About “The Everyday Entropy I Was Too Busy to Write”

1. What was your motivation for writing “The Everyday Entropy I Was Too Busy to Write”?

One evening, I was standing in my kitchen and dining room, lost in the domestic chaos and emotional shrapnel that comes with raising children, and all I wanted to do was sit down and write a poem or a short story. But I couldn’t because I needed to care for my children first, and that really frustrated me. And that frustration led to guilt, of course. As I cleaned, I thought about all the women who had an impact on my life, many of them teachers and writers who undoubtedly sacrificed some (or even most) of their dreams for any number of reasons. Amidst the bustle of the nighttime routine, I just heard a collective voice say, “This is the poem,” as if to say, “Some poetry is written, and some is lived.” I felt better knowing that dreams and passions can exist—and even flourish in unexpected ways—within my family duties.

2. What challenges—if any—did you have writing your poem?

I wish I could’ve included much more of the chaos—pages and pages of the internal and external commotion—that swirls in the lives of so many overlooked and underappreciated women.

3. What is your favourite line—if any—in “The Everyday Entropy I Was Too Busy to Write”?

“her five-finger posse hunting renegade erasers under the fridge.” I feel like every mother’s hand is a (loving) posse, bringing about order and seeking all things lost.

4. What do you want people to walk away with after reading “The Everyday Entropy I Was Too Busy to Write”?

When people walk away, I hope they think of the phrase or mantra, “This is the poem,” when they encounter something challenging or unexpected that requires them to put their dreams or pursuits on hold. That struggle, that sacrifice, that devotion—that’s the poem, regardless of whether the experience actually gets written down or published or read. When I feel overwhelmed by a duty that I know I must undertake, thinking the words, “Okay, this is the poem,” helps me realize that some poetry is written and some is lived.

5. Is there anything else you would like to talk about regarding “The Everyday Entropy I Was Too Busy to Write” that hasn’t been asked?

No, but thank you!

Reading

1. What are you currently reading?

Dandelion Wine, by Ray Bradbury

2. Do you have a favourite book? If so, what is it?

Jitterbug Perfume, by Tom Robbins

3. What is your favourite poet or author, if any?

I’m afraid I don’t have one, mainly because I find myself cycling through writers, much the same way I cycle through favorite bands or musical artists.

4. Do you gravitate towards reading genres outside the ones you write?

Absolutely—my best ideas for poetry and short stories have come from genres outside my own. For example, I just published a short story based on a non-fiction piece I read about the Darién Gap in South America.

Writing

1. Why do you write?

For a variety of reasons, but mainly, I feel more comfortable living in the poetry and stories in my head than I do the real world. Shameless escapism, I suppose.

2. What do you love about being a poet?

I’m not sure I’d consider myself a poet yet. I’m getting there, but the impostor syndrome is something I grapple with on a weekly basis. I guess what I love most is the incubation period of a poem, that part of writing where I’m thinking about or living the poem before it solidifies on a page.

3. What time of the day do you write, and do you have a writing routine?

A little embarrassing, but I write mostly in the bathroom at work and at home because that’s where most of my time and solitude are found.  Also, in transit from one place to another. People chide me for always wiping down and disinfecting my phone, but I know where I write, and I don’t want to transmit any germs or contaminate anyone else’s clean spaces.

4. Where do you get your ideas from?

There is no pattern. Ordinary life events, daydreams, sleep dreams, people who love me, people who don’t, current events, and a whole lot of non-fiction and documentaries.

5. How long does it take you to write your projects?

I’m a terribly slow writer who doesn’t perform well under deadlines. Months is the answer, even for short poems and other pieces.

6. What advice would you give to other authors/writers/poets?

Keep a notebook handy or document on the cloud available for scraps of ideas, phrases, characters, dialogue, poems, stories, etc. Collecting ideas is the most fun I have as a poet and writer.

7. What project(s) are you currently working on?

Nothing specific, but eventually, I’d like to generate enough content for a poetry book about voices that have gone unheard, ignored, and overlooked.