Daniela Olszewska [photo credit: R.
Scott Pfledderer] is the author of three full-length collections of poetry: cloudfang : : cakedirt (Horse Less
Press, 2012), True Confessions of An
Escapee From The Capra Facility For Wayward Girls (Spittoon Press, 2013),
and Citizen J (Artifice Books, 2013).
With Carol Guess, she is the co-author of How To Feel Confident With Your Special Talents (Black Lawrence Press, 2014)
and Human-Ghost Hybrid Project (Black
Lawrence Press, forthcoming 2017).
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 book had little to no impact on my life. I think this was a good thing.
If my life had changed, I suspect it would have negatively affected my writing
processes. My experience is that all the writing I’ve ever done feels the same,
but it probably doesn’t look that way from the outside.
2 - How did you come to
poetry first, as opposed to, say, fiction or non-fiction?
I
have always been interested in poetry, but I started out really wanting to be a
fiction writer. I enrolled in “Fiction
Writing Workshop I” as an undergraduate, but I almost flunked out because I
couldn’t produce the 20 plus pages a week required by the program. I would work
all week, but I was sloth-slow. I would bring in a two paragraph lyrical
description of, like, a bat flying across a winter city skyline ib and everyone
was like, “Um, this is pretty, but it’s not really a story…” During a midterm
review, my fiction workshop instructor politely suggested I sign up for a
poetry class next semester because my grade in the fiction workshop was not
going to be high enough to allow me to move on to the “Fiction Writing Workshop
II.”
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
usually start a new project as soon as I’ve finished the previous one. Almost
always, I start with a definitive project in mind. Almost always, about ⅓ of the way into the
process, the writing announces to me that it is going to be something different
from what I had intended.
Usually,
the first and final drafts are kilometers apart, formatting-wise. Usually, the
first and final drafts are only meters apart, content-wise.
Throughout
the day, I’ll record lines or phrases in my notebook or smartphone. Ideally, at
the end of the day, I go home and incorporate those lines or phrases into my
work. Often, the line that was brilliant at 9 am on the CTA doesn’t still feel
brilliant at 10 pm post-work and chores. I try not to erase any of my notes,
just in case.
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?
I
usually start out writing smaller pieces, but my intention is almost always to
eventually make a book or chapbook. I don’t like having “loose” poems. I
definitely prefer for all of them to have friends and family. Also, I received
a BA and an MFA in creative writing, so I have been trained to think and write
in terms of book-length projects (which, I don’t think, is a bad thing....).
5 - Are public readings
part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who
enjoys doing readings?
For
the first, um, eight or so years of my writing life, I loathed doing readings
because, like many writers, I am kind of shy and awkward. Also, like many
writers, I felt that my writing worked better on the page than in voice.
However, over the past few years, I’ve (finally) developed more of a sense of
performance and I have (finally) learned how to read in a manner that is
relatively entertaining. This is another way of saying that I (finally) learned
to take up about ½-¾ of my allotted time, to not spend more than one sentence
“setting up” a poem, and to recognize that a live audience usually wants to
hear the poems that include references to sex, drugs, or cats.
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
like and respect lit theory and
political theory and most kinds of theory. My hope is that this like and
respect bleeds into my writing. I think my work deals with a variety of
concerns that could be called political, but should really just be called
human... My guess is that my work doesn’t answer any questions. My guess is that
my work, at best, adds addendums to the questions that are already being asked.
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
role of the writer in the larger culture is just to be a person who writes
(duh). I think it’s good that we currently have D-list celebrity writers and
professor writers and punk rock writers and recluse writers and all of that.
It’s a good thing that there seems to be, like, forty different options,
currently, for how to be a writer. I think it is important for everyone in the
US to do what they can to resist the current administration, but I don’t think
the onus is on writers to resist any more than anyone else.
8 - Do you find the
process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?
The
process of working with an editor or “just” a reader giving feedback has always
been essential to me. I find that outside perspectives are necessary for any type
of writing I am planning on sharing with people other than myself. Much thanks
to everyone who has ever consented to edit or give feedback on my work.
9 - What is the best
piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?
“Do
whatever you want.”
10 - How easy has it
been for you to move between genres (poetry to collaboration)? What do you see
as the appeal?
For
the first few years of my poetry life, I was a purist (fascist). Now, it is
easier for me to write in different genres.
11 - 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
have never had a routine, even when I was in school and had writing deadlines.
Sometimes, I write for hours a day. Sometimes, I go a couple weeks without
writing. This works for me, but I also know many, many people who have
benefited immensely from keeping to a strict writing schedule.
12 - When your writing
gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word)
inspiration?
The
writers that are really keeping me excited about writing rn are (in
alphabetical order by last name): Aase Berg, Jessica Comola, Olivia Cronk,
LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Khadijah Queen, and Danielle Pafunda.
13 - What fragrance
reminds you of home?
Juniper
and benign neglect.
14 - 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’m
influenced by riot grrl and Soviet Era propaganda posters and my darling
Freshman Composition students.
15 - What other writers
or writings are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your
work?
See
No. 12.
16 - What would you
like to do that you haven't yet done?
Lead
a protest/strike.
17 - 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?
Proprietress
of a ‘90s-themed book, CD, and clothing store.
18 - What made you
write, as opposed to doing something else?
I
am not good at anything else.
19 - What was the last
great book you read? What was the last great film?
20 - What are you
currently working on?
I
am trying to write a novel (ha ha ha). It is supposed to be a post-apocalyptic
tale of ex-Soviet Bloc figure skaters turned CIA agents. I hope it will turn
out as a comedic work.
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