About “pedagogy” & “Driving”

1. What was your motivation for writing “pedagogy” & “Driving”?

“pedagogy”—As a teacher, I frequently reflect on how teaching is in many way[s] similar to a performance. Especially as an introvert, I have to assume a specific persona when I take the floor, giving myself permission to be loud and in charge. I’ve likewise noticed that my students come with their own set of insecurities to the classroom, and we are all navigating this somewhat challenging space together.

“Driving”—This poem was inspired by being stopped at a red light next to a funeral procession and awkwardly trying to not make eye contact with the people who were experiencing one of the worst days of their lives. Then I started wondering what it would be like to work as the hearse driver, daily confronting people’s grief but having to manage it enough to keep on living. 

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

I wouldn’t say challenges necessarily, but I did go through several drafts for each one before I felt I captured what I was trying to say.

3. What is your favourite line—if any—in “pedagogy”?

“persona carefully adjusted so it doesn’t slip”

4. What is your favourite line—if any—in “Driving”?

“and they look away, drowning their mortality/in inane conversation”

5. What do you want people to walk away with after reading “pedagogy” & “Driving”?

I hope they take time to think about the teachers and students in their lives and the exciting and challenging energy that exists in the classroom. In regards to “Driving,” I hope people feel the tension between our mortality and the mundane activities we have to do every day to keep living.

6. Is there anything else you would like to talk about regarding “pedagogy” & “Driving” that hasn’t been asked?

I usually write from my own experience, so it was a fun challenge to put myself into the fictional shoes of my driver character and try to imagine what they were feeling.

Reading

1. What are you currently reading?

There is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone

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

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain

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

Anna Akhmatova and Maya Angelou

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

I read practically everything. I obviously love reading poetry, but I also love novels and nonfiction works.

Writing

1. Why do you write?

Writing is both how I experience and process the grand adventure of being alive. 

2. What do you love about being a poet?

I love the thrill of capturing an emotion in words—to be able to convey to another human a feeling I am experiencing. 

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

I generally write in the morning, or late at night—quiet hours when I can think and process undisturbed. I also jot down copious notes on my phone during the day to come back to later and flesh out into a full poem.

4. Where do you get your ideas from?

My ideas come primarily from my own lived experience; things I see, experience, or observe. If there is something particularly painful, poignant, or joyful, that will most likely make it into one of my poems. 

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

A single poem can take anywhere from five minutes to several months, depending on how the inspiration strikes and how many times I go back to revise and expand it. 

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

Just keep writing. Keep developing and exploring your own voice and your own unique way of interacting with the world.

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

A poetry collection about parenting.