Author Interview: Susan Gardner

Q&A With Poet, Artist and Creative Spirit

To Inhabit the Felt World
By Susan Gardner
Publisher: Red Mountain Press
$16.95

On Sunday, June 9 at 3:30 p.m., Susan Gardner will be at op.cit. bookstore, Sanbusco Center in Santa Fe, to read from and sign her book of poetry, To Inhabit the Felt World. The book received an Eric Hoffer honorable mention for poetry award, and is a finalist for the Da Vinci Eye Prize for cover art and design. Gardner is a poet, painter, photographer and literary editor. Elizabeth Raby, author of Ink on Snow, said of Susan’s work, “I don’t believe I have ever read lines of such ferocity, honesty and pain. Yet Gardner continues, observes, listens... she opens herself to passion.”

I would agree. The work is painfully honest and joyously expressive. You can almost hear the voice of the poet in the structure of the poems and in the powerful cadence of the words. Susan’s work speaks of honest emotion, introspection, and heart. In her Q&A she talks about To Inhabit the Felt World, and her writing journey.

H.Talk about the title, “To Inhabit the Felt World” and what it means to you.

SG. The poem “Sticks and Stones” is about the process of calligraphy — crafting the ink from carbon and glue, fabricating brushes, making the paper and allowing the ink to settle into the paper as a poem or painting. Calligraphy is a joy to me. I wrote my first poems in Japanese calligraphy and experimented with all the phases of the process described in the poem.
The paper is made from a slurry of fibers and then “felts” into the paper sheet. I used this physical process to suggest the felt world of the poem, the felt world of the poet — the observation, experience and emotions we feel and understand through poetry and art.

H. How did you select pieces from your body of work for this collection?
SG. The poems for this book were written during several months in 2012. A few of the poems reconsider earlier themes, but all are new and written specifically for this book.

H. “Trilogy for My Daughter” is heartbreakingly beautiful. What does it take from you to put into words such a deeply personal and life-changing loss?

SG. My daughter's illness and death were a soul-shaking event. For years I had no words for it, spoken or written. Much later, as I started to write about it, my husband urged me to speak  clearly and fully. The third section of the trilogy was written just after the death of my much-loved mother-in-law and it was the final reconciliation I needed. The trilogy unites my philosophical persuasions with my emotional sensibility. Although the whole poem was composed almost complete in just a few days, I had a vivid sense of growth and transformation as I wrote it.

H. You are an artist and photographer. How does that inform your poetry?
 
SG. I have been a painter and photographer for a long time and I see the world through that field of reference. Many descriptions in the poems are influenced by the wonderful names of colors and the vocabulary of the art studio. My practice as a visual artist encourages, even forces, scrupulous attention to fine detail, the particularity that reveals the essence of the whole. It is just the same with poetry.

H. Your work has been described as being a “…landscape of experiences and perceptions not our own, but hauntingly familiar.” What does that mean to you as a writer?

SG. Art-making in all its forms is a universal human need and characteristic. We are related by our human-ness and our place in nature. My job as an artist is to look carefully, point directly, try to shape experience so that we, poet and reader, can apprehend its meaning. We make use of this particular moment, here and now. I hope that through my work the reader will recognize the value of our shared experience.

Art – regardless of form or genre – has the potential to awaken us to our own humanity and to our place in the world. More than joy and beauty, more than sensory pleasure and satisfaction, the practice and presence of art can offer redemption in the face of almost irredeemable sorrow.

H. Your bio also says you are a literary editor. Talk a little about your experience in that arena.
 
SG. I love the poets and their work. A poet brings me what seems to be a finished manuscript and that is the starting point for creating a book. We look at every line, every poem, trying to see how each element supports every other. Formatting the words on the page is graphic as well as literary. We consider the sequencing within each poem and through the book. We are after clarity, beautiful sound, natural language pacing, each word inevitable.
Most important of all: how do we let the reader hear the voice of the poet on the page? Within the lines, we want to leave room for the reader to breathe with the poem, to come closer to its heart, to the poet’s intention.

The collaboration is intense, creative and for most books, very satisfying.

H. You’ve traveled extensively. Talk about some of the places you’ve been and how those experiences are reflected in your poetry.
 
SG. Away from the familiar, jolted from the expected and taken-for-granted context, we can see ourselves new, make an opportunity of an unimagined and perplexing puzzle. My early adult years in East Asia were the introduction and context for my exploration of Buddhist philosophy and calligraphy.

I have learned Korean, Japanese, French and Spanish well enough to live in them, sometimes teach in them, for Japanese and Spanish, write in them. Language embodies the values of the culture and contains a point of view. Using a new language, participating in a new culture, shakes me out of old assumptions, forces me out of the ruts of old habits.
In Drawing the Line I wrote:

“I think that Heraclites had it right: it is not possible to step in the same stream twice. Even the Rocky Mountains seen from my window are in flux, uplifting themselves, eroding away, their shadows and colors changing every minute under the high altitude light. I find myself astonished every day by the sights on this expedition, the new, unruly landscape to be negotiated.”

H. You’ve written other books. Talk about them and the inspiration that motivates you to write about a particular subject.
 
SG. When I began Drawing the Line ~ A Passionate Life I intended to write about the nature of making art. Artist and poet are not a label or description; being an artist is in the context of my whole life. It is not a job but as much my identity as woman, mother, wife, house-builder, garden-planter, teacher. My initial essay speculating about the nature of art inevitably became a memoir.

Part of the artist’s task is to cast what light we can on the human condition. It has been fashionable to say that beauty and harmony have no meaning, that all we need is some adrenaline-pumping, eye-popping hugeness to be satisfied. I believe that humans are hard-wired to desire and recognize beauty in all its forms. It is the human mind that transforms facts into truth, stone into sculpture, empty sounds into poetry and music. Each of us is alone, an anonymous, separate being. Art lets us see who we are; it is the bridge from one mind to another. It lets us hold a transforming mirror to our human qualities and remember who we can be. It is the ultimate freedom.

Box of Light ~ Caja de Luz is Spanish and English poems, about half originally in each language. Moving between languages is moving between cultures. It was interesting to try and capture both sense and music of the original language in the second. The poems are cousins rather than twins. It was a joy to explore these possibilities and I learned so much about language and making poetry.

My first book, Intimate Landscapes, was a chapbook published by St. Johns College. I had a photography exhibition at the St. Johns College Gallery and instead of standard wall text (that almost no one reads) I wrote poems for the walls. The gallery director immediately asked to publish them as a chapbook and made the edition in time for the opening reception. Almost all 300 copies left with the visitors to the gallery and I was left with the pleasure of having my poems in print.

H. Whom do you write your poetry for and what do you hope readers of your work get out of it?

SG. In all my work, as in my life generally, I try to realize the idea of direct pointing, to look carefully, with attention. I try to put aside expectations, fear, preconceptions and acknowledge what I am seeing right here, right now. I hope the readers will recognize what they may have overlooked or forgotten or will re-examine it with renewed attention. Most of all, I hope the work has lasting value and will bring pleasure to readers many years from now.

H. In what ways has writing changed you?
SG. Writing and photography as well as painting are investigative processes.

I accept change as a central quality of life. Each new poem suggests another step in my evolving understanding of the world around us and our place in it.

Writing Drawing the Line was very illuminating. Looking at my parents through a new perspective I found a deeper understanding of them and came to accept the cruelties and anomalies of their lives with more equanimity. I now see some of the ongoing themes of my own life with more clarity and fuller appreciation. The tragedies, achievements and serendipitous good fortune seem to be more in balance.

H. Where is To Inhabit the Felt World available?

SG. The publisher’s website is http://www.redmountainpress.us; also the distributor http://www.spdbooks.org, independent bookstores, and, of course, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.




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This article appears in Happenstance Magazine, a digital publication available by subscription. For details go to vandermeerbooks.com.

Happy Thanksgiving and new beginnings

I not only have change, I have a plan... sort of

 If you have read the most recent Happenstance Literary you will know Dec. 18 is the final live Writer's Block radio show featuring writers from around the country and Canada. I make this decision with some ambivalence because I do enjoy what I'm doing and am hugely grateful to Joseph Baca, owner of KFUN/KLVF, for allowing me to be on the air with the program for more than a year, and to Nancy Colalillo, owner of Tome on the Range, for sponsoring it during that time. My decision hinges in part on my age, but also on me taking on more work and having looming deadlines to meet. Add to that the launch (re-launch?) of my e-zine and you have a formula for STRESS! Something had to go.

I hope to continue Writer's Block as a Q&A in Happenstance Literary and on this blog. I'll have to see how or if I can make that work. I also intend (read will-do-it-maybe) to have book reviews on this site, some written by me and some from other sources (maybe Tome staffers?). All of this is speculative at this point because I'm trying to scale back, not ramp up. Mostly I want to get back to writing.

Please check out Happenstance Literary. The last free issue is available for reading on your computer or tablet. Just download it as a PDF or read it right from your device. I don't mind limited sharing of the zine as I want to build a loyal subscriber base, so pass it on to those who you think would be likely customers and writers for the zine. From now to the end of December take advantage of the buy one, get one free offer to new subscribers. Pay $12 for your subscription and have a second subscription sent to a friend at no cost to you. For more information about this offer e-mail sharon@vandermeerbooks.com.

Thanks for reading and have a blessed and safe holiday.

Writing and Writers: Guests Scheduled Through Nov. 20

Air time 9 a.m., MST on KFUN/KLVF, Las Vegas, NM

Not from the Las Vegas area? The show streams online at http://www.kfunonline.com

October 30

Gail Rubin has written an amazing book about death. A Good Goodbye is a realistic look at a fact of life. Death comes to everyone. What then? A Good Goodbye was the Best of Show winner in the 2011 New Mexico Book Awards. The book was also a national finalist in the 2010 Book of the Year Award, Family & Relationships category.

About the book: (From the author’s website) Just as talking about sex won’t make you pregnant, talking about funerals won’t make you dead – and your family will benefit from the conversation. A Good Goodbye addresses the Baby Boomer generation with gentle humor on the vital information about funeral arrangements that most people don’t learn about until faced with a death in the family. This easy-to-read book tells how to plan a memorial service and reception, ways to communicate the news, collect vital information before it’s needed, and write obituaries and eulogies. It also presents background on many religious traditions, new funeral trends and creative non-religious rituals, event-planning checklists, information forms for death certificates and obituaries, and cost containment. It even covers ways to honor the death of a pet and remember deceased loved ones annually.

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Did you know that among the state’s centennial project there was a website entitled 200NewMexicoPoems? The editor to the project was Lisa Hase-Jackson, a poet in her own right with work in multiple publications.

About Lisa: (From the 200NewMexicoPoem website) Lisa M. Hase-Jackson holds a Master’s Degree in English with an emphasis in poetry from Kansas State University and is a trained Creativity Coach. She has developed and facilitated poetry writing workshops and circles all over the world, beginning with the Washburn Writers Fellowship Program in Topeka, Kansas, and including the Peyongchon writers group in Anyang, South Korea and, currently, the Friday Poets Group in Albuquerque, NM. Her literary editorial experience includes working on Washburn University’s literary magazine, Inscape; two years with Kansas State University’s literary magazine, Touchstone; faciltating 200NewMexcioPoems.wordpress.com, a New Mexico Centennial endorsed project  celebrating New Mexico’s centennial through poetry; and a variety of trade newsletters. She keeps a blog at ZingaraPoet.net, which features poet interviews, writing exercises, poetry prompts, articles and poetry picks.

November 6

Bruce Halloran Rogers is a fascinating man who has figured out how to make the internet work for his particular skills. He is a prolific writer producing a voluminous amount of work on his website shortshortshort.com. For only $10 a year, three times a month you will receive a brand new original story by Bruce. They must be good, because he continues to grow his subscriber list and he keeps the ones he has.



For six years, Bruce wrote a column about the spiritual and psychological challenges of full-time fiction writing for Speculations magazine. Many of those columns have been collected in a new book, Word Work: Surviving and Thriving as a Writer (an alternate selection of the Writers Digest Book Club). He is a motivational speaker and trains workers and managers in creativity and practical problem solving.

 Myrna Haskell has put her popular syndicated column for parent of teens into, Lions and Tigersand Teens: Expert advice and support for the conscientious parent just like you.

About the book: Don’t throw up your hands and walk away. If your teen isn’t talking to you and acting in ways you don’t understand, maybe it’s time to evaluate the behavior and gain insight into what to do. Myrna Haskell has been writing about the very thing that has you baffled. Her book  is a compilation of the best installments of her column for parents of teens, teachers, siblings, grandparents… or anyone who interacts with today’s youth. Also included are several installments that have never before been published.

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November 13

Poet Luis Alberto Urrea wrote of Centennial Poet Levi Romero:

“Levi Romero is a strange kind of wizard. He can walk up a New Mexico arroyo and come back with a mysterious object full of quotidian magic. Like a rusted tobacco can the grandfathers used to roll their smokes. And when you pry open the lid, you can hear their laughter and gossip coming out. That’s what he does in poem after poem. I read his work and I learn again how to love this life.” 

Romero's first collection of poetry, In the Gathering of Silence, published in 1966, features Woodstove of My Childhood, an epic poem based on personal and communal histories. His latest collection, A Poetry of Remembrance: New and Rejected Works, with UNM Press in December 2008, sold out within a month of its publication.

(Excerpted from “Levi Romero Sows Culture Crops,” by Carolyn Gonzales, UNM Today, August 28, 2009.)
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Tome on the Range will fill the second half of the hour with featured children's books and upcoming events for fall and  and the holiday season. Guests will be children's book buyer Janet Chapman and associate Susan Cole.

November 20

John Murray grew up and was educated in the United Kingdom. He studied theology in Birmingham, England and in Toronto, Canada. His life experience has been in business, in pastoral ministry, in Christian journalism and for the last twenty years before retirement he was the Executive Director of Eurovangelism Canada. Eurovangelism is a British mission which has been working in Eastern Europe for approximately fifty years.

 About the Book: (From the author's website.) “Real Faith” covers the major issues of the Christian Faith. It begins with “Why do we believe?” It moves on to discuss who is God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit and then asks the question, “What is Christian conversion?” It also covers “Why is it so difficult to live the Christian life?” and finally leads to “What is expected of us as believers?” In other words the book discusses what we believe, why we believe it and what is expected of us because we believe it.
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Jackie Carpenter never intended to become an author. And neither did she ever expect to be a resource for persons facing a crisis in life. But Jackie took the crisis in her life, and subsequent miracle, and wove it into a dramatic and heart-wrenching story – The Bridge: Between Cell Block A and a Miracle is Psalm 91. And the Reluctant Author followed up with still another book, Georgia Justice: A Journey To Faith – a remarkable guide on how to build faith when overcome by doubt, depression and tragic events.

About the Books: In The Bridge, the author tells her story. After her son, Richard Jason Veitch, was falsely accused of felony murder, Jackie Carpenter found the odds seemingly stacked against her: there was no hope, money was of no value, and she was rendered helpless before a jury of 12. But by simply waiting on a miracle from God, she was able to experience deliverance from her troubles—all in His perfect timing. In Georgia Justice she tells a story of faith-building – a how to guide of what it takes to escape from the tightening grips of doubt and depression and begin the journey to renewed and strengthened faith, hope, and ultimate victory. It is a book everyone should read, believers and non-believers alike, those facing a tragedy now and those who have no idea a tragedy lies ahead in their tomorrows.

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That’s the line up through Nov. 20. The schedule is subject to change and while I hope to update the information I may miss from time to time. Thanks for listening to Writer's Block, and if you missed a show, be sure to check out the podcasts, which are generally posted within two days of air time.

Reading to Become a Better Writer

Image: clipart.com

Reading: Your Brain’s Barbell

Epiphany. I’ve had one. I’ll probably have another one tomorrow. Startling things come to me and I’m so excited I can hardly stand myself. This particular epiphany hit me in the midst of signing up to follow one more blog. It occurred to me that I’m not writing; I’m reading. While there is nothing wrong with reading, it does begin to get in the way of writing. Or does it? 

Writer’s Block, the weekly radio program I do each Tuesday, requires an incredible amount of reading. In the interest of not asking dumb questions, I try to read the work of every writer I interview. That means in addition to my leisure reading, I’m reading two other books a week, plus the blogs I keep up with (Jane Friedman, Robert Lee Brewer, Carol Tice, writetodone.com, Shelf Awareness to name a few). In April I also took an online workshop with Kelly James-Enger, an online class with Dan Blank, the My Name is Not Bob platform challenge, and the Poem a Day challenge. Not to mention checking in at the Writer’s Digest website where there is a wealth of information for writers. There’s more, but my point has been made. Where in all of that is there time to write? Oh, and by the way, can anyone say social networking?

Writing Challenges Build Writing Skills

The platform and poetry challenges helped to put some of this in perspective. I am making time to participate in both challenges and have not missed a lick, although I am still working on the interview-an-expert thing. The poet has climbed its way out of the abyss of my fear of rejection and blossomed. I’ve made an incredible number of contacts and awakened to the value of twitter, Facebook and Google+ (although I have yet to figure out what the URL is for that one).

 Writing has been set aside in this quest to be more, learn more, try more, experiment, expand, connect. Or has it? All those people I mentioned did a lot for me over the last month. They helped me find reasons to write, focus, prioritize and grow. So thank you Jane, Robert, Dan, Kelly and everyone else who took the time to write, so I could read, so when I write, I’m better at it.

Who helped and how:

Platform Challenge: Prior to participating in this challenge I was unclear what building a platform meant. I was clueless when it came to social networking, didn’t know I could ask someone to guest blog on my site, or ask to guest blog on some other writer's blog, felt reluctant to create or join networks of writers, and never considered that by doing so I would become more connected.

Poem a Day Challenge: I’ve always enjoyed writing poetry, but it was my silly little secret. Well, not really. I’ve published my poetry in a book of daily devotionals I wrote and on my Joy in the Morning blog, but until the challenge, I didn’t have much confidence in my work. Now I see its value and appreciate its worth as a way to kick start creative thinking.

Blogging 101, Dan Blank: After more than two years of blogging I finally get it that there is more to it than banging away at a keyboard and praying someone happens upon my site. His helpful comments in response to the assignments forced me to grasp the fact that I have NO GRASP at all of things like SEO and keywords. I have a ways to go, but I’ll get there… someday.

Kelly James-Enger: My background is in print media and producing words by the buckets is no problem for me. As a reporter and editor my work was paid for with no problem. When I turned to freelance work I put the emphasis on FREE. While I have been paid for my writing over the years it has been spotty at best. Kelly reminded me in her workshop that there is a huge demand for good writing. It’s up to the writer to find a way to reach that market and provide what the market is looking for. The business side of writing is as important as creating that outstanding article, book, or blog.

Jane Friedman: Where do I begin? Both Jane and Robert Lee Brewer have a wealth of great content on their blogs and their guest bloggers have tons of must-read tips. Jane also posts discussions about the publishing industry in all its current dysfunctional glory, as well as outstanding advice about the craft of writing. Please check out the slide deck of Jane’s presentation at the Missouri Writers Conference about evaluating the first page of your novel.

If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that,” Stephen King wrote. What was my epiphany? All that reading I do? It’s getting me ready for the next thing I’m going to write. It’s my brain’s barbell building my writing muscle.

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Poetry and Memoir, Life in Vignette

Writers’ Block guests on March 20 talked about the value of poetry as a writing form and essayist Cindy Charlton talked about memoir writing and her book signing on Saturday, March 24, 3 p.m. at Tome on the Range. Writers' Block streams live every Tuesday at http://www.kfunonline.com at 9 a.m. MST.

Shirley Blackwell and Georgia Santa Maria

Poetry does not appeal to everyone, perhaps because it is a much misunderstood medium of expression. New Mexico State Poetry Society President Shirley Balance Blackwell is trying to change that by bringing poetry into the modern age through technology and outreach. She and Georgia Santa Maria were as excited about promoting the Poetry Society as they were about promoting their work. Already There, Shirley’s book of poetry is available through her website. Georgia’s body of work has been published and includes both poetry and photography. Both read a poem from their books and each spoke about the value of belonging to writing groups.

Shirley has a lively personality, an obvious passion for poetry and a clear understanding of the importance of networking with other writers. A starting point for her was to revitalize the New Mexico State Poetry Society by increasing membership and improving its web presence. Originally from Deming, much of her career was in Washington, D.C. She returned to New Mexico as a result of her final assignment and now lives near Albuquerque with her husband and two rescue dogs. When asked, “Why Poetry,” she said, “Sometimes there’s no other way to live.”

The title, Already There, reminds the reader that much of what we’re looking for is there, sometimes right in front of us, we just need to be, as Shirley says, paying attention. Her poetry is wonderfully personal and covers the range from visionary to practical. In Upon Reflection she describes coming home with carefully chosen words and the way they visually appear on the page.

In Quantum Theology she writes:

“If poems were numbers and computers were infinite,

I would search for a magic algorithm of words

that-muliplied, magnified-would loop, swirl, and branch;

grow complexes of beauty; produce patterns truer

than I could devise but were there for the viewer.”

There’s more of this poem, but this verse gives you a sense of pacing and the exploration of a novel idea through the eyes of this inventive and creative poet. Her sense of what is and what can be come together in interesting ways. Whether she is writing about a mother-in-law with dementia, the discretion to keep silent about her happy marriage when everyone else is bemoaning the disappointment in theirs, or not being at her mother’s bedside at the time of her passing the words ring true and crystallize vignettes of life through the eyes of someone who has been there.

I recommend Already There whether you are a fan of poetry or someone who would like an introduction to a writing discipline that tells quick stories in lyrical form.

Georgia Santa Maria has a lovely laugh and appears to be innately cheerful. She read Santa Rosa from her book, Lichen Kiss, explaining the book title as coming from an image of a “Marilyn Monroe-like” pair of lips in red lichen growing on a boulder. As a photographer she was charmed by nature’s whimsy and felt that it would well-reflect her eclectic collection of poetry.

Georgia said in our interview that she believes poetry tells the truth and gets to the heart of ideas. “Poetry is internal music,” she said.

An artist and writer all her life, Georgia is a native northern New Mexican who has chronicled the landscape and life, both behind the camera and on the page.  Since 2010 she has made a conscious effort to, “… get my work out there and connect with other writers in my area. I have greatly enjoyed getting to know other writers and hear their work as well as sharing mine.”

She is working on a collection of her poetry, and a book about her experiences as a storekeeper in rural New Mexico.

To learn more about the Poetry Society and its upcoming state convention on April 28, go to New Mexico State Poetry Society.

Cindy Charlton: Family Caregivers, a Testament to Love

My good friend Cindy Charlton was my call-in guest. We only needed a cup of coffee in front to us to make the conversation complete, well that and being in the same room. Chatting with Cindy always makes me feel good. She is supportive of people who try and she shores up people who are struggling. I’m looking forward to getting Chicken Soup for the Soul, Family Caregivers, which contains One in a Million, an essay by Cindy. It is a personal account of her time as a caregiver for her terminally ill husband, Michael, which she was doing at the same time she was learning to live as a disabled person with new prosthetic legs.

Cindy has been writing about her personal experiences in her blog (accessible from her website), A Survivors Handbook, but writing for Chicken Soup for the Soul, Family Caregivers, proved to be a challenge. It was both emotionally taxing and healing. She said in reading the essays submitted by others, she found common experiences, and as difficult as these experiences were, the caregivers said they would not have missed out on these moments with their loved ones. The gifts they received became precious memories.

Cindy said she writes creative non-fiction, basically memoir writing, explaining that memoir describes a journey that shows how you’ve evolved into the person you are. “While it may be cathartic,” Cindy said, “it’s very hard to get down on paper.” One in a Million recounts a time just prior to her husband’s death.

“Writing about fighting my battle with disability and what I went thought isn’t as emotional and difficult as writing about Michael. You hurt for your loved one more than you hurt for yourself. You have to be the courage for the other person.” Cindy said Michael was her caregiver as well and remembers him as being unfailing in his attention. “I don’t remember him ever quaking at anything.”

Her remarkable story is a book all its own, but this piece in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Family Caregivers is especially close to her heart.

Be sure and set aside time on Saturday, March 24 at 3 p.m., to attend her book signing at Tome on the Range. She will also talk about her experiences and what it means to be caregiver for someone in the end stages of life.