Joelle Barron is an award-winning poet and writer living and relying on the Traditional Territories of the Anishinabewaki of Treaty 3 and the Métis people (Fort Frances, ON). Their first poetry collection, Ritual Lights (icehouse poetry, 2018), was nominated for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award. In 2019, they were a finalist for the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for Emerging LGBTQ2S+ Writers. Barron’s poetry has appeared in ARC Poetry Magazine, CV2, EVENT Magazine, The New Quarterly, and many other Canadian literary publications. They live with their daughter.
1 - How did your first book change your life? How does your most recent work compare to your previous? How does it feel different?
· My first book changed my life in that it connected me to people who I never would have otherwise known, and it gave me a place in the world of Canadian poetry. I think with this second book I’m more confident in my voice and point of view, with similar themes of queerness and isolation but a more positive vibe overall. I wanted to write a book of love poems this time, because they are my favourite poems to read.
2 - How did you come to poetry first, as opposed to, say, fiction or non-fiction?
· I started writing poems in early childhood. I don’t really know why; I have just always gravitated to writing as a form of self-expression. My cousin—who was like a sister to me—died suddenly when I was 13, and in the process of going through her things, I found that she wrote poetry. I began writing poems to process her death, and I’ve never really stopped.
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 am extremely slow to start anything. Thinking about doing the thing is a big part of doing the thing for me. What I love about writing poetry is that, initially, it’s easier not to overthink it than with prose. Typically, the final product looks very different than the initial attempt, because I never start off imposing any sort of form or structure to a piece; that’s part of the editing process for me.
4 - Where does a poem or work of prose 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?
· A poem usually begins with an image, or a line. Usually the title; like, what would a poem with the title “Your Wife is a Cryptid” be about? It sort of shapes itself from there. I don’t usually start writing with a whole book in mind, but I follow whatever themes naturally emerge.
5 - Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who enjoys doing readings?
· I live in a rural area so I don’t get the opportunity to do many readings. I get super nervous for readings but I do always enjoy them. Workshopping is definitely key to my process, and I really love to share my work in that capacity.
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?
· This is a hard question for me to answer because I am autistic and part of that for me is that I am a very literal person. I don’t think I’m trying to answer any questions with my work; I write because people typically understand me better through writing than through spoken communication. So for the most part, I am writing to connect, and to feel less alone in the world.
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?
· I think the role of writers is to connect people. There’s something so potent about seeing something you’ve always felt described with language. Or understanding something you’ve never felt because it’s described so adeptly.
8 - Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?
· Essential! I can’t say I’ve ever found working with an editor to be difficult. I am grateful for all of the editors in my life.
9 - What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?
· The best writing advice I’ve been given is just to do it, regardless of how badly you feel about it or how hard you’re tempted to be on yourself. The best general life advice I’ve been given is don’t be in a relationship with someone who won’t dance with you at a wedding.
10 - How easy has it been for you to move between genres (poetry to fiction)? What do you see as the appeal?
· Fiction is harder than poetry because you have to keep hold of so many threads. My poetry is narrative, but you can only do so much in a poem. The appeal of fiction is that it gives you a lot more space to tell a story.
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 get up in the morning about an hour before my daughter and read. Reading is an important part of my writing process, and I find it a lot more difficult to access that “writer” part of my brain if I’m not reading a lot. It’s harder to have a routine around writing, being a busy single parent. When I do write, I like to sit down for at least a few hours, in the evening or on the weekend.
12 - When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word) inspiration?
· I walk the dog. Moving my body (without the distraction of music or a podcast) usually shakes things loose. I also re-read works that I know inspire me and make me want to keep trying.
13 - What was your last Hallowe'en costume?
· Mary Jane Watson.
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?
· All of the above for sure. Literally anything can (and should?) be poetry.
15 - What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work?
· This would be an extremely long list if I mentioned all of the writers whose work is important to me, so I am just going to mention my two close friends and editors, Ruth Daniell and Ellie Sawatzky. Brilliant poets who inspire me and make me a better poet. Also, I wouldn’t be a poet without Rhea Tregebov.
16 - What would you like to do that you haven't yet done?
· Run across a windy moor in some sort of Victorian nightgown.
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?
· In another life, I would be a midwife for sure. It’s really hard to imagine what I would have done if not writing. It’s one of the few things I’ve ever felt sure about.
18 - What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?
· Writing just always made me happy. I always loved to read, and that made me want to write stories of my own.
19 - What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film?
· Book: Like a Beggar by Ellen Bass. Movie: Anatomy of a Fall.
20 - What are you currently working on?
· I’m about half done the first draft of a novel.
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