Wombwell Rainbow Interviews

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger.

The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

Tianna G. Hansen

has been writing her whole life and discovered an affinity for all genres but poetry will always be her first love. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and her cat Stella. Tianna is the founder/EIC of Rhythm & Bones Press (rhythmnbone.com) and her published work can be found at creativetianna.com. Follow her: Twitter @tiannag92 / IG @tgghansen24 / FB @tiannaghansen.

The Interview<

1. What inspired you to write poetry?

I don’t think I can pinpoint one thing over another that inspired me to write poetry. It seemed to come naturally to me. I’ve spent my whole life writing, composing poems and stories on paper and in my head. Poetry was always a solace for me, somewhere I felt at home and like I could rest easy. Somewhere I could release all these bottled emotions and find peace. My mother is a poet and always said she transferred her muse to me in the womb. I’ve always felt things very deeply and tried to put those feelings into words – thus, poetry seemed to find me, something that grew into a necessity over time. A catharsis, a release. I remember sitting in the backseat of the car as a kid at night, following the moon with my eyes, which in turn seemed to follow me, never disappearing, hanging there like a shining orb I couldn’t take my eyes off of. I was smitten. That moment seems to describe my relationship with poetry well, too. Finding beauty in every moment and crafting it into something tangible with words.

2. Who introduced you to poetry?

I guess you could say my mother-muse introduced me to poetry, but truth is, I can’t quite remember. I always admired Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath’s poetry. I remember handing in a personal poetry book (an assignment in high school) and receiving it back from my teacher with the words “YOU ARE A POET” written on it and underlined. I think that moment right there was my affirmation that I can write this, more than just read it. I will also always remember visiting a relative one summer and finding what seemed to be an ancient book of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poems. I was so drawn to his words, I started copying down entire stanzas and then entire poems. I didn’t part with the book for a week and when it was time to go home, the relative gifted me the book. I still have it with my other old books collection.

3. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?

The poets who have always been at the forefront of my consciousness when writing or thinking about writing are Plath, Dickinson, Robert Frost, Edgar Allan Poe, Longfellow, and countless others. I think as a contemporary writer it’s good to be aware of who came before but also not to allow this to dominate you in your own creations – make a name for yourself and a style all your own. I was always told: write what you want to read, what hasn’t been created before. I continue to be amazed by the contemporary poets of today. I’m surrounded by an infinite number of talented writers, and it rejuvenates me to see the creative spirit living on.

4. What is your daily writing routine?

I haven’t fallen into a strict writing pattern or routine yet, although it is something I crave. I find myself writing whenever I have a spare moment, even (guiltily) composing poems in the car on my commute, at my desk during my day job, while trying to sleep, watching the moon in the sky at night, and any other number of odd places. I think it frustrates my husband quite often because I am always partly inside my head writing poetry. I often like to take the day-to-day mundane and craft it into lyrical poetic lines. I’m fascinated by mythology, lore and legend, and love the opportunity to dive into some research and write based on this. I’m always writing poetry whenever I feel strongly about something – love, loss, grief, joy. My emotions fuel my writing passion and so I write whenever I am moved to. I write without restraint or any set routine whatsoever.

5. What motivates you to write?

I kind of touched on this above but whenever I am feeling an emotion very strongly I feel compelled to write. My emotions spur composition. Not writing is harder and worse than writing for me. I write because I can’t stand not writing. I write because I need to. I’m inspired by so many things daily: the curl of the wind in the trees, the tilt of the sun or the moon in the sky, anything that ignites a passion inside me. When it comes to my creative nonfiction, I’m motivated to tell my story, of my past and what I have endured and survived in hopes of helping someone else navigate the pathways of trauma, abuse, and mental illness. For my fiction, I like to craft a world like an escape, for myself as the writer and for my readers. No matter what I write, I leave pieces of myself in every line like a treasure map of my soul.

6. What is your work ethic?

As a Capricorn Sun & Moon I am an insane workaholic, I rarely allow myself to rest. I’m ambitious and like to do as much as I can; which can often be a fault as well. I work hard and throw my all into everything I do. Especially when I’m passionate, I will work tirelessly, like on my small press/lit mag Rhythm & Bones (link: https://www.rhythmnbone.com). I like to champion anything I set my mind to doing with R&B although there are times it can be exhausting. I’m the same way when it comes to my own writing projects: tireless, motivated, passionate, fearless.

7. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

I read so many books when I was young but those that truly stuck with me are the poets I mentioned earlier, among many others, and all the fantasy writers I would consume. I was always drawn to medieval historical fiction. My first novel is fantasy and I loved escaping into that world. As I’ve grown, my writing has evolved to be more personal and confessional but I will always have roots in fantasy. I hope to one day mix the two, and that’s what my current WIP novel somewhat does. It isn’t fantasy-based per-say but it is based on some of my own experiences while maintaining a hard fictional quality. It gave me enough of a separation to develop the characters and I hope to see that novel published someday. It combines my experiences of abuse with my passion for prison reform, along with a nice hidden mix of mythology.

8. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

I admire so many of today’s writers but have a fondness for my writing group, The Legend City Collective. The writers there are all so supportive and talented and have stuck by my side through a lot. I learn new things from them every day. I also admire all of the authors I’ve published at Rhythm & Bones Press (link: https://www.rhythmnbone.com/books). The talent they bring to the page as well as turning their own traumas into art is a big motivator and inspiration for me.

9. Why do you write, as opposed to doing anything else?

Writing is my first true love. I found writing at a time in my life that was full of upheaval. When my parents divorced in second grade and I discovered none of my friends at the time were going through anything similar, I felt alone. I channeled my feelings into creating, and it stuck with me ever since. My family knows I’ve been writing my whole life; it is more than a best friend, it is my constant lover who I know will never leave. Writing is my soul mate. My security. I’ve found writing is a constant, writing is powerful and meaningful and fulfills me in ways that anything else couldn’t. I wrote my first novel before I entered high school (it’s still sitting in a drawer somewhere to my mother’s dismay). I started writing poetry around that time, or earlier. I composed stories when I was very young and my little sister would be the first reader, scurry away with pages and pages of handwritten tales. I feel, although this might sound corny, writing was always my destiny.

10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

You’re a writer the moment you pick up a pen or start typing. You’re a writer once you compose a line of poetry or a sentence. Once you string words together.

11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

I’m in a constant revision spiral for my novel mentioned above, Chasing Cassandra. I wrote the first draft at the end of my MFA program and have since been revising and tweaking. I’m also working on a few poetry manuscripts and hoping to have a full-length poetry collection eventually. It’s always a little difficult for me to compile poems together but I love the challenge of linking strong themes together and always discover something pleasantly unexpected. I’m still basking in the glow of having my debut poetry collection Undone, Still Whole (link: https://www.creativetianna.com/undone-still-whole) released with APEP Publications, which chronicles my journey through trauma to come out on the other side of healing, channeling the feminine divine to garner strength and power on this pathway. I’ve also released a poetic opera A Victorian Dollhousing Ceremony with two other poets, a beautiful collaboration which challenged me to enter the mind of a character, The Firebird, while taking from my own life. Right now, I have an erotica poetry collection ongoing, a confessional poetry collection, and one about entering recovery (both from trauma/abuse and addiction). I would love to also get back to work on a novella I had plans for a while back, and eventually begin writing my next novel. The writing projects seem endless, but that’s an exciting place to be.

Stuart Buck

is a poet and artist living in North Wales.  When he is not writing or reading poetry, he likes to cook, juggle and listen to music. He suffers terribly from tsundoku – the art of buying copious amounts of books that he will never read.

The Interview

1. What inspired you to write poetry?

I started writing poetry after a particularly troubling time in my life. I was working as a chef and had what the doctor called a ‘not insignificant nervous breakdown’ so had to stop working. Until that point I can honestly say, other than at school, I had never read or been interested in poetry at all. But I had a lot of spare time after I finished work and decided to write haiku as I had heard from somewhere or other that the practise was very calming. I guess that’s where the addiction started.

2. Who introduced you to poetry?

Myself I suppose. The first poet I properly fell for was Basho and his wonderful haiku. So much can be said in just three lines. For me, that is mastery of the craft. From there I picked up some of Kerouac’s books of poetry, then fell in to the Beats – Ginsberg, Burroughs etc. Nothing too in depth, I was just dabbling.

3. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?

Massively aware since that was what I was reading. It is only once you scratch the surface that you realise that the majority of the quality work that is produced is coming from the younger poets. At school you only ever learn about the old white guys, maybe a bit of Maya Angelou. But poetry is so much more isn’t it?

4. What is your daily writing routine?

Honestly, I don’t have one. I can go days and weeks without writing. But then I get this feeling in my throat and my stomach and it’s telling me I need to write. That I need to create something. So I do. I have a huge, fantastic imagination and a lot of my poems are vignettes, little scenes that I have dreamt up and stories that I feel need to be told. I open Word Online, write it down and that’s it. I NEVER edit my work (unless it is a commission) so once something is out its out. I tend to post most of my work on Twitter and don’t submit much to places anymore. I used to but I realised I was looking for validation from people through submitting work. I think even if your work is good the acceptance rate is pretty low, so it can be disheartening for a lot of writers. But in reality, you are trying to get 5000 poems down to 50 and people are going to miss the cut.

5. What motivates you to write?

Because I have to. That’s the short answer. I have an awful lot inside me and if you have a lot of things turning around your mind and don’t have anywhere to put them, they can pickle and turn bad. That’s why poetry is so important.

I also love it when someone connects with my words. It’s like a neural-link. I think any poet who says they aren’t interested in validation is lying. We crave acceptance and love, especially from fellow writers. I am not going to sit here and tell you otherwise. I’m like a sponge. A good comment can see me through a bad day. And that’s why I write.

6. What is your work ethic?

Poor! I read a lot of poetry but I write very little compared to a few years back. I was churning out one or two pieces a day back then whereas now it’s one or two a month. But I feel like the quality is there with my work now. Or at least, its somewhere near where I would like it to be. I have struck a decent balance I think although I do procrastinate like an absolute champion.

7. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

They don’t! Because the only thing I ever read when I was young was the Doctor Who novels and as far as I know they haven’t influenced me at all. I am not a massively academic person and I only really fell for poetry/literature in general in the last few years. I got a good degree and qualifications etc but they were not to do with english/the classics/poetry. Sometimes when I sit in on a conversation and people are being overtly academic I get a bit bored to be honest. I am all about passion and grit, not what some dead guy wrote about orchards.

8. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

Andrew McMillan is my favourite living poet. He deals with some really stark issues but writes beautifully and his poetry never fails to engage with me. But I read endless poetry now and so much of it is of a good quality. I don’t think poetry has ever been in a stronger position in terms of standards. That’s a lot to do with the internet I think which has allowed writers who would otherwise not stand a chance of being read to get their work out there.

9. Why do you write, as opposed to doing anything else?

I think words are the perfect medium. You can paint with words, sculpt with words, make music with words. I want people to understand what is going on in my head and while a painting or a song could tell them half of the story, words can tell the whole sordid tale.

10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

Write something! Honestly, I don’t subscribe to this ‘everyone is a poet’ aesthetic. It’s hard work to create something that is good enough to be classed as poetry. But if you start writing things then you are a writer. Then I would say read. You CANNOT possibly create good art if you don’t indulge in the art that surrounds you.

11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

I have just finished recording a poetry podcast called ‘Bedtime Stories for the End of the World’ where I was asked to update a piece of ancient folklore and adapt it to the modern world.

My second book ‘Become Something Frail’ has just been reprinted as we sold out so that is wonderful. I am working on a third book but I also create visual art so some of my time is spent designing book covers etc for other people.

I sound busy but don’t worry I mainly spend my days on Twitter @stuartmbuck or playing pointless games.

Wombwell Rainbow Interview

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger.

The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

Mary Frances

In the last year Mary’s words and images have been published by Metambesen, Luvina Rivista Literaria, Burning House Press, and Lone Women in Flashes of Wilderness. She has new work coming soon from Penteract Press.

The Interview

1. Who/what introduced you to art and poetry?

On my first day at school, I stole a book. I had become enchanted by words – ‘birds of paradise’ and  ‘ukelele’ – and by images of huge colourful flowers and a full moon glittering on water. As I remember, it wasn’t that I wanted to possess the book exactly, more that I just couldn’t let go of it, I couldn’t stop looking.

We didn’t have many books at home but we visited the library every week and I learned to read very early. My father had the complete works of Shakespeare. As far as I know, he had never seen a live production but he knew many of the plays intimately through reading. I was attracted by this beautiful book, its marbled edges and narrow columns of print. He read some parts aloud to me. I was very young. I was encouraged to look at books regardless of whether or not I understood the words and l realise now that this was a very great gift. My mother’s book was Palgrave’s Golden Treasury, the Binyon edition. She knew many of the poems by heart from rote learning in school and can still recite them now at 90. Some of those treasury poems – The Lady of Shallot, Kubla Khan, Rime of the Ancient Mariner – shaped my imagination for life. As a teenager, I remember the thrill of discovering Sylvia Plath, the Mersey Sound poets, and, one day on detention in the school library, Elizabeth Jennings – it was her early work which led me to writing. My grandmother’s book was Andersen’s fairy tales. She gave it to me when her eyes failed. I still read it.

I think I was taken to the national gallery as a child but I remember it from that time only as a dark place of war horses and suffering saints. My introduction to art came when I was perhaps 8 or 9 wandering alone into the gallery of a museum and finding Whistler’s nocturnes. I still remember the feeling of being inside these paintings – I knew these waters, this light. I don’t know how much time passed before the attendant gently tapped my shoulder and told me that the gallery was closing. When I went back a few weeks later the Whistlers were gone, replaced by sports photographs, and the attendant explained about travelling exhibitions while I stood there and cried. I still get that stunned everything-else-has-disappeared feeling sometimes in exhibitions – it is a falling in love.

2. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets/artists?

I have always been aware of them, but not as a weight if that’s what you mean. Growing up we read comics and discovered pop music. Through older family members we knew Victorian melodrama and music hall songs. Classic books were just a different kind of language and other kinds of story – they were enjoyed without reverence. The same with artists. But it’s not my day job, I had no need to break free of anything.

3. What is your daily routine for creative work?

I don’t have a routine but I make something most days. Or rather, most nights – I have my best ideas late in the day and I don’t sleep easily.

4. What motivates you to write, to make art?

Walking, the feel of language, wide-open eyes.

5. What is your work ethic?

I tend to get lost in it, endless variations and re-workings, not too bothered about how much of it will ever be seen or read.

I used to have a website for my art and cut-ups but I took it down a few years ago. It felt like a showroom and I wasn’t comfortable with it. Now I just leave things lying around on twitter which feels less like a display case and more like inviting people to rummage through whatever is on the table. I like the transience – so many people pinning fine things to the lamppost every day and then it’s blown away overnight and so we start again. Absence of weight keeps me moving. I’m happy to start over, not look back.

The commonality in all my work is that I enjoy finding, remixing, and reframing things that are already there. Meanings tighten very quickly and cut-up and found work disrupts that. Everything can be otherwise, and much is hidden or ignored. I’m looking for other ways of seeing and altered perspectives. I’m also interested in dreams.

6. How do the writers/artists you found when you were young influence you today?

I wouldn’t be able to say much about direct influence, but I’m very aware of those writers I’ve carried with me in the most worn books and marked pages, the ones who got into my bloodstream, Virginia Woolf and Angela Carter.

I think my art work has been influenced by illustration and hand-drawn animation. I often have the sense that I’m creating stage sets. I barely knew the characters in those old films of childhood – my focus was on the backdrops, their real-not-real-ness.

7. Who of today’s writers/artists do you admire most and why?

I enjoy many poets, far too many to list, but If I had to choose just one it would be John Burnside. I am incredibly moved by his work, by his capturing the essence of small-huge things. I feel I know those places, that weather, those absences.

I read and re-read a lot. I try to find new and different voices and keep an eye on small presses and online magazines. I don’t like the idea of poetry or any writing as comfort, I am looking to be unsettled. I blame the fairy tales. John Trefry’s two novels, ‘Plats’ and ‘Apparitions of the Living’, have changed the way I read, and what I choose to read – that’s a rare extraordinary thing. I love those books, and I am still afraid of them.

I see as much contemporary art as I can, and whether or not I like the work I find it interesting, both in itself and as a mirror of the times. I think about and begin to understand many other things as I look at art. People cluster and fidget behind me with their frustrated i-phones, and attendants still comment sometimes on how long I’ve been there – I’m not a great person to go to galleries with. I could probably list favourite exhibitions more easily than favourite artists. Some collections haunt me for years: Jo Whaley’s ‘Theater of Insects’, Tracey Moffat’s ‘Laudanum’, Peter Greenaway’s ‘Luper’, Cathy Wilkes’ show at Tate Liverpool. But I would travel a long way to see new work by Anselm Kiefer or Sarah Sze. They notice everything, use everything, weave multiple webs of connection – one so heavily, necessarily, weighted, the other so delicately balanced, luminous, seeming light as air.

It will be no surprise to anyone that I also spend a lot of time looking at walls. And gallery floors.

8. Why do you write or make art, as opposed to doing anything else?

Oh, I do a lot of other things and I’m glad for that. There are other kinds of necessity. So many more things than we might have imagined can become acts of love.

9. What would you say to someone who asked you how to become a writer or artist?

If the question is whether art and writing are worthwhile things to spend time on, then I would give every encouragement. In terms of a career or recognition, I wouldn’t know anything about that.

I would just add that thoughtful readers are, in my view, writers, that keen appreciators of art are indeed artists, and that risk-taking editors, dedicated librarians, and imaginative curators are the very best.

10. Tell me about the creative projects you have on at the moment

I’m working now on several projects and I don’t know yet which ones will work. I like this state of variousness with many possible directions to take. The process of messing around and changing my mind is important. I’m happy with things unfinished.

My second collection of found landscapes ‘Landfall” has just been published by Metambesen. I’m very grateful to Charlotte Mandell and Robert Kelly for their interest and care with my work and for offering it such a lovely home.

I have a new book of found seascapes and cut-up text, ‘Sea Pictures’, coming from Penteract Press in the autumn, and also a visual poetry contribution in their forthcoming ‘Reflections’ anthology. I’ve enjoyed working with Anthony Etherin and very much appreciate his ideas and support.

It’s been an interesting and curious process to think about your questions Paul. I enjoy your project, its inclusiveness and generosity – thank you for having me here.

[ Mary can be found on Twitter @maryfrancesness ]

David Graham

has published three full-length collections of poetry, Magic Shows, Second Wind, and, most recently, The Honey of Earth (Terrapin Books, 2019). He’s also published four chapbooks, most recently Stutter Monk. He is also co-editor of After Confession: Poetry as Autobiography (with Kate Sontag) and Local News: Poetry About Small Towns (with Tom Montag), just published by MWPH Books. He retired in 2016 from teaching writing and literature at Ripon College, where he also hosted their Visiting Writers Series for twenty-eight years. He has served on The Poets’ Prize Committee and the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission and was a Resident Poet as well as faculty member at The Frost Place. Currently he is a contributing editor for Verse-Virtual, where he also contributes a monthly column, “Poetic License,” on poetry and poets. After retiring he returned to his native upstate New York with his wife, the artist Lee Shippey.