By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

The idea of publishing is exciting for writers, but can also be scary. Western student Ollie Bergh, a Bachelor of Fine Arts theater major, recently self published his first book, “The Joy You Hide,” a collection of poetry and a short story.

“The joy you hide” includes 21 poems and a short story called “kintsugi,” in which, taken from the book’s description, Bergh “… tackles a young tragedy like a film.”

Sitting down with Bergh, I was able to get some information about the inspiration behind “the joy you hide.”

“We’re so cynical, our generation, people say ‘the millennials.’ I remember talking with someone and we were one upping each other with our lives, and I just thought that was ridiculous. There’s so much happiness we have in the world everyday, but it’s kind of ‘trendy’ in a way to be sad. So I thought I’d argue that” said Bergh.

Bergh’s favorite poem, and the one where he got the book’s title from, is “our biggest fear.”

“This is maybe the thing I’ve always wanted to say. It’s six lines, but it took me so long to make sure I got every word right. I just really love it. It feels to me like the expression of the book itself” Bergh recounted.

“The runner up would be the poem right next to it, ‘the loneliest generation,’ which for me was super fun because I got all four seasons in there and I created a form that I wanted out of nowhere. I made some rules for myself and it was a fun puzzle that came out. People really like it.” Bergh added.

Bergh compiled his work into the book and published the book himself.

“As soon as I got the book in my hands, I felt guilty. I cheated in a way, I feel. I haven’t gone through the gambit that a lot of young go through which is they write, write, write, write, write their whole life. For me, this has just been a hobby. I didn’t really want to go through the arduous process of going through a publisher, so I thought ‘I’ll do it myself’” said Bergh.

“What I would say to someone who wants to do it is, if someone like me can do it – on a whim, you absolutely have every responsibility to do it. Get your writing out there, and if no one is going to publish it for you, publish it yourself” he added.

Bergh cites the inspirations for the book as our generation’s cynicism, his faith and his experience at Western.

“The biggest direct influences are the people on campus and Dr. Hughes, who has helped me a lot. I think it was my freshman year, I reached out to him and said ‘hey I want to understand what makes a good poem’ and he helped me out with that. Campus itself, the people have crafted me here” said Bergh.

Ollie Bergh’s book “the joy you hide” is available now on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback editions for $10.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu