The Next Big Thing with Mary Lou Buschi
I've been tagged by the infinitely clever poet, Daniel M. Shapiro to participate in the online Q&A series, The Next Big Thing. The Next Big Thing gives each author the opportunity to talk about an upcoming book. In the interview below I answer a few questions about The Spell of Coming (or Going).
What is the working title of the book?
The Spelling of Coming (or Going) is a 24-page chapbook.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I don’t really work from idea. I write poems and see where they want to go. After a few years I realized that there were many different speakers; some dead, some alive, but they could speak to one another in a sort of dream state. This chapbook is a gathering place for some of those conversations.
What genre does your book fall under?
The Spell of Coming (or Going) is a chapbook of lyric and prose poems.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
I prefer unknown actors. The moment a recognizable celebrity is playing a part, I’m out. It’s hard for me to buy it. However, if I had to choose…Philip Seymour Hoffman (inspiration: Death of a Salesman), Danny Devito (inspiration: Living Out Loud), and Holly Hunter (inspiration: Broadcast News).
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
The Spell of Coming (or Going) explores familial tensions, contradictions, and grief. Catullus said it best: “I Hate and Love.”
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
I have been tinkering with these poems since 2004. The inclusion or exclusion of poems has been the hardest part.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
The book is dedicated to my family (most of whom have passed on). However, there are so many writers who inspire me daily. If I had to choose one, I think the single poet who inspired this collection the most is Louise Gluck.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Recently the poet, Corey Spencer, had this to say:
It’s true, Mary Lou’s poems are about remembrance, but they are not about wallowing. They are not about glorifying death. They are, to me, about actively reviving the past, and worshipping the ethereality of memory. Not mourning what was lost, but celebrating the new and vibrant meanings that conjured memory have on the present. These poems are not sad and these poems are not happy. These poems are woven with the thick inexplicable stuff of dream. The poet W.H. Auden said, “Death is the sound of distant thunder at a picnic.” I’d say that Mary Lou Buschi’s poems are the good food in the rain.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The book is forthcoming from Patasola Press. Its release date is March 1, 2013
My tagged writers for next Saturday are:
areudirty
andulkaphoto
dailybridgerton
annaxmalina
origamiaround