How does a poem begin?
Since I was in elementary school, a poem has always begun as a bodily sensation. I tend to feel it in my calves and arms, this transcendental itch that carries my focus into the mind, and uses my hands to gather words, lines, and thoughts and write them down quickly. It is messy and difficult and can really make a poet cringe. If you’re lucky, you might have the poem completed in your first draft. I live for those poems, I will wait on them for the rest of my life.
Why is poetry important?
Poetry is important because it is an extension of the soul. What our minds and hearts cannot say, poetry can expel in seconds. When we use language as an extension of the body to produce cosmic dynamism, we are left feeling satisfied, elated, and in turn, have the courage to talk about what is not being said, and hope that others can do the same.
How important is music to your poetry?
Extremely important. I need to listen to music at all times. I’m not much of a podcast person because I know my soul needs lyricism. I love singer/songwriters such as Lorde and Lana Del Rey because they identify themselves as writers first, and it shows through their music. I enjoy hearing singers who are well-read and are not afraid to add references to Edna Millay and Ginsberg in their music!
What poets changed the way you thought about writing?
Allen Ginsberg helped me transform into a more serious, professional poet. After reading Ginsberg’s collection, I was no longer drawn to writing about juvenile heartbreak or mental illness, which is what my first book Pouring Poetry was about. Once I became an English major and was introduced to a new world of literature, I began to slowly shed my old style of writing. I wanted to cut deeper and write about the culture, space, toxic masculinity, and motherhood. Ginsberg’s work is generational because he offered what we were afraid to look at, and that is poetry as a potentially abstract, courageous form that can turn culture on its head.
Another poet that has given me courage to write about things I normally wouldn’t is Diane Wakoski. I first read her poem “Filling the Boxes of Joseph Cornell”, and read it at least ten times before going to sleep… and another ten times upon waking the next day. I remember thinking, Oh my gosh, she really did it? For the first time at 21 years old, I was reading a female poet who spoke so intelligently about female anger and how it resonates in the most complex parts of women’s lives. Waksoki is unapologetically herself, and I believe that has gotten her to reach the success she has had. Her poem “I have had to learn to live with my face” is uncomfortable, strong, yet relentlessly beautiful. I tend to remember her when I am faced with a topic I wouldn’t normally tell my partner or family. Wakoski teaches me to write about things that are raw and off the edge. The same goes for Sylvia Plath, whose work I did not read until I entered the M.F.A. program at Texas State. I am so heavily influenced by Plath that I try not to read her too often while I write lest I lose my own voice!
What do you find most difficult about writing poetry?
Waiting for creative inspiration. Poetry is difficult because it is unlike fiction, where you can have a concrete outline and work upon it. Poetic language has a divine source and you must do what you can to create that space in the mind. It’s about patience and continuing to identify yourself as a poet, even when the poetry is slow to show itself.
