Please guide us through your writing process. How do your poems develop? What is the most challenging part of your process?

Most of my poems begin with a lingering sense of experience or a word or phrase that “floats up” and persists like a hum in the background. My usual process is to free write on sheets of scratch paper and then go through and circle or highlight those sheets for anything interesting. I then keep those pages in manila folders named such things as “tiny bits” and “drafty thoughts.” Sometimes there is enough energy in this material to begin a poem right away, but often there is much sifting and sorting and waiting for things to come together. Sometimes I work from prompts, but I find the most satisfying results from my slow rolling collage-like approach.

Do you show your work in progress to anyone? Why or why not?

I do have several poet friends with whom I exchange poems regularly, as well as a local in-person (currently Zoom) group that meets monthly. I find it helpful to get outside perspectives, but only after I’ve worked on the poem for a while. I always listen for what the poem wants to be above all. At times, especially in a larger group, feedback becomes a process of elimination: Nope... Nope… and Nope… Sometimes, it feels necessary to put a poem through that to recognize how it needs to stay as it is.

What inspired you to write “Swimming the Baptism River”? What about “What She Wanted”?

Both came from life experiences that I seemed to need to work through via writing. “Swimming the Baptism River” was written soon after that swim and drafted while still on vacation. “What She Wanted” did not fully come together until years after my aunt passed away.

Do you believe in writer's block? Why or why not?

I do have times when I feel less than satisfied (or downright horrified) with how the words resist hanging together poetically. I’ve come to regard these times as fallow, as necessary rest for future work and growth. At the same time and as is the case for many creative folks, I become rather irritable if I don’t at least tinker with writing consistently. During times of feeling less inspired I work more on editing, or keep the free writing going, feeling that I can at least continue to gather raw material or keep things from getting clogged or rusted. I avoid using the term writer’s block because it is so limiting. I prefer to think in terms of flowing to less flowing, moreso on a continuum.

Can you give any advice to someone wanting to write and publish poetry?

The good news about poetry is that unless you’re unusually optimistic, you have probably already realized that it’s not something to get into for the money. Therefore, you’re already doing it because it satisfies you in some way. Writing for the love of it or simply because you must, or you may go mad, are the very best reasons to continue. Seeking publication can be time-consuming but is rewarding. Do spend a little time reviewing journals to look for the best fit. If you believe in a poem, keep sending it out.

How important is the accessibility of meaning? Should one have to work hard to understand a poem?

I’m more of a narrative poet and will look for threads of narrative in any work to ground me. At the same time, I’m very much a fan of poets whose creative work requires a little more effort to connect the juxtapositions and complexities. I feel like there is room for a range of accessibility and varied style and approach, just as I appreciate a range of musical styles.

Who are your favorite poets, dead or alive?

So many that it’s difficult to name, but those who come to mind first are Ellen Bass, Dorianne Laux, and Sharon Olds.

Is there an author or poet whose work you are reading right now?

I’m re-reading Electric Arches, by Eve L Ewing, for a poetry book club and loving it all the more the second time around.

//end

Micki Blenkush is the author of Now We Will Speak in Flowers published by Blue Light Press. She was selected as a 2017-2018 fellow in poetry for the Loft Literary Center’s Mentor Series program and is a 2015 & 2019 recipient of grants awarded through the Central MN Arts Board, funded through the McKnight Foundation. Micki’s writing has appeared in numerous journals including: Typishly, Cagibi, and Crab Creek Review. She lives in St. Cloud, Minnesota and works as a social worker. mickiblenkush.com