INTERVIEW
With heartfelt gratitude,
Biljana Letić from Australia, Balkan Beats on Zed Digital.
Balkan Beats and
Radio 4ZZZ 102.1FM & Zed Digital Australia.
An interview with me has been published in the magazine Rasejanje.info.
INTERVIEW
Maja Milojković – “Poetry, a deeply personal expression that comes from the soul like a melody.”
Maja Milojković carries a handful of creative hats in her artistic suitcase. First and foremost, she is one of the founders of the poetry club Area Felix, editor of the international magazine for creative literature and culture Area Felix, deputy editor-in-chief of the publishing house Sfaros in Belgrade, and also the founder and vice president of the association Rtanj and the Moon’s Poetic Circle. Exclusively for the readers of the media portal Rasejanje.info, Biljana Letić shares a story about the achievements of the versatile artist Maja Milojković, told from the perspective of a writer, author, and poet. Biljana Letić is a native of Belgrade who has been living in Brisbane, Australia for almost three decades.
The multi-talented author and artist Maja Milojković, originally from Zaječar, Serbia, has a rich background in the specific creative field she is devoted to. She is passionate about many artistic directions, which she refers to as her “four aces”—poetry, painting, singing, and dance. This interview focuses on poetry, books, and the series of honorary awards Maja Milojković received in 2024. Maja’s artistic journey and her golden path to fame are covered in this story, along with two of her poems, “Follow Me” and “The End and the Beginning.”
Biljana Letić: How would you describe to the readers – who is Maja Milojković?
Maja Milojković: Maja is an Aryan name that means illusion or that which is not in Sanskrit, so my name carries a symbolic meaning.
Two in one – my SELF, which does not like to be in the spotlight, and Maja, who is extroverted. I enjoy solitude, while Maja loves fame. And so it goes endlessly – a dual nature that allows me to play with everything I’m not and to enjoy, unburdened, all that comes from this world. My vivid imagination is reflected in me as a versatile artistic being.
Poetry, painting, singing, and dancing are my four “aces,” and I believe they are gifts from God. That doesn’t mean I’m the best, but rather that these paths are the best means for expressing my soul. You are given life and talents—they are instruments through which you act, conveying a message you discover within yourself. That message must always be one that awakens optimism in people, inspires them toward self-realization, and transforms them for the better.
Last year, I became a promoter for the music label FORTUNA DENMARK, which creates fantastic hits. They recorded my song Egyptian Night, for which I also have a music video in which I sing.
Biljana Letić: Let’s start with the books you’ve published. Can you list all the books and awards you’ve received so far?
Maja Milojković: I’ve published two poetry collections: “The Moon’s Circle”, published by Sven from Niš, and “The Wishing Trees”, published by Sfairos from Belgrade. My third collection, “Be Like a Paper Kite”, is currently in preparation and will also be published by Sfairos.
Together with Dr. Milan Mladenović, I co-edited the international anthology “Rhymes from Rtanj” for 2024, published by Sfairos in Belgrade.
I’m represented in around 40 domestic and international anthologies. Also, this year I was invited by Dr. Brajesh Gupta Mevadev from India to be one of several editors on an international anthology from India. In addition, I worked on stylistic editing for two novels by Croatian writer Vladimir Pavić.
In 2024, I’d like to highlight the book “Hyperpoem”, an international anthology edited by Alexander Kobishev from Russia. It is the longest poem in the world and has been included in the Guinness Book of Records. I contributed a quatrain to it. This anthology gained international popularity and was presented at the book fair in Munich this year. It is also available for purchase on Amazon.
I have had a long-standing collaboration with the esteemed writer Agron Shele from Belgium, participating every year in the international anthologies he edits. A copy of each book is sent to the Royal Library of the Netherlands.
I’ve also collaborated for many years with Abdallah Gassmi from Tunisia. Every year, I participate in anthologies he edits, and last year I was invited as an honorary guest, along with several other poets, in Tunisia.
Six years ago, I joined leading global movements for peace, animal protection, anti-racism, and similar causes. As an activist, I have received a large number of awards from many countries. Here’s a small portion of the awards I received in 2024, among them:
• The Literature Award from the Academy of Ethics in India, awarded by the Academy’s President, Dr. Jernail S. Anand. This is, in fact, the highest recognition I received in 2024. Only three of these diplomas were awarded in Serbia: to Vice President Maja Herman Sekulić, the President of Matica Srpska, Dr. Dragan Stanić and myself.
• An award from Dr. Arch. Franca Colozzo from Italy, on behalf of GPLT for sustainability and climate change. She is a prominent figure in leading global organizations.
• Awards from “RINASCIMENTO – RENAISSANCE MILLENNIUM III,” presented to me by Prof. George Onsy, founder and president of RRM3 from Cairo, Egypt.
• An award from Nobel Prize nominee Abdulgani Yahya Al-Ebarh Din of Yemen for contributions to world peace.
• The “Golden Bridge” award from writer Rahim Karim Karimov from Kyrgyzstan.
This year, I also wrote reviews for internationally recognized authors, including Jernail S. Anand, Hela Tekali from Tunisia, and Aleksei Kalakutin from Russia.
I write for magazines from various countries. I’d like to highlight the regular publication of my poems in magazines such as:
– Synchronized Chaos from California
– Atunis Poetry from Belgium
– Polis Magazino from Greece
– and many others.
Collaboration with seven magazines around the world has earned me great respect from colleagues and recognition in many countries. I gladly accept invitations for cooperation because I believe in the power of international connection through art.
Biljana Letić: Where do you get your inspiration for writing poetry?
Maja Milojković: I find inspiration in prayer, in people, in life itself, and of course, in the desire for what I write to reach the human heart.
Biljana Letić: You’re inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s quote: “Painting is poetry that can be seen, and poetry is painting that can be heard.” How do you experience that – as expressing poetry from the soul in your own way, or as an artistic ‘painting’ of poetry that is heard?
Maja Milojković: For me, it’s both. I express the poetry of my soul in my own way, and at the same time, I paint it artistically through words so that it can be heard – felt – with the heart. That’s the magic of poetry: it transcends visual and auditory boundaries, becoming an emotion, a message, a presence.
Biljana Letić: When did you realize that poetry was your way of artistic expression? What are the most common messages you convey through your verses?
Maja Milojković: I wrote my first poem on November 20, 1993, the day before our family’s patron saint day (krsna slava), dedicated to Archangel Michael, which we celebrate on November 21.
Since 1997, I began writing actively, and the central themes of my work are love, spirituality, inner transformation, the transience of time, and reflections on life and death.
Biljana Letić: The association Rtanj and the Moon’s Poetic Circle is something you founded. What can you tell us about it?
Maja Milojković: It was my wish to gather poets from Zaječar for the first time, coming from Area Felix, the only co-ed poetry club, of which I am one of three founders. In 2018, we went to Rtanj at the invitation of Dr. Milan Mladenović and his wife, Sve Marija Romanova. At that moment, I decided to appoint my influential and dear friend as the president of the association.
It later became a tradition to gather at the Sokolski dom (Milandar) under Mt. Rtanj, hosted by our beloved friends. Last year, we edited an international poetry anthology with the influential Doctor of Philosophy, Pra Milan of Luzice. I brought together 116 authors from all continents, many of whom are my Facebook friends. The anthology was printed under the title “Rtanj Verses” by the first publishing house from Serbia, Sfairos, founded by Dr. Milan Mladenović.
Biljana Letić: How can readers find you on social media?
Maja Milojković: I’m active on Facebook, and I have a website under the name Area Feliks. I’m also the editor of the international magazine for creative literature and culture Area Felix.
Additionally, I’m the founder and vice president of the association Rtanj and the Moon’s Poetic Circle and the founder of the Facebook group of the same name, which currently has 800 members.
You can also find me on Instagram, or contact me via email at: areafelix019@gmail.com
Interview conducted by Biljana Letić from Australia for the portal Rasejanje.info
Maja Milojković was born in 1975 in Zaječar, Serbia. She is a person to whom from an early age, Leonardo da Vinci’s statement “Painting is poetry that can be seen, and poetry is painting that can be heard” is circulating through the blood. That’s why she started to use feathers and a brush and began to reveal the world and herself to them. As a poet, she is represented in numerous domestic and foreign literary newspapers, anthologies and electronic media, and some of her poems can be found on YouTube. Many of her poems have been translated into English, Hungarian, Bengali and Bulgarian due to the need of foreign readers. She is the recipient of many international awards. “Trees of Desire” is her second collection of poems in preparation, which is preceded by the book of poems “Moon Circle”. She is a member of the International Society of Writers and Artists “Mountain Views” in Montenegro, and she also is a member of the Poetry club “Area Felix” in Serbia.