Lasänmą (she/her) was raised in Haines Junction, Yukon and is a member
of the Champagne and
Aishihik First Nation. Her English name is Mariah MacDonald, and she is a part
of the Wolf Clan. Mariah lived in Haines Junction and Whitehorse before moving to Vancouver at the age of
twenty-one, where she studied at the University of British Columbia (located on
the unceded Territories of the Musqueam,
Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations). Spruce to Cedar is Lasänmą’s first published work as
an author.
1 - How did your first book change your life? How does your most recent work compare to your previous? How does it feel
different?
Spruce
to Cedar was
my debut poetry collection that came out earlier this year. I wrote those poems between
2020-2025. In writing
those poems, I was able to put my thoughts
onto paper, and through
writing out my feelings, my thoughts, my homesickness, those poems helped me
heal, learn, and grow confidence in myself and find my voice..I have been writing
newer poems this past year, and I can see the influence
of Spruce to Cedar on my newer work,
though I can also see the growth
and maturation in my current
writing that Spruce to
Cedar couldn’t have as I’ve been processing grief. My father passed away two years ago from cancer. It has been difficult, my life has changed in so many ways since he passed;
just like when I wrote Spruce to
Cedar, the writing process has helped me process my feelings and pain by
putting my experience, thoughts, and grief onto paper.
2 - How did you come to poetry first,
as opposed to, say, fiction
or non-fiction?
I have always been interested in writing.
I remember writing stories about my first dog, Joker, when I was only six years
old. Throughout my teenage years, I would write stories in my free time. I remember finishing a first draft
of a fiction novel when I was fifteen, but I never
finished that story. I only started experimenting with poetry in my
twenties; those first poems weren’t good, as I was focusing on the wrong
inspiration. However, once I started writing about home and my culture,
something clicked and ever since, I haven’t looked back, as I mainly write poems
focusing on my culture and my personal experiences.
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?
Spruce to Cedar took four to five years
to write. When I wrote
the first poems,
I didn’t think
that they would end up in a collection. When a poem forms, it begins in
my notes app, it’s often a passing thought or a memory. Oftentimes, right
before I drift off to sleep, or when I’m taking a long bus ride, there is a
thought that must be written down
before I forget it. These notes could either be a quick short sentence or two,
or sometimes it’s the whole poem written out for me to use later. Not all of my ideas get used, but that is usually how most of my poems
begin. A quick idea or memory that I don’t want to
forget.
Most of my ideas need some work;
their forms take various shapes,
and rewriting until
I’m fully happy with them,
it’s been rare to have a poem fully formed and unedited, though there have been
a few. It’s a slow process, especially with Spruce
to Cedar, as the poems were slowly written down as the ideas and memories
came to me over the years.
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?
My poems begin as an idea or a
memory that I don’t want to forget; they’re often written in my notes app for
safekeeping. When I’m ready to fully flesh out the idea or memory into a poem,
I often search my notes app for any idea or memory that sticks out to me. Not
every idea I’ve written down has turned into a poem, but that’s usually how my beginning
process looks for the
poems that I have written for Spruce to
Cedar. Because I’m mostly working on short ideas, I don’t focus on the larger
picture of a book theme;
instead, I write
my poems, and if a theme finds me, then so be it.
5 - Are public readings
part of or counter to your creative
process? Are you the sort of
writer who enjoys doing readings?
I have always had a hard time
speaking to people I don’t know; it’s because of this that public speaking is hard for me, but it does get easier to do the more often I do it. I tend to get nervous,
especially when it comes to my poems. My writing has often felt like a diary to
me, there’s poems that detail thoughts
that I never told anyone before, but it felt right to write it down in my
poems. I have done a few readings now with the release of Spruce to Cedar, and it has been difficult
to share my work in person, but I do think it’s good practice, and I hope I grow more
confident with every event or reading that I do participate in in the future.
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?
In Spruce to Cedar,
there was an overwhelming theme
of finding connection where you are. What makes a home a home? And can it
be recreated elsewhere? There’s also themes of connection to culture, and
decolonizing oneself to reconnect with your roots.
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?
Writing
is an important craft; humans have shared stories with one another
since the beginning
of humanity. There are oral stories told to me from my culture that have
lasted generations. Being a writer is important; it helps share ideas, stories,
and history to a larger culture. There are stories that have been read for
decades, and poems that have been read for centuries. Writing is especially
important today with the rise of AI, as disingenuous stories are being crafted
and created using robot algorithms for a quick sale and quick consumption. With
today's technology, writing genuine stories and perspectives is vital; it’s
important to keep writing alive, to share human stories. To be able to take the
time to slow down, read a book, and feel its impact is important. In order to
process our perspectives, share our culture, and impact our culture, then we
must write it down!
8 - Do you find the process
of working with an outside
editor difficult or essential (or both)?
I feel that it is important
to have your poems looked at by outside editors
as they can breathe new ideas and perspectives to your work
that you wouldn’t have added otherwise. They can also be more honest with you about your
work, which is important as sometimes it’s hard to see how your poem might be read outside
your own personal
context or inner
circle. Having editors
help with my poems really helped them develop into beautiful poems,
poems that wouldn’t be possible
without their perspectives and input.
9 - What is the best piece of
advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?
Only you can control
how you react.
This was advice given to me by
one of my therapists over the past two years. It has helped me, especially when
publishing Spruce to Cedar. A part of
me was worried about what the reaction was going to be in my family/community when I released
my work. I knew that there was going
to be positive feedback, but I was also worried about negative feedback as
well.
In reminding myself that I can’t control the outcome or feelings of
others, I was able to push those worries aside
and publish my work without
much anxiety over how my words were going
to be taken. I wrote about my home with so much love, but also harsh honesty,
so it was a little nerve wracking to release these
poems knowing that people at home would
be reading them.
So far I’ve only gotten positive
feedback. So I’m grateful I didn’t stress
myself out too much about it!
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 haven’t really
established a writing
routine. There are stretches of time where
I don’t write, and there are weeks where all I do is write. My writing always starts in
my notes app, or on the back of napkins. When I’m ready to write, I look back
at the notes I’ve collected and pick what idea motivates me the most in the
moment. I’m most motivated to write when I’m processing something, hence why Spruce to Cedar has such heavy themes of
homesickness and finding connection to a culture I felt disconnected to. I
found that I wrote a majority of the poems in Spruce to Cedar while I was living in Vancouver, separated from my home,
community, and roots.
I wouldn’t mind finding
a writing routine;
however, it has always been difficult for me to make
new routines and stick to them. Maybe one day I’ll have a designated writing
hour, or routine, but at the moment I write when I feel motivated to.
11 - When your writing
gets stalled, where
do you turn or return
for (for lack of a better
word) inspiration?
There have been moments where I’m not
writing much, but it’s always my need to reconnect to my culture that inspires
me in my writing and my art. My culture
has always been healing to me;
my childhood was filled with culture, and today I’m always trying to reconnect
to my culture.
I’m currently applying to a language
program to improve
my Southern Tutchone, and lately, I’ve been researching Kloo Lake. A place
where my father grew up, and my grandma, and great-grandparents too. Looking to my roots
has grounded me and given
me a better understanding of who I am as a person, and who my
ancestors were too.
My culture includes reconnecting with the land,
sewing, singing, and dancing. In this last year of being back in the Yukon, I’ve taken
workshops to learn how to trap and hunt. I’m desperate to reconnect; it’s all I
want to do.
12 - What fragrance reminds
you of home?
cigarette smoke,
the downstairs basement, Ä́tàʼs coat lilac & jasmine, Semoʼs perfume, lotion, shampoo
wood chips, outside workshop, burl bowl crafting, tourist attraction
nivea pearly shine lipbalm, christmas
morning, lipbalm in stocking, lipbalm in vanity
tanned
moose hide, Dákwäkäda dancing, native language
class, visits to Ä́tsų Khįąʼs house to watch her
sew
green apple dish soap, in Ä́tsųąʼs kitchen
irish spring bar soap, 3-in-1
vanilla ice cream
body wash, shower
nights after the weekly water delivery
moose fat in soup broth, long potlatch
days, eating lunch, sleeping on Semoʼs lap afterwards
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?
A huge part of my personality includes
the media I consume. I have a growing vinyl
collection of all my
favourite albums, and I always make sure I buy a copy of my favourite movies
and tv shows. I find that music has a
huge influence on my life. I listen to music every day. It's very important to me. There are songs that I can listen to and be instantly
transported to certain
points in my life. Happier Than
Ever takes me to moving to Vancouver in August, 2021. Dawn FM, April 2022; Simple Man takes me to funeral
planning, July 2024, and any AC/DC song takes me to the 2000s. These songs become
nostalgic for me; I’m sure when I think back to this year, I’ll think of Olivia
Rodrigo’s new album. I’ve always enjoyed music that has honest and vulnerable
storytelling, and when it comes to writing my own experiences, I always try to
be as honest and vulnerable as I can. I think the influence of these songs
helps with the vulnerability I put into my
own work.
14 - What other writers
or writings are important for your work,
or simply your life
outside of your work?
Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies
by Leanne
Betasamosake Simpson. This book follows seven different characters who
all have to navigate a settler society while trying to find reconnection to the land and their indigeneity. I never considered the importance of tarp until I
read this, and honestly, tarp is sacred.
Fight Night
by Miriam
Toews, an intergenerational story that will pull at your heartstrings. The story follows a pregnant mother, a child, and their
grandma. Swiv is expelled from school, and because
of this, she spends time with her grandmother, who encourages her to write to her father,
who is out of the picture; in turn, Swiv challenges her grandmother to write to
her unborn sister. The ending of the book had me crying for an hour; it’s
beautiful, it's heartbreaking, it’s family.
These books were so impactful to me, I think about them often and honestly,
I’m due for a re-read soon!
15 - What would you like to do
that you haven't yet done?
I would like to travel. It’s always been a
dream of mine to travel around the world like my Grandpa. I hope that one day I can say that I’ve travelled
across the ocean, at least once. I think
travelling would give me new perspectives and connections, and I would be able
to learn new things
about new cultures and countries.
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’m not sure what career I
would have had if I wasn’t a writer. There was a time that I thought I wanted
to be a teacher. I even took teacher education in Vancouver; however, that
didn’t work out for me. I think
maybe I would
have looked into doing something cultural, or maybe
working with my First Nations Band.
17 - What made you write, as
opposed to doing something else?
My passion for writing began
with grief. I was six and my first dog, Joker, passed
away suddenly in the night. I
was distraught, and I wanted to remember him forever. Back in the 2000s, most homes had a designated family
computer. The old computer was second-hand and wasn’t connected to the internet
most of the time. My sister and I would entertain ourselves with MS Paint or
write nonsense in Word docs. Being six, I didn’t know much about typing, only
what was shown in school. I tried my best to replicate what I learned in typing
class, and I used spellcheck and my mom’s knowledge to my advantage, but I began
writing stories about
Joker.
These stories were fictional; the dogs in our front
yard could talk and had big personalities; they would go on adventures, create a rock band, go fishing,
chase Bigfoot into the woods. Grief fueled my passion for writing, and that
passion for writing never left me. I continued to write new stories in my teenage years,
and even now in my twenties I’m writing poems
almost every day.
18 - What was the last great
book you read?
What was the last great
film?
Hey June by Cree Nomad has had a big impact
on me since reading it. The book explores themes of loss, grief, and love. I read
this book while my grief was the freshest, and it’s stuck with me since. I
would recommend this book to everyone, and it’s also written by an Indigenous
author.
Project Hail Mary, the
movie, had a huge impact on me after watching it last April. The visuals in
this film were stunning, and the story of finding connection despite being
isolated really hit me. When I watched this film, the Artemis II mission was in full swing, and honestly everything in my life felt like it was
looking up. It was the first time in a long time I felt hopeful.
19 - What are you currently working
on?
I’ve been writing poems
surrounding the idea of grief, family, loss, and of course, culture. I’m also
currently planning a potlatch for my father, as in my culture the funeral is
held in two parts. The funeral comes
first, and a year or two afterwards comes the potlatch
to honour their
life, and to finish the burial (headstone & gravehouse). I’m not sure if the poems I’ve been writing
for the past two years will turn into a full book like Spruce to Cedar;
at the moment,
I’m using the same
process that I did for Spruce to Cedar, which is to write my feelings
out into my notes, and if the feeling persists, I flesh it out into
a poem. It has helped me process the grief in the poems. But I’ve also been having a hard
time writing, as I feel like I’m focusing too much on creating a beautiful piece
of work rather
than feeling my pain. So I’m not sure if what I’m writing now is
going to be seen for a very long time, or at all.
12 or 20 (second series) questions;
