Yamini Pathak is the author of poetry
collection Her Mouth a Palace of Lamps (Milk & Cake Press, 2025).
She has published poetry chapbooks Atlas of Lost Places (Milk & Cake
Press, 2020) and Breath Fire Water Song (Ghost City Press, 2021). Yamini
is a member of the 2025 Poets & Writers' Get the Word Out Poetry Cohort and
serves as the editor of Inch with Bull City Press. A recipient of an
Individual Artist Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, her
work has been supported by Vermont Studio Center, Tin House, Kenyon Review
Writers Workshops, and VONA. She was nominated for Best New Poets and was a
finalist for Frontier Poetry’s Global Poetry Prize (South Asia). She holds an
MFA in poetry from Antioch University, LA and her poems appear in West
Branch, Poetry Northwest, and Tupelo Quarterly, among other
journals. Born in India, she lives with her family in New Jersey.
1 - How did your first book or chapbook change your life? How does your
most recent work compare to your previous? How does it feel different?
My first chapbook, Atlas of Lost Places, was published in 2020
during the pandemic. I would say the publication did not outwardly change my
life. At the time I had also started a low-residency MFA at Antioch University,
LA so I was very much focused on that. However, I did register it as a private
win. Having a small book of poems in print, one that I could hold physically,
felt like the accomplishment of a dream.
My most recent work, Her Mouth a Palace of Lamps, which is my
debut full-length poetry collection feels like a more complete expression of
the work I had begun with my chapbook. I have learned a lot with the
publication of this book — arranging a full-length collection is no easy task
and it required multiple iterations until I was satisfied. I attended a
publicity incubator in 2025 for debut authors, conducted by Poets &
Writers. The program taught me that book publicity is a necessary step of
publication — as important as proofing or cover design. Also, I learned that
the publication and publicity paths can be very different for each poet
depending on their preferences and circumstances and that there is no one way
for a book to live in the world.
2 - How did you come to poetry first, as opposed to, say, fiction or
non-fiction?
I first started by writing short, flash personal essays and wrote a
couple of short stories but realized very soon that my stories lacked plot and
I was more interested in capturing moments and emotion, especially the negative
space occupied by the unsaid. Imagery felt important to me as a means to convey
deep emotion. I was drawn to the compressed nature of poems. A poem puts
language under pressure, and I felt I could say more in very few words.
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 a slow thinker and writer. It takes me time to find the shape of poems
and projects. This can be frustrating and scary, because not knowing where I’m
going with the work is difficult. I am learning to be patient and to follow the
different threads that may be pulling on me at any given time. I am learning to
have faith that the threads will weave together eventually, and I will have
clarity. I don’t make copious notes, but I tinker with the poems for months on
and off until I’m satisfied. I tend to write over my poems when I revise and
keep very few versions.
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 usually begins for me in a state of uneasiness or curiosity, and I
start with a question in my mind. I circle around the question, and sometimes
research and dig deeper. It’s not necessary that the question is answered by
the end of the poem but unless I feel that I have made a discovery of some sort
in the writing of it, the poem is not a keeper. I write about whatever’s on my
mind on a particular day. By some magic, the poems coalesce towards some common
themes.
5 - Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are
you the sort of writer who enjoys doing readings?
Poems come alive when read aloud, especially by their authors. I love
reading in community with other poets and enjoy the shared energy of readers
and audience. Being in community and sharing space with poets and artists makes
me feel that I am part of something bigger than myself and brings me so much
joy!
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’m always concerned by craft aspects of poetry, in particular, formal
aspects of the poem. I feel I have a lot to learn about the subtle aspects of
form, meter, and grammar that undergirds the poem. At present, my thematic
concerns are about aging, the failures of the body and spirit, the beauty contained
in those very failures, and the compassion they deserve. I feel that much of society
undervalues older people and sees them as irrelevant to society and I am
concerned with creating a framework of living and viewing myself as a relevant,
contributing member of my communities no matter what age I am. The biggest
current question that I see around me is how to live in relationships of mutual
care with oneself, the people around us, the earth and all its living
creatures.
7 – What do you see the current role of the writer being in larger
culture? Do they even have one? What do you think the role of the writer should
be?
I see the role of the writer as an agent who offers and/or analyzes ideas
that are important to the culture or society in which they live. A writer is an
observer or witness but also one who dares to express an opinion, which might
lead to desired changes in the ways we think and live. I think the role of the
writer should be one of influencer or at the very least, a source of ideas and productive
discussion.
8 - Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult
or essential (or both)?
An outside editor was essential for me in putting together my
collections. Being more removed from the details and less emotionally vested in
it, they gave me a better sense of the overall shape of the collection. They
identified which poems did not fit and where gaps existed in the arc of the
narrative. They also offered feedback at the line level. Sometimes the feedback
can be difficult to hear, but I am grateful to editors. They almost always make
my collections better.
9 - What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given
to you directly)?
Pay attention, be slow, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
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?
A typical day begins for me, at 6 am. I pack lunch for my son, and when
he leaves for school, I briefly look at my emails and try very hard (not always
successfully) to stay away from my phone and social media. Depending on my
mood, I either practice meditative breathing for about 20 minutes or I read
—usually poetry or non-fiction. After reading, I turn to my current work. It
could be a poem I’m writing or one I’m translating, or editing, or simply a journal
entry. During the day, I don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to writing
because I take care of the home and my 85-year-old mother who lives with us. I
try to fit in a walk or go to the gym. Writing takes place in the early part of
the day or late in the evening.
11 - When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for
(for lack of a better word) inspiration?
When I feel stalled, I usually call a poet friend and try to talk through
the difficulties. I also turn to reading poems or prose that inspires and makes
me want to write. I copy phrases and passages that speak to me into my
notebooks and explore those concerns in my own writing. Sometimes I take a
break from my desk and visit a local museum for inspiration. I’m lucky that I
live close to Princeton University, with a newly opened art museum and plenty
of pop-up art. Another favorite escape is the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ, an outdoor sculpture museum and gardens.
12 - What fragrance reminds you of home?
The scents of cooking— dal and spices remind me of India and the home
where I grew up.
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?
All of these are influences for my work. When I’m feeling out of
inspiration, I take myself on an artist date to a nearby art museum. Ekphrasis
or responding in writing to art is the easiest way to break out of a writing
block. Walking outdoors is an important part of my daily rituals. I especially
love walking to a marsh behind my neighborhood and listening for birds and
frogs there. Even though I walk the same paths every day, there is always
something new to observe and feel astonished by. I feel that science and poetry
are closely related in that they investigate the mysteries of the world--- both
are fueled by curiosity and wonder, both are capable of invoking awe. The
writings of Carl Sagan, Robert Macfarlane, and Diane Ackerman are a few popular
science writers who have inspired me.
14 - What other writers or writings are important for your work, or
simply your life outside of your work?
I read widely, wherever my curiosity takes me. While I’m constantly
reading poetry written by friends and contemporaries, these days I’m leaning
more towards non-fiction. At present, I’m reading Is a River Alive? by
Robert Macfarlane that studies three river systems in different parts of the
world to seek an answer to that question. I’m also reading The Art of
Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters by Priya Parker.
15 - What would you like to do that you haven't yet done?
I would like to travel more, especially exploring history, art, and
artists in my home country of India. I would also like to learn visual art,
astronomy, and singing Indian classical music.
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?
Before I was a writer, I designed and developed software for investment
banking. I was very good at that work but it’s not something I want to go back
to. If I could do anything, I would love to study astrophysics and
research the origins of the universe.
17 - What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?
I’ve always enjoyed the way books and stories have the power to transport
me to extraordinary places. I suppose I wanted to create stories that could do
the same for myself and others. I love playing with language and its subtle
arrangements. I grew up in India surrounded by multiple languages and regional
accents. The sounds and movements of language in play are fascinating to me.
18 - What was the last great book you read? What was the last great
film?
Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age by Katherine May. I loved this book about anxiety, gathering attention,
and hierophany in a world where our attention is increasingly fragmented. The
last great film I saw is a Bollywood film from 1975 called “Mausam” (which
translates to “Season”). A musical with poetry for song lyrics, it is an
inter-generational story of the way shame can be a barrier to giving and
receiving romantic, filial, and platonic love.
19 - What are you currently working on?
I am translating poems by award-winning poet Kirti Kesar from the Hindi language into English. Her poems have a strong bend
towards social justice and draw on Indian epics to comment on the Indian
political situation of the 1990s to early 2000s, which I find fascinating and
challenging to translate.
12 or 20 (second series) questions;
