12 or 20 (second series) questions with Katherine Osborne

Katherine Osborne is a writer in Massachusetts. She is the author of Fire Sign (2015) and Descansos (2018).

1 - How did your first book change your life? How does your most recent work compare to your previous? How does it feel different?
Fire Sign, 2015, was my first poetry collection. I started to take myself seriously when I saw my name on the cover of a book. I take my poems seriously or the work seriously but the reality set in that I can create something and follow through with it. It opened doors to more ideas and I could envision the end result more easily. Descansos, 2018, is also a collection with grief as the undercurrent but I lean toward surrealism in these poems. I take more chances and find that my voice works best when I take a chance.

2 - How did you come to poetry first, as opposed to, say, fiction or non-fiction?
Poetry is my first language. It’s how my mind works. I find power and freedom when I let myself become associative and climb up or down the ladder as far as it will go.

3 - How long does it take to start any particular writing project? Does your writing initially come quickly, or is it a slow process? Do first drafts appear looking close to their final shape, or does your work come out of copious notes?
I’m not sure if it’s a weakness or strength, but my writing is a very quick process. I don’t take notes but that’s not off the table. The walk from first draft to last draft is not a long hallway.

4 - Where does a poem usually begin for you? Are you an author of short pieces that end up combining into a larger project, or are you working on a "book" from the very beginning? 
A poem begins with one thought. It has an energy or vibration to it, and I know that thought wants to be turned into something more than itself, into the poem. I don’t think about the future of the poem while writing the poem.

5 - Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who enjoys doing readings?
I haven’t read my poems to an audience but I’d love to do that.

6 - Do you have any theoretical concerns behind your writing? What kinds of questions are you trying to answer with your work? What do you even think the current questions are?
The reader comes to poetry with their own theoretical concerns and questions. The poem carries weight or influence when the writer/poet gets out of the way so that it’s the reader that is steering the poem. It’s not a lecture. It’s a forest/field/timeless. As a reader, my question is usually, Am I the only one that feels this way? I hope as a writer, my answer is heard, No, you’re not alone.

7 – What do you see the current role of the writer being in larger culture? Does s/he even have one? What do you think the role of the writer should be? 
The writer is an artist. The role of the artist is whatever the artist wants the role to be. Art is for everyone to create, be, interact, feel.

8 - Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?
It’s essential. Self-publishing is also a respectful and legitimate way to get your work out into the public but it’s essential to work with editors that respect your work.

9 - What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?
“You just go on your nerve. If someone’s chasing you down the street with a knife you just run, you don’t turn around and shout, "Give it up! I was a track star for Mineola Prep."   Frank O’Hara from, "Personism: A Manifesto”

10 - What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one? How does a typical day (for you) begin?  
When things are quiet, the writing day begins.

I make coffee and open up a document. There is a lot of staring out windows, getting up for a snack, and then sometimes just leaving to take a walk. Other days it’s easy.

11 - When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word) inspiration? 
I take a walk or listen to music. I read Anne Carson.

12 - What fragrance reminds you of home?
My childhood home was surrounded by Pine trees when I was very little. I remember coming home from town and all the trees had been cut down to make a clearing. The smell of pine in its most concentrated form.

13 - David W. McFadden once said that books come from books, but are there any other forms that influence your work, whether nature, music, science or visual art?
I love reading the bird sighting pages on Mass Audubon. Science and nature are the biggest influences on my work. I listen to a lot of music, too.

14 - What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work?
Kate Greenstreet, Anne Carson, Frank O’Hara. Alice Notley. So many writers and it changes from month to month.

15 - What would you like to do that you haven't yet done?
Kayak on the Charles River. Write a memoir. Organize food drives for my community.

16 - If you could pick any other occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or, alternately, what do you think you would have ended up doing had you not been a writer?
I would love to be an elementary school guidance counselor.

17 - What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?
This is a difficult question because I’ve been writing my entire life. It didn’t feel like something I chose. It chose me? Also, I'm a terrible artist. I would love to draw but I still make stick figures for people so..

18 - What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film?
I’m late on this but the last book I read, that I absolutely love is Lorrie Moore’s Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?

19 - What are you currently working on?
I’m beginning a memoir. It will be the hardest project. I am not a linear writer/thinker so this is all about discipline and memory while staying honest with myself.

12 or 20 (second series) questions;

Queen Mob's Teahouse: Niina Pollari interviews Katherine Osborne

As my tenure as interviews editor at Queen Mob's Teahouse continues, the sixth interview is now online: an interview with Katherine Osborne, conducted by Niina Pollari. Other interviews from my tenure include: an interview with poet, curator and art critic Gil McElroy, conducted by Ottawa poet Roland Prevost, an interview with Toronto poet Jacqueline Valencia, conducted by Lyndsay Kirkham, an interview with Drew Shannon and Nathan Page, also conducted by Lyndsay Kirkham, an interview I conducted with Dale Smith, on the Slow Poetry in America Newsletter, and an interview with Ann Tweedy conducted by Mary Kasimor.

Further interviews I've conducted myself over at Queen Mob's Teahouse include conversations with Allison Green, Andy Weaver, N.W Lea and Rachel Loden.

If you are interested in sending a pitch for an interview my way, check out my "about submissions" write-up at Queen Mob's; you can contact me via rob_mclennan (at) hotmail.com

12 or 20 (second series) questions with Sara Sutterlin

Sara Sutterlin's most recent book is Baveuse. Published by Electric Cereal. She's on twitter @pissbb. Her website is here.

1 - How did your first book change your life? How does your most recent work compare to your previous? How does it feel different? It felt nice to be ackowledged by publishers. I wrote I Wanted To Be The Knife when I was in love and being very performative about it, but it still has a certain darkness. People use the word sharp a lot when writing about it, whatever that means. Baveuse is different in that I hope it acheives something a little more refined. It's a little more grown up.

2 - How did you come to poetry first, as opposed to, say, fiction or non-fiction? There's a freedom to poetry that you just do not have with fiction and non-fiction. There are too many guidelines with that kind of writing. I have written some fiction, short stories mostly, which I like and want to publish someday, but feel drastically less confident about than my poetry. Poetry is something that demands to be played with and that's why I love it.

3 - How long does it take to start any particular writing project? Does your writing initially come quickly, or is it a slow process? Do first drafts appear looking close to their final shape, or does your work come out of copious notes? It depends. Again, because it's poetry, I think it moves a lot faster. My writing process is fairly simple. I usually collect notes, going over and editing them but it's not a drawn out process where I'm agonizing over a poem for days and days. I have written poems in minutes, and that's the beauty of poetry, that it happens in an instant and you can write it and then be done with it. There's a lot of small re-births I think, which I like. I like distancing myself from what I write moments after writing it.

4 - Where does a poem usually begin for you? Are you an author of short pieces that end up combining into a larger project, or are you working on a "book" from the very beginning?  It depends, but mostly out of short pieces, or even just certain words. I've also worked from screenshots and notes I've taken on movies, certain color schemes or mundane details (Charlotte York from SATC flipping perfectly cooked eggs in a blue kitchen).

5 - Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who enjoys doing readings? I generally dislike them. I have a habit of reading in a voice that's slightly different than my own (either lower, or higher) to distance myself from the audience and my work. 

6 - Do you have any theoretical concerns behind your writing? What kinds of questions are you trying to answer with your work? What do you even think the current questions are? I don't think I do, not questions, anyway. I have themes I like to explore. I write about sex and the relation between sex and death. Also, class, marriage.

7 – What do you see the current role of the writer being in larger culture? Does s/he even have one? What do you think the role of the writer should be? I think the writer should write, release, write. That's it. That's the cycle. Have a voice, cultivate it, work on it, speak it. I think anything beyond that is masturbatory.

8 - Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)? Both.

9 - What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)? I hate this question, I'm sorry.

10 - What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one? How does a typical day (for you) begin?  I write everyday, sometimes it's just note taking on my iphone, sometimes I finish a poem.

11 - When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word) inspiration? I listen to women talk.

12 - What fragrance reminds you of home? Coffee, onions cooking, cigarettes.

13 - David W. McFadden once said that books come from books, but are there any other forms that influence your work, whether nature, music, science or visual art? Yes, absolutely. Architecture, houses, spaces in which we live, suburbia inspire and influence my work greatly. I'm also very influenced by porn culture, and celebrity culture. Basketball, too, for some reason.

14 - What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work? I could, but I don't want to. There are a lot. There. That's vaguely generous.

15 - What would you like to do that you haven't yet done? Write erotica. Write a thriller. 

16 - If you could pick any other occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or, alternately, what do you think you would have ended up doing had you not been a writer? I have always thought that being a detective, and I don't mean a cop detective, I mean a rogue, tough, independent detective is the sexiest and coolest job in the world. I think I could do it. I think about it a lot.

17 - What made you write, as opposed to doing something else? I wrote, illustrated and put together a book when I was six. I don't know, some shit you can't help.  I am too mentally ill and crippled by a self involved need to write to do anything else.

18 - What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film? Everyone lies when answering this question and I am too tired to lie right now. Pass.

19 - What are you currently working on? I'm working on a third book, but that's still in the earliest stages possible. Molly Soda and I are also curating, I guess is the word, a book of artists covering other artist's work in their own medium, which is a big project I'm pretty excited about. 

12or 20 (second series) questions;