[Mohammadi will be presenting a lecture online this Saturday, alongside Amish Trivedi from 1-2pm Eastern, as part of The Factory Lecture Series at Ottawa’s annual VERSeFest Poetry Festival; click here to register to attend via zoom]
1 - How did your first book change your life? How does your most recent work compare to your previous? How does it feel different?
I had already published 4 chapbooks before my debut, but there was something so definite and final about having a full length book published. It taught me organization and coherence on a larger scale, taught me how to manage concept and tone throughout various poems, and how to chisel a book out of a manuscript with the help of my editor.
2 - How did you come to poetry first, as opposed to, say, fiction or non-fiction?
I grew up in a fiercely literary family, but I have to admit I didn’t read or write any poetry until my late teens. At the time I was getting into poetry Rupi Kaur was getting quite popular, so I picked up Milk and Honey and realized I like the format. I moved on from her to Warsan Shire and Deborah Landau, then slowly William Carlos Williams and Rilke. My first encounter with Canadian Poetry was Phil Hall and BP Nichol, and after getting into the local scene, I picked up every book I could find and read everything that came out vehemently until I got to where I am.
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 always have different projects of different genres going at the same time. The Low and Slow gets accumulated over time and in a different work frame, and there are times when I feel I just need to produce work, so I translate, or write an essay. Depending on which type of piece I’m writing, the amount of editing varies. But I’d say my poems emerge quite close to how they get published. I write relentlessly so I’d call myself an overall fast writer.
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?
even though different poems always start differently, my favorite way of beginning a poem is taking a line usually taken from misheard and misused words in conversations I hear during the day, e.g. when I misheard “Dressed to go” as “Dressed for a poem” and treating it as a kernel or seed for an entire poem to take shape around it.
5 - Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who enjoys doing readings?
I am incredibly social and I’ve always loved readings and interacting with my audience, whether virtual or in person!
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’ve written quite a lot about language and what it means to write across cultures through writing across languages and linguistic disciplines, but I’d also say recently I’ve been quite heavily gravitating towards Islamic mysticism and Islamic culture and the Arab Conquest in general. I’m trying to explore questions like “what does Islam mean in the Diaspora as opposed to Islamic nations?” and trying to demystify the monolithic Islam of North American media into its intricate working parts.
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?
well I was quite lost when I came to poetry. I had no sense of belonging, no sense of purpose or self-respect. Poetry gave me a warm place in a corner of this cruel world where I could comfortably express who I am. And my expression will hopefully provide a new home for another estranged soul. I believe in the power of poetry and have no interest in anyone who devalues and deems it inessential.
8 - Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?
writing is often quite lonely, and its solitude can drown one in one’s own ego. Its absolutely essential to have one’s work looked over and altered to the point of comprehension. poets can be too precious about their own lines and wordplays that may not be relevant or Jermaine to the point. I’ve never taken a piece to an editor and emerged with an inferior poem. to me poems are always improved by a second pair of eyes.
9 - What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?
“never underestimate how little people care about your work”.
may sound harsh, but it’s the single most motivating thought in my mind whenever I feel too invested in my own poetry
10 - How easy has it been for you to move between genres (your own work vs. translation or collaboration)? What do you see as the appeal?
to me the appeal is mainly the fact that I can switch my workflow when I need to. There are times when I just don’t feel innovative enough to begin a thought from scratch, and translation can tone my poetry muscles without straining my intellect too much.
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?
lots of walking, lots of reading, very little writing. I believe the more time I spend thinking and reading, the better I can work and the more efficient my words become. my personal recommendation to a new poet is always to read more and to think more. giving your body time to process reading is as important as giving yourself time to read. so I usually read for an hour or so, walk for an hour or so, and then begin my writing only after.
12 - When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word) inspiration?
the answer is always translation. I love how many possibilities translation poses, while not being so overwhelmingly open as to paralyze me intellectually. translation is immensely creative but its beauty is its limitations, and limitations are always what makes one create the most clever tools for comprehension and conveyance; which later come in handy while writing your own material!
13 - What fragrance reminds you of home?
Orange Blossoms. that is all.
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 love many art forms and I’ve written in great length on, about and influenced by Cinema, but I have to admit that nothing inspires my work more than Standup comedy. I listen to an ungodly amount of standup comedy every day and the tricks comics use in their language, in performance, in tricking the audience’s perception; nothing ever comes close to it.
15 - What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work?
At the moment I think my biggest influences for my work are great Sufi thinkers like Ibn ‘Arabi, Rumi, Ghazali and Hafez; but overall my greatest influence is always what I’m reading at the moment, especially books by my friends.
16 - What would you like to do that you haven't yet done?
make more music. I wanna make some spoken word, Hip-Hop, experimental album and it is the next item on my list.
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?
well… I’m a chef by profession and I absolutely love cooking so I’ll always have that going for me!
18 - What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?
necessity.
19 - What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film?
Ooh! my favorite question! last great film I watched was Pedro Almodovar’s latest film Pain and Glory. I’ve since watched it more than 5 times. It’s a true delight. Midsommar and Portrait of a Lady On Fire round up the top 3.
my favorite books I read this year have been Hoa Nguyen’s A Thousand Times You Lose Your Treasure, Bardia Sinaee’s Intruder and Amanda Berenguer’s Materia Prima
20 - What are you currently working on?
So much… but
mainly some more translations of some of the great modernist poets of Iran as
well as writing more poetry on Diasporic West Asian culture.
12 or 20 (second series) questions;
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