THE LEGENDARY TALKS
โ The Legendary Talks:7
An Exclusive Interview with
Maja Milojkoviฤ
by Biljana Letiฤ
Poetry, a deeply personal expression that comes from the soul like a melodyโฆ Poetry, painting, singing, and dancing are my four โaces,โ and I believe they are gifts from God.
โ Maja MilojkoviฤMaja Milojkoviฤ 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 Moonโs Poetic Circle. Exclusively for the readers of the media portal Rasejanje.info, Biljana Letiฤ shares a story about the achievements of the versatile artist Maja Milojkoviฤ, told from the perspective of a writer, author, and poet. Biljana Letiฤ is a native of Belgrade who has been living in Brisbane, Australia for almost three decades.
The multi-talented author and artist Maja Milojkoviฤ, originally from Zajeฤar, 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 โfour acesโโpoetry, painting, singing, and dance. This interview focuses on poetry, books, and the series of honorary awards Maja Milojkoviฤ received in 2024. Majaโs artistic journey and her golden path to fame are covered in this story, along with two of her poems, โFollow Meโ and โThe End and the Beginning.โ
Biljana Letiฤ
Radio Host for ZZZZ,
Brisbane, Australia.
โฆ.
Biljana Letiฤ
How would you describe to the readers โ who is Maja Milojkoviฤ?
Maja Milojkoviฤ
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 โ 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 โ a dual nature that allows me to play with everything Iโm 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 โaces,โ and I believe they are gifts from God. That doesnโt mean Iโm the best, but rather that these paths are the best means for expressing my soul. You are given life and talentsโthey 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.
I gladly accept invitations for cooperation because I believe in the power of international connection through art.
Biljana Letiฤ
Letโs start with the books youโve published. Can you list all the books and awards youโve received so far?
Maja Milojkoviฤ
Iโve published two poetry collections: โThe Moonโs Circleโ, published by Sven from Niลก, and โThe Wishing Treesโ, published by Sfairos from Belgrade. My third collection, โBe Like a Paper Kiteโ, is currently in preparation and will also be published by Sfairos.
Together with Dr. Milan Mladenoviฤ, I co-edited the international anthology โRhymes from Rtanjโ for 2024, published by Sfairos in Belgrade.
Iโm 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 Paviฤ.
In 2024, Iโd like to highlight the book โHyperpoemโ, 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.
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. ย ย ย
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.
Iโve 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.
Hereโs a small portion of the awards I received in 2024, among them:
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 โ felt โ with the heart.
โข The Literature Award from the Academy of Ethics in India, awarded by the Academyโs 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 Sekuliฤ, the President of Matica Srpska, Dr. Dragan Staniฤ and myself.
โข 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.
โข Awards from โRINASCIMENTO โ RENAISSANCE MILLENNIUM III,โ presented to me by Prof. George Onsy, founder and president of RRM3 from Cairo, Egypt.
โข An award from Nobel Prize nominee Abdulgani Yahya Al-Ebarh Din of Yemen for contributions to world peace.
โข The โGolden Bridgeโ 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.
Thatโs the magic of poetry: it transcends visual and auditory boundaries, becoming an emotion, a message, a presence.
I write for magazines from various countries. Iโd like to highlight the regular publication of my poems in magazines such as:
โย ย ย ย ย ย Synchronicity of Chaos from California
โย ย ย ย ย ย Atunis Poetry from Belgium
โย ย ย ย ย ย Polis Magazino from Greece
โย ย ย ย ย ย 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 Letiฤ
Where do you get your inspiration for writing poetry?
Maja Milojkoviฤ
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 Letiฤ
Youโre inspired by Leonardo da Vinciโs quote: โPainting is poetry that can be seen, and poetry is painting that can be heard.โ How do you experience that โ as expressing poetry from the soul in your own way, or as an artistic โpaintingโ of poetry that is heard?
Maja Milojkoviฤ
For me, itโs 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 โ felt โ with the heart. Thatโs the magic of poetry:
The central themes of my work are love, spirituality, inner transformation, the transience of time, and reflections on life and death.
it transcends visual and auditory boundaries, becoming an emotion, a message, a presence.
Biljana Letiฤ
When did you realize that poetry was your way of artistic expression? What are the most common messages you convey through your verses?
Maja Milojkoviฤ
I wrote my first poem on November 20, 1993, the day before our familyโs 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 Letiฤ
The association Rtanj and the Moonโs Poetic Circle is something you founded. What can you tell us about it?
Maja Milojkoviฤ
It was my wish to gather poets from Zajeฤar 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 Mladenoviฤ 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 Lusatia. I brought together 116 authors from all continents, many of whom are my Facebook friends. The anthology was printed under the title โRtanj Versesโ by the first publishing house from Serbia, Sfairos, founded by Dr. Milan Mladenoviฤ.
Biljana Letiฤ
How can readers find you on social media?
Maja Milojkoviฤ
Iโm active on Facebook, and I have a website under the name Area Feliks. Iโm also the editor of the international magazine for creative literature and culture Area Felix. Additionally, Iโm the founder and vice president of the association Rtanj and the Moonโs 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:ย areafelix019@gmail.com
Two Poems by Maja Milojkoviฤ
FOLLOW ME
I give you a secret sign โ follow the white rabbit.
My tattoo on the shoulder speaks.
Oh yes, I forgot โ weโre not in the Matrix.
I want you to be my companion,
but you donโt know how to read the signs
that the Universe places
through numbers and in a childโs speech.
There is a heavenly illustrator whose pen writes horoscope signs.
The future is laid out clearly, like on the palm of a hand,
like an answer to a prayer.
But instead of watching,
you sleep and dream of me in a silky nightgown,
not realizing I wear it because itโs hot on this burning night โ
not to provoke your senses.
I offer you a path to walk without material desires,
so we may head to the Himalayas,
where we will see with different eyes.
Weโll dive into a mountain of snow,
inside which lies a world of abundance.
Close your eyes and follow me.
Iโll take you there, fellow traveler,
when you learn that tattoos speak,
when you recognize the signposts written with a golden quill โ
then we wonโt need a body made of earth.
Follow me, and Iโll take you to where abundance is born of awakened dreams.
And when you step there, you wonโt want to return โ
but first, wish for it.
โฆ.
THE END AND THE BEGINNING
Just as the crescent moon slices the starry canvas with its delicate arc,
from that memory, comets are born โ
brief flares that shine and disappear.
When they burn out in the darkness,
we raise our eyes to the sky,
and in that moment, we place a wish into our hearts.
When a person leaves this world,
voices turn into songs โ
celebrations of the journey and of the final return.
The universe weighs everything with care,
measuring pain and joy equally,
as if every inhale were a blessing,
and every exhale a warning of impermanence.
Let life flow, caressed by blessings,
but it too walks toward death.
For all that is beautiful is born of the transient,
and every poem reaches its final verse,
so that in silence,
a new beginning may be born.
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Biljana Letiฤ
Biljana Letiฤ isย a native of Belgrade who has been living in Brisbane, Australia for almost three decades. She is a radio host for ZZZZ โ a famous radio station in Australia. I work with her, she helps me with interviews for the e-magazine AREA FELIX. I gave her an interview, and itโs one of my favorite interviews because it was detailed about me. It was published in the German / Serbian portal rasejanje.com.
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