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Raymond Jaravaza, Showbiz Correspondent

FUELED by the desire to re-ignite interest in poetry especially among schoolkids and the youth, a Bulawayo writer, Saul Utete has launched his second book that is a compilation of poems.

Titled ‘Whispers of the Mind’, the 54-page book was launched at a local hotel last week.

It is a compilation of poems that touch on issues such as conflict resolution, nature, faith and daily life struggles.

Utete, a retired police officer, said Whispers of the Mind is a follow up to his debut poetry book ‘Reading Printout from the Invisible’, publications that were inspired by the need to re-ignite interest in poetry.

“I am glad to add another book to the public after my first publication Reading Printout from the Invisible received overwhelming support from the readers. Poetry has over the years been pushed to the shadows, young people are no longer interested in poetry and it is my hope that Whispers of the Mind will ignite that interest in school children, who are the future of the country,” said Utete.

The 50-year-old writer said he hopes the book will bring back a reading culture among the youths who are now spending most of their time on social media.

“Reading is a culture that must be cultivated in our kids when they are still young. It starts by encouraging our children to pick up a book appropriate for their age and make reading part of their daily lives.

“Whispers of the Mind can be read by primary school kids and the poems touch on issues that their young minds can understand and relate to,” Utete said.

The book was published by a local publishing house, Choice Community Media.

Utete retired from the police service this month after serving the organisation for more than 20 years as a fingerprint expert. He is now pursuing media studies with the Zimbabwe Open University.

– @RaymondJaravaza