, I have already published three books, and my fourth book is going to be published worldwide on December 8, 2023. I started performing Spoken Word live on stage in September 2023 and also had my first public reading. Also, I’m constantly working on new projects and ideas, so you can definitely be excited for what’s yet to come! 

I’m sharing my story through “words, lines, and everything in between” because I want to inspire others and create something unique for individuals to relate to and resonate with. I’m not afraid of sharing my deepest feelings, neither do I need a mask to tell my story – raw, unfiltered, perfectly imperfect. Writing has always been my safe haven, and I’m thriving for my writings to have a similar effect on others. 

Because writing saves lives! 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
To get where I am today, it was a very hard and long road. It was not smooth at all – especially because the reason why I discovered my passion was very difficult to handle in general, and I’m still struggling with my mental health nowadays; it’s never been a smooth road. Probably it will never be easy, for me personally, that’s okay though. Having to go through all these negative and traumatic experiences in my life showed me what life truly is about. It created a fighter, a warrior, someone who can’t be completely broken by life. So even though there have been moments in which I was longing for an emergency exit out of my life, I’m beyond grateful that I have survived until today. And in the end, I realized all these things only because I started to write. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a writer by heart. Whenever I can, I use the gift that I was blessed with to create something through the craft of writing. My preference/specialty is Poetry, but in general I am very versatile when it’s about the kind of writing. 

I would say I am known for being the man who never gave up despite all that he had to go through and eventually fought his way back to life because he discovered his love, passion, and talent for words. 

The thing I’m most proud of is my published book called “All Colors of Life“ which is a Poetry Collection ‘from life, about life, as colorful as life.’ I wrote this book to celebrate life and being alive, even though it was tough to hold on to my life in some situations on my way. People have told me that they feel understood by this book and that they are thankful that I wrote it because they needed it. That makes me very proud, too. 

Even though there are a lot of writers who share their personal stories through their writings, I would say that’s what sets me apart from others. Not only because my life story is unique (as everyone’s is) but especially because my voice of writing is special. Before I started writing, I had never read a writing (of any kind) similar to mine, and even today, more than 11 years later, I haven’t found any writer whose writing similar to me. I’m writing because it’s my passion and because I want to use my voice to potentially be able to help others in a similar way that my favorite writers have helped me. By now, I have received multiple messages from people telling me that I saved them or that they relate so much to my writings that they finally don’t feel alone anymore. Being the person I would have needed when I was younger for others is a blessing. 

My upcoming book, It’s called “The Poetry of Connection” and it’s the first part of a Poetry Collection Series that I’m currently working on, it’s called “Lost and Found.” The price for a paperback copy will be 12.99€ and the eBook version will cost 4.99€.

What’s next?
I have so many plans for the future! In July, me and my fiancée moved in together which made me even more excited for the future – not only is she the love of my life but also, she’s a huge inspiration for me. 

At the moment I’m most excited about finding and trying new things related to my art, though. I can’t wait to see where life leads me. But after all, my preference is to live in the moment and cherish the present as intensely as possible. 

Pricing:

• 14.99€ – physical copy of “All Colors of Life”
• 7.99€ – eBook version of “All Colors of Life”
• 7€ – Subscription: Poem of the Month (handwritten postcard, once a month)
• there’s much more in my shop! +international shipping! shop.lennymika.com

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lennymika.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/iamlennymika
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/iamlennymika
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennymikabonk
• Twitter: https://Twitter.com/iamlennymika
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@iamlennymika
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@iamlennymika

Image Credits
Alexey Kolbekhin
DNA NightArt Club