Dan MacIsaac’s Cries from the Ark, his debut collection of poetry, was published by Brick Books in
September 2017. A trial lawyer and environmentalist, he served for ten
years as a director on the board of UVIC’s Environmental Law Centre. His
poetry, fiction and verse translations have been published in a wide variety of
literary magazines, including The Malahat Review, Arc and Stand. In
2014, one of his poems received the Foley Prize from America Magazine.
In 2015, his poem, “Sloth,” was short-listed for The Walrus Poetry Prize. His
writer website is www.danmacisaac.com.
1 - How did your first
book change your life?
It
enabled me to call myself a poet.
2 - How did you come to
poetry first, as opposed to, say, fiction or non-fiction?
After
much music and story-telling in my youth, it seemed natural to come to poetry.
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?
The
first outpouring is quick. But I revise obsessively over months or even years.
The first drafts are not false starts but getting to the finish line can be a
marathon.
4 - Where does a poem
or short story usually begin for you?
Most
poems and stories begin in a quiet space, even in the eye of a storm. Often I
can create that quiet space for myself in the midst of chaos as I grew in a
large, boisterous family where bedlam could be the prevailing condition.
5 - Are public readings
part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who
enjoys doing readings?
I
love engaging with an audience. Perhaps this comes from playing music in public
since my childhood. Certainly, teaching and trial work reinforced my desire to
connect, engage and persuade. Listening to and answering questions is
particularly productive because I am responding to somebody else’s experience
and point of view. Often, that insight from another person allows me to
strengthen the work through thoughtful revision.
6 - What kinds of
questions are you trying to answer with your work? What do you even think the
current questions are?
What
are the stories of the Earth? What are the lyrics of the wind and the sea?
7 – What do you see the
current role of the writer being in larger culture?
To
be a witness and a whistleblower.
8 - Do you find the
process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?
The
objective eye and unbiased ear are essential.
9 - What is the best
piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?
Here
are two to start with: Listen. Look.
10 - How easy has it
been for you to move between genres (poetry to verse translation to short
fiction)?
For
me, the movement between genres seems natural as they are akin. Each genre is
like the form of water at a particular point in the cycle.
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
write in the late evenings and on weekends because my law practice is very
time-consuming.
12 - When your writing
gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word)
inspiration?
When
my new writing stalls, I work on the knots of an old piece. In the past, I
would translate Spanish poetry into English verse in order to strike a creative
spark.
13 - What fragrance
reminds you of home?
Apple.
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?
Wilderness
is my main muse followed by music in all its astonishing forms. In terms of
visual art, my earliest influence was the French Impressionists with their
focus on flow and light.
15 - What other writers
or writings are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your
work?
The
writers and writings important for my work are too numerous to list here.
Certainly, my life of community and family—as well as immersing in nature—bring
meaning and purpose to the art.
16 - What would you
like to do that you haven't yet done?
Go
on an eco-tour of India with family.
17 - If you could pick
any other occupation to attempt, what would it be?
Study
to be a full-time musician. I deeply admire my three family members whose life
work is music.
18 - What made you
write, as opposed to doing something else?
Writing
creatively is the most precise and evocative form of expression.
19 - What was the last
great book you read? What was the last great film?
One
of the recent great poetry collections I read was Julia McCarthy’s
superlative Return from Erebus. Deepa Mehta’s Water is a marvellous film.
20 - What are you
currently working on?
Revising
poems and setting some to music.
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