12 or 20 (second series) questions with Mahaila Smith

Mahaila Smith (they/them) is a researcher, poet and editor based on the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg in Ottawa, Ontario. Their novelette in verse, Seed Beetle, is forthcoming with Stelliform Press. Their recent chapbooks include Water-Kin (Metatron Press 2024) and Enter the Hyperreal (above/ground press 2024). You can find their work on their website at mahailasmith.ca.

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 chapbook, Claw Machine, came out in July 2020 with Anstruther Press! I was very lonely that summer, with all of my socializing happened over video calls. I launched that collection on Zoom with other new Anstruther chapbook writers, including Kirby, Ayaz Pirani, Síle Englert and Samuel Strathman. I think the biggest thing that came from that experience was the greater sense of belonging I began to feel within the poetry community. 

2 - How did you come to poetry first, as opposed to, say, fiction or non-fiction?

I first began writing poetry as a child, with strict adherence to rhyme and syllable count. I treated poetry like a logic puzzle then. When I was in university I read 10:04 by Ben Lerner, which is about a poet in New York. That book includes autobiographical poems by the main character and set me on an obsession of writing autofictional poetry for the next couple of years. 

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?

Usually, if I have an idea, then writing will come fairly quickly, and a poem won't change too much after the initial writing. As I write something I reread and edit it a few times to make sure it works. 

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?

In the past couple of years, I've been writing collections that have overarching narratives, including Seed Beetle, and the fungal horror MS I am working on as part of the John Newlove Poetry Award chapbook. I've been enjoying writing initial poems about characters and settings and seeing how I can build out those worlds. 

5 - Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who enjoys doing readings?

I like doing readings! Mostly because it's a chance to spend time with other writers I admire. I appreciate getting to hear other people read more than reading myself. I find it so interesting to hear how others choose what words to put together and how they read their work. 

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?

Recently someone told me that the main question a lot of people are working towards is, how do we live well with others? I think that you could argue that that is the question behind my new collection. And probably the question behind a lot of work to come. 

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?

Currently, there are a lot of issues with the role of writers. Writers are exploited from so many sides, rates of pay have stagnated and work is scraped to feed large language models. I think that the current role of writers should be to protest xenophobia and fascism, ideologies that appear to be on the rise internationally. 

8 - Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?

I had the immense pleasure of working with both Lynne Sargent and Selena Middleton on the edits for Seed Beetle. Working closely with outside editors was a new experience for me and definitely an essential one. Their feedback helped make the collection into something I'm very proud of. 

9 - What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?

I think the best advice I've heard is the work of writing isn't limited to just writing. Make sure you are spending time with friends, with family, doing things you enjoy, learning new things. Good writing comes from being in the world. 

10 - What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one? How does a typical day (for you) begin?

Ahh! I wish I had a daily writing routine. Everyday is different. I have been doing weekly writing sessions with other poets, including Helen Robertson, Rhiannon Ng Cheng Hin and Ellen Chang-Richardson. I dearly appreciate writing with other people. It keeps me inspired, motivated and accountable to my projects and to my peers. I am not a morning person, but my mornings often begin with a cup of herbal tea. In the past year I started using a website called 4theWords, and that has been motivating for me to hit a consistent daily word count.  

11 - When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word) inspiration?

I usually turn back to reading, working through my endless tbr pile. Currently I'm reading Marisca Pichette's debut novella, Every Dark Cloud and Tlotlo Tsamaase's Womb City. When I'm stuck on character development I like to rewatch Fleabag. 

12 - What fragrance reminds you of home?

The smell of lilacs! There were two big lilac bushes in my parents' backyard growing up. 

13 - 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 am a frequent visitor to art galleries! I was raised in a family with two gallery curators, so that has always been an important part of my life. I have not been writing ekphrastic poetry recently, but that is a form I turn to when I am feeling uninspired. You can read one of my ekphrastic poems, Haze, in the Ekphrastic Review's page dedicated to poetic responses to Lovers on the Beach by Müfide Kadri. 

14 - What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work?

I love writing that combines humour and sci-fi/fantasy. My all-time favourite writer is Jasper Fforde. I have already mentioned Ben Lerner, who consistently inspires my poetry. Stuart Ross' poems inspire me to write surreality, especially his collection, I Cut My Finger. I attribute my interest in narrative poetry to Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson. 

15 - What would you like to do that you haven't yet done?

In my writing work, I would like to complete a novel-length manuscript! I'm also interested in trying to do more script-writing.

16 - 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?

For a summer, in 2019, I worked as an archaeological field tech for a cultural resource management company. I really miss doing that physical labour. Over the lockdown I became an obsessive baker, and I'm curious about what it would be like to work in a  bakery. 

17 - What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?

Mainly my love for reading and hearing stories. I have always loved to make up stories and write them down. It wasn't really a conscious decision, just something I was always compelled to do. 

18 - What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film?

The last great book I read was Cobalt by recently retired MP Charlie Angus! It's about the history of the silver rush in Cobalt Ontario. The last great film I saw was Sing Sing.

19 - What are you currently working on?

Aside from the John Newlove Award poetry chapbook and aside from finishing my MA in Northern studies, I am working on writing a longer fiction piece about sentient metal, a fibre artist and a mining con man.

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