New Late Night Conversations - Odilia Galván Rodríguez, John Matteson, and Sarah A. Chrisman

This winter, I've had the chance to talk to some fascinating people for Late Night Conversation. I'm very delayed in posting these, but I hope you'll take some time to listen to them now, if you haven't already!

This month, I was able to speak with Odilia Galván Rodríguez about her important new anthology, Poetry of Resistance: Voices for Social Justice. We spoke about what makes poetry such a good medium for social change, and the fascinating story of collaboration, technology, and social justice that went into the creation of this book. Listen here.

In January, I spoke with John Matteson, Pulitzer Prize winner and editor of The Annotated Little Women. I've loved Little Women since I was in middle school, and I still practically swoon when I see a clip from the 1994 movie, so it was really wonderful to hear some of the book's backstory and ephemera from an expert on the Alcott family. Listen here.

And in December, I was lucky enough to talk to Sarah A. Chrisman about her newest book, This Victorian Life. Sarah recounts what it’s like to explore nineteenth-century culture and technologies from the inside out, living with her husband as they would have in the 1800s. We spoke about women's rights, outsiders' reactions to her choices, and the nineteenth-century trend she wishes would catch on again. I especially loved hearing her clock in the background, and having her say, "We set our days by its ticking." Listen here.

Late Night Conversation - Lisa Lucas Podcast

This is embarrassingly delayed, but I didn't want to let another day pass without letting you know that last month, I interviewed the incredible Lisa Lucas, publisher of Guernica Magazine, about the magazine, the obstacles and rewards of the nonprofit publishing world, and Guernica’s new print issue. I hope you'll have a listen!

Self-y on Oh Evie

Evie - writer, humorist, and light-packer extraordinaire - has very kindly featured me on her blog's new feature, the Self-y. Hop on over to find out why this is a favorite image of myself.

Late Night Conversation - Danniel Schoonebeek Podcast

It was a joy to interview Danniel Schoonebeek, a poet and friend I deeply respect, a few weeks ago. We talked about his recent cross-country book tour, and while I'm all about logistics, he's all about the meaning behind it, and it was a discussion that I hope you'll enjoy.

Plus, we're giving away a signed copy of his book, American Barricade, so if you haven't already read it, now is a great chance to get your hands on it. Have a listen here.

Writing Process Blog Tour

I was so excited to have Lauren tag me in this a few weeks ago that I'm cross-posting it on my website and my blog. In case you don't remember her from her wonderful Writer Wednesday interview, Lauren is an incredible fiction and copywriter based in Seattle. You should definitely read her post on writing next!

1.) What are you working on?

Lately, I am working on getting back into writing poetry. I've written (mostly by hand, though sometimes on my phone) a few pieces lately, and I'm loving the weight of the pen in my hand. Most of my poems lately have been about getting the creep inside of me out into the open, so they're a little weird and creepy and stalkerish. I'm hoping they start to chill out a little in the revisions. I should also be working on sending out submissions and my book, but friends, I am being honest. That is not happening much. If you have any tips on motivating yourself, leave them in the comments. I can use any help I can get.

I also work on copywriting for my day job, audio-crafting for my side job, and writing a whole bunch over at Not Intent On Arriving. I'm taking the writing I do on the blog more seriously lately, and that feels good.

2.) How does your work differ from others of its genre?

Sometimes I'm a little afraid that my poetry is too much like other works in the genre, only not as good. I read Life of Mars and Blue Colonial and Kyrie, and was like, "Welp. No need for me to write any more. They said it first, they said it best."  At it's core, I think poetry (and all art) is all about the same thing: the human condition. With that said, though, of course I do think I have something different to say. And the way that I get around and into what I have to say about the human condition is through history and objects and personal stories. I'm always looking for the tidbits of a thing, the things that are quiet and maybe overlooked, and trying to find a way into real emotion through them. I hope I'm succeeding at it, and that it differentiates me a bit!

3.) Why do you write what you write?

Oh, goodness, because I'm obsessed with it. I mean, honestly, I hardly write a thing if it doesn't feel absolutely 100% necessary that I write it down. Sometimes I get an idea in my head and churn it over and over until I just have to get it out of my system and onto paper. Also, especially with these creeper poems, it's kind of nice to put on my inner creeper and play it out on paper without actually, like, sitting outside someone's house with binoculars. Well, that makes me sound creepier than I am, but I hope you know what I mean. I like that poetry lets me inhabit parts of myself that I don't normally inhabit, and live the lives of people who are gone or who I may never meet. I guess that's the crux of it. I'm all about playing dress-up with words.

4.) How does your writing process work?

Some of the time, I just have an idea and spit it out onto paper, and then wait a few hours or a few days and revise it a bit and then it's done and it's beautiful! And the rest of the time, I force myself to write and it's crap and I revise for weeks and months until it's less crap, and that's also pretty good, though not as good as the if I have an idea and spit it out. I'm very slowly starting to wake up earlier to get work done, so I'm hoping that one day soon, I'll start using that morning time as time to write. I did Morning Pages for a few weeks, and found it to be quite good for me emotionally, though rather less generative than I'd hoped, creatively. Perhaps I'll get back into that soon. In the meantime, I write my favorite poems in transit, on the subway or a plane or a train.

-------------------------------

Many thanks to Lauren for tagging me in this fun game! You should check her out at Better in Real Life, where she writes about her life as a writer, adventurer, mother, wife, and new(ly renewed) Seattlite. (God, I love the word Seattlite.)

I know so many incredible writers that it's hard to tag just three, but I'll stick to writers with blogs I love. And, if you remain untagged, please answer in the comments! Obviously I am all about interviews, so don't be shy.

Emily X.R. Pan - Emily is a friend from NYU, and a great fiction writer to boot. She blogs a lot about her writing process (and helped inspire my morning pages!), so I can't wait to read her answers to these questions.

Anna Lowe Weber -When people ask me to recommend a blog for them, I almost always suggest Anna's, but in addition to being a fantastic food blogger, she's written some poems that speak directly to my heart.

Jennifer Hanks - Jennifer is another poet who speaks to my soul, and luckily, a good friend of mine from Sarah Lawrence. She has a beautiful tumblr, and I hope she'll answer these questions over there!

Late Night Conversation - Julia Fierro Podcast

A few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of interviewing the very talented Julia Fierro at her home in Brooklyn. She was one of the kindest people I've ever interviewed, and I really hope her warmth comes across in the interview, the way it does in her debut novel, Cutting Teeth. We spoke for well over an hour, and I know we could have talked for many more, if not for needing to close things down to trim the podcast. We talked about the anxious time that birthed Sackett Street Writers' Workshop, her process of writing, and why women writers get blasted for having unlikeable characters so often.

She was also nice enough to sign a copy of Cutting Teeth and give me a tote bag to pass on to one lucky listener. As of posting, it still hasn't been taken, so feel free to try your luck!

photo by Natalie Brasington

I hope you'll have a listen to the interview at Late Night Library! It was lovely talking to Julia, and I'm so excited to co-host this year's Battle of the Books with her in September. More details on that to come soon!

Late Night Conversation - Charif Shanahan Podcast

A few weeks ago, I interviewed Charif Shanahan of the Poetry Society of America. In addition to being their programs director, he is also a Cave Canem fellow, a recipient of an Academy of American Poets Prize ,and a semi-finalist for the “Discovery”/Boston Review Poetry Prize. Charif and I met at NYU, and I was so excited to have this conversation with him, and talk a little bit more about his work with PSA, and his own poems and translations.

You can listen to our conversation here. I hope you enjoy!

Late Night Conversation - Lee Briccetti Podcast

A few weeks ago, I had a lovely time chatting with Lee Briccetti, executive director of Poets House, a 60,000 volume poetry library in Battery Park City. Our interview is now up online as a Late Night Conversation on Late Night Library. I hope you'll hop on over and take a listen!

I interned for Poets House in 2008, and my experience there was incredible. The staff is very welcoming, and Lee is no exception. During our conversation, we talked about ways to make poetry more accessible, more welcoming to a person who may never have liked poetry or may have fallen away from it in recent years. Their programming arches over all readers and writers, from experience poets (they offer master classes with incredible teachers every semester) to brand new readers (with their beautiful children's library and field trips). There's something for everyone in their beautiful space overlooking the Hudson River.

Lee is also a complete powerhouse, and runs the organization with acumen and passion. She's overseen the nonprofit for twenty-five years, and I deeply admire her tenacity and creativity. In addition to opening their new building a few years ago, she also published her first book, Day Mark in 2005.

I'm so glad she was willing to speak with me on behalf of Late Night Library, and that I had the opportunity to learn so much from her during this interview, and from Poets House during that internship at the very start of my career. I hope you'll give it a listen and visit the library if you're ever in New York!

Interview - The Missouri Review's Working Writers Series

I'm over at The Missouri Review with an embarrassingly long interview about my life as a working writer. I talk a lot about my hometown and how history plays into my work. It was a lot of fun talking with Tess, who is writing her journalism thesis on the authenticity of the reporter's persona, which sounds incredible to me and obviously has a little bit of an intersection with my poetry.

The Missouri Review Working Writers series is really interesting to me. They interview writers "who have not had success in the traditional sense. No major awards, no books in print, maybe only a few or no publications, but are still writing." They say that their goal is "to give voice to a wide range of writers, to learn from their experiences, and to open a discussion about living the craft," and I love reading this feature because I love interviews with writers, especially writers who are also everyday people. The blog also has a ton of other great features and posts, including Literature on Lockdown, which shares narratives from those who teach in prison and those who write from prison, which is a cause I care about a lot.

I hope you enjoy my interview and check out some of the many others available on the site!

Late Night Debut - Josh Booton Podcast

I can't think of a better way to celebrate my golden birthday than by announcing my episode of Late Night Library's Late Night Debut with Amanda McConnon, starring Josh Booton.

Late Night Debut focuses on first books, and Amanda and I were so excited to discuss The Union of Geometry and Ash, Booton's 2013 excellent debut from Bear Star Press. The book creates its own beautiful logic and works within that logic to ask and answer some of humanity's eternal questions. If you haven't had a chance to read it yet, I'd definitely recommend picking up a copy, and I hope our podcast encourages you to do just that!

Josh was wonderful to work with and I was amazed at how incredibly eloquent he was with his answers. Amanda and I joked that he was more articulate (and said "um" less often!) than I did even though he was answering cold and I was reading mine off of our notes. He's an incredible thinker and an incredible writer, so do give it a listen. (Oh, and in case you do give it a listen and you hear me embarrassingly forget Marilyn Nelson, the crown of sonnets I mention is hers, and called "A Wreath for Emmett Till.")

Late Night Library is a great organization run out of Portland, OR,and dedicated to sustaining book culture, promoting literature in schools and communities, and supporting a diverse array of writers early in their careers. I'm so excited to have worked with them, and want to thank Amanda for asking me to join her in this adventure, and Josh for being so kind as to participate. Thanks everyone!

Interview - MFA Day Job

I'm over at MFA Day Job today, being interviewed about my writing life and my work life and how they fight against and complement each other.

MFA Day Job is a fantastic blog that showcases the incredible diversity of writers' careers, because we don't all just work in academia. They've featured people who work in many different fields, including software development, television production, and high school teachers. As the site says, "What they have in common, besides a misunderstood terminal (it’s terminal!) degree, is a creative outlook and a belief that their educational background, despite the doomsday warnings, is not a liability." Run by Leah Falk, it was inspired by a panel on non-academic jobs for writers, and I've found every interview to be a great read and refreshing.  I hope you enjoy my interview and check out some of the many others available on the site!

Interview: Writer Wednesday

I usually don't post here about my personal blog, Not Intent on Arriving, just because while the process of recording things there it is definitely a part of my writing life, the blog itself is really more about my life and wanderings than my writing.  But, I recently started a new feature there that might be of some interest to readers here: Writer Wednesdays.

My first post is an interview with myself, which was a bit strange but fun to put together.  Going forward, the plan is to feature a new writer every week, and so far I've got a great line-up of bloggers, poets, playwrights and other writers.  I hope you'll take a look at some of the interviews and find some new things to read!

If you're interested in being featured yourself, just shoot me an email with your answers to each of the questions and a photo of yourself.

Interview: SLC Internview & Impact

A few months ago, my alma mater, Sarah Lawrence, contacted me and my colleagues Emily Krupin and Niel Rosenthalis (also SLC grads) for an interview about our jobs.  They misspelled my name and misquoted us a few times, but I do think they captured the spirit of what makes SLC students such good hires, so I thought I'd share the story (in its different forms) here.

If you're interested to read more about SLC internships, you can read Internview here: http://issuu.com/slcocc/docs/internview.  We're featured on page 24 and my classmate Hannah Kinney is on page 23.

SLC Impact

SLC Internview (click to read)

Interview in The Conversant

I'm so pleased to have my interview with Allyson Paty and Danniel Schoonebeek featured online at The Conversant today.  Allyson and Dann are two of my favorite poets working today - their individual works are just as powerful as the Torch Songs they write together - and their dedication to poetry inspires me endlessly.  Their interview is a great one, so I do hope you'll read it along with the other interviews in this month's incredible issue.

Interview with Finch and Ada

Little known fact: my partner, Roger, & I are famous.  Well, not really famous, but a little famous.  One of our friends, Erica, is the editorial assistant on Finch & Ada, and was kind enough to feature us on their Hump Day Q&A for two weeks in a row.  Hop on over to check out our little interviews, which I think say an alarming amount about ourselves.

Roger's is online here: http://finchandada.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/hump-day-qa-roger-arnold/

And I'm online here: http://finchandada.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/hump-day-qa-chris-faroe-2/