Established in 2018, TBR [to be read] is a semi-regular, invitation-only interview series with authors of newly released/forthcoming, interesting books.
We don’t expect an elevator pitch from a poet, but can you tell us about your work in 2-3 sentences?
I usually write a narrative poem that, along the way, dives into single
moments and/or explores associations that arise as I write. I like poems that
think-on-the-page, and find those especially fun to write.
Which poem/s did you most enjoy writing? Why? And which poem/s gave you
the most trouble, and why?
I most enjoyed writing “For the Poet Who Writes to Me While Standing in
Line at CVS, Waiting for His Mother’s Prescription” because the subject
welcomed a wide range of material and emotion. It’s about those early months of
the COVID quarantine, when I compulsively surfed the Internet for both information
and distraction, which is how I got to reference both the royal family and
snack food. It’s also one of the poems I most enjoy having written because it’s
found a wide readership, especially in England and Ireland.
I most struggled with writing “At the Feet of Michelangelo’s David.” The ending originally included lots of facts about the statue’s
long trek to the museum, and lots (and lots) of speculation on my part as to
what that might have looked like to passersby. Eventually, I realized I needed
to look again at the statue itself in order to find the poem’s final lines.
Tell us a bit about the highs and lows of your book’s road to
publication.
First, the low: For four years I submitted The Odds manuscript to all
the best publishers and competitions, where sometimes it was a finalist or
otherwise near-miss. I found this mostly encouraging, until the day that my
dream publisher told me that The Odds had
lost publication to one other book,
essentially because my poems “sound too much alike.” This observation felt
damning, and too accurate for comfort. So I gave up on The Odds. I turned my
attention to a new-and-selected manuscript I’d begun a few years earlier; maybe
that manuscript, instead, might be my fifth book. When, slowly and grudgingly, I
returned to The Odds, I reordered the
poems to highlight variation of subject, length, and form. I added poems I originally
thought hadn’t fit. When Jan Beatty selected the revised The Odds as winner of the 2024 Laura
Boss Narrative Poetry Award, I’d won the jackpot! Not only did a fabulous and
accomplished poet select my work, but I had “grown as a poet.” Ultimately, the
struggle was good for me and for my book. As a bonus, that new-and-selected
manuscript is nearly complete, which also feels good.
What’s your favorite piece of writing advice?
“Follow the poem, don’t lead.” I’m all about discovering as you write,
about welcoming unforeseen ideas, associations, images, sounds. If I begin a
poem knowing where the poem will end, the poem hardly feels worth writing; it
feels restricted to the conscious mind, closed to the subconscious. Discoveries
add resonance and depth to the poem, and—really important for me—add fun to the
writing process.
My favorite writing advice is “write until something surprises you.”
What surprised you in the writing of this book?
Every poem includes something that I did not foresee, but, overall, I
didn’t expect that the pandemic, either overtly or covertly, would appear so
often in this book. I knew that I’d write about the passing of time, since I
often do, but with The Odds I found
myself feeling as if I were a historian, responsible for recording the
quarantine years.
How did you find the title of your book?
I like a short book title because it’s easy for readers to remember. The Odds is my fifth full-length poetry
collection and the odds were against this happening. The odds were against my
living this long. Not coincidentally, I am drawn to writing about odd things,
things that are unlikely subjects for poems. Also, I love the iamb, love it.
Inquiring foodies and hungry book clubs want to know: Any food/s
associated with your book? (Any recipes I might share?)
A figure in one of the poems eats a granola bar. Salted cashews also
appear. As for recipes, sorry. I’m better at recommending restaurants.
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READ MORE ABOUT THIS AUTHOR:
ORDER THIS BOOK FOR YOUR TBR STACK: https://nyq.org/books/title/the-odds