Four Questions with January Gill O'Neil, and a winner!
January Gill O'Neil, poet and author of the collection UNDERLIFE, stopped by to answer some questions, and help me give away a copy of her book.
1. Can you describe your writing process?
As the mother of two small kids, my writing has changed over time. I try to write at night after they've gone to sleep. I'm usually sitting in bed with a laptop or my journal. But when I can't sit down and put pen to paper, I jot down notes and phrases so I can back to them later. And in April and November, I try heavy-duty, poem-a-day writing challenges to get the juices flowing. Whenever I can write at Starbucks, I take full advantage of the time.
2. Your blog, Poet Mom, is very popular. With so many people transitioning to Facebook and Twitter and abandoning their blogs, explain why blogging is still so important to you.
The blog has always been for me; it's my outlet. I was blogging when no one was paying attention. The fact that people read it now is a happy accident. I like this form of self-expression, especially posting new poems on the blog. The feedback I receive is extremely encouraging.
3.What do you want those not familiar with the scene to know about contemporary poets?
Poetry is more than what you remember from high school. It's dynamic and disturbing and real. When you experience a moment for which you think you can't find the right words, I bet there's a poet out there who has written something close. It's more than what is heard at weddings and funerals. It is all of those moments and more.
4. What's your guilty pleasure?
Spending time at Starbucks -- and I don't drink coffee!
Thanks for your responses, Jan!! I had her pick a number between 1-8 (number of unique comments on my original post) to select the winner of UNDERLIFE. kmarcus , it's YOU!! Send your mailing address to erin m dionne at yahoo (no spaces) and I'll pop this treasure in the mail.
If you didn't win, don't fret! You can still get a copy of UNDERLIFE for yourself if you go here. Better yet, contact your local library or indie bookstore and ask them to get a copy!
1. Can you describe your writing process?
As the mother of two small kids, my writing has changed over time. I try to write at night after they've gone to sleep. I'm usually sitting in bed with a laptop or my journal. But when I can't sit down and put pen to paper, I jot down notes and phrases so I can back to them later. And in April and November, I try heavy-duty, poem-a-day writing challenges to get the juices flowing. Whenever I can write at Starbucks, I take full advantage of the time.
2. Your blog, Poet Mom, is very popular. With so many people transitioning to Facebook and Twitter and abandoning their blogs, explain why blogging is still so important to you.
The blog has always been for me; it's my outlet. I was blogging when no one was paying attention. The fact that people read it now is a happy accident. I like this form of self-expression, especially posting new poems on the blog. The feedback I receive is extremely encouraging.
3.What do you want those not familiar with the scene to know about contemporary poets?
Poetry is more than what you remember from high school. It's dynamic and disturbing and real. When you experience a moment for which you think you can't find the right words, I bet there's a poet out there who has written something close. It's more than what is heard at weddings and funerals. It is all of those moments and more.
4. What's your guilty pleasure?
Spending time at Starbucks -- and I don't drink coffee!
Thanks for your responses, Jan!! I had her pick a number between 1-8 (number of unique comments on my original post) to select the winner of UNDERLIFE. kmarcus , it's YOU!! Send your mailing address to erin m dionne at yahoo (no spaces) and I'll pop this treasure in the mail.
If you didn't win, don't fret! You can still get a copy of UNDERLIFE for yourself if you go here. Better yet, contact your local library or indie bookstore and ask them to get a copy!