Benjamin Hertwig's debut book of poems was a finalist for the
Governor General's Award, the Raymond Souster Award, and received the poetry
prize at the Alberta Book Awards. He is the recipient of a National Magazine
Award for non-fiction and his writing has appeared in The New York Times, Prairie
Schooner, The Walrus, Maisonneuve, Event, and the Sun. He's
working on a number of writing projects, all of which feel like they are
floundering.
1 - How did your first book
change your life? How does your most recent work compare to your previous? How
does it feel different?
Before writing Slow War
I didn’t think of myself as a writer, but the affirmation I received from
friends and from people who read the book helped me think of myself as one. I stumbled
into writing during difficult times and was fortunate enough to know some
excellent and kind people who eased me into the process and the profession gently
and with a lot of graciousness.
2 - How did you come to
poetry first, as opposed to, say, fiction or non-fiction?
Poetry helped me to cover a lot of distance with fewer words than
I could have with prose. I didn’t know how to create a larger literary
structure, but poetry helped me find and follow a few bush trails of image and
emotion.
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 took me years before I felt ready to approach a longer project,
but more recently there is less of a lag between awareness of an idea and
starting to take notes/writing. I try and sit with my writing longer now than I
used to though. When I started writing I sent things out to journals shortly
after finishing them, and this sometimes resulted in poems that now feel
unfinished.
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 poetry is often autobiographical/confessional, so whatever I
happen to be working through. I wouldn’t say I’m writing a book from the
beginning, just writing whatever is there.
5 - Are public readings
part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who
enjoys doing readings?
I don’t always love reading at or attending public readings, as I sometimes
get pretty anxious in large crowds, but I generally feel really good after
having done a reading, and even better when I’m back in a room by myself. I try not to say no to readings, as I’m able,
because I think it’s an honour to be asked.
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 spend a lot of my time writing about war, so I guess I’m quite
interested in the ways that war stories maintain or disrupt the status quo.
Judith Butler’s Frames of War has helped me think about war stories
specifically—and all narratives in general—in terms of grievability—that is,
the ways in which lives are constructed as being worthy of grief, or not, and
why.
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 good writing is fundamentally moral, even as it’s not
didactic. A good writer expands our ability to engage with fear, uncertainty,
injustice, humor. A good writer helps us treat our neighbours better and be
more gentle with ourselves too. I think a good writer does not necessarily
speak on behalf of specific communities, but participates within local and
global conversations. A writer should be a good and generous neighbor.
8 - Do you find the process
of working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?
I’ve mostly had good editorial experiences, and good editors have shaped
my writing in significant ways. I’ve also had some poor editorial experiences,
but I’ve learned from them.
9 - What is the best piece
of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?
I’m not sure. I don’t know that I’ve received lots of good advice,
but I’ve received lots of good presence
from writers who I respect and from friends, which is sort of like silent,
unspoken advice.
10 - How easy has it been
for you to move between genres (poetry to non-fiction to pottery to
painting)? What do you see as the appeal?
Moving between art forms has been really beneficial for me. I’ve
struggled with my health for a while, and switching forms works different parts
of my body and my mind. Ceramics and painting help during the days or hours
when my mind goes to places I don’t want it to go. The physicality of the forms
are very grounding, both meditation and prayer.
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 found a latte machine at a thrift store for twenty dollars, so I
start my day with mediocre but inexpensive lattes and try and write for a few
hours before noon, when I focus on my school work.
12 - When your writing gets
stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word)
inspiration?
I just do something else for a while. Switch genres or spend more
time with other mediums. I watch a lot of basketball too.
13 - What fragrance reminds
you of home?
The smell of air following people in from the cold. Lilac in
spring. Woodsmoke in winter. The tang of of Edmonton’s northside sewage
treatment plant too.
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?
Arvo Pärt and Georges Rouault are two artists who inspire and
ground me.
15 - What other writers or
writings are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work?
16 - What would you like to
do that you haven't yet done?
Finish writing a novel.
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?
I sort of apprenticed as a potter with my mum, who is a longtime
potter, and I think I’d like to try and make it a life-long, part-time job.
18 - What made you write,
as opposed to doing something else?
I’m not sure the two are mutually exclusive, as I spend most of my
day and much of my life not writing, but writing just felt healthy when I
started taking it seriously. I felt good after doing it.
19 - What was the last
great book you read? What was the last great film?
20 - What are you currently
working on?
A book of short stories, a novel, a second book of poems, and a
longer non-fiction project.
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