WRITING

CNP: How long have you been writing poetry?

TH: I’ve been writing poetry for about three years.

CNP: Can you remember the first poem you read that made you fall in love with poetry?

TH: Yes, it was Dorianne Laux’s “Ghosts”. I couldn’t believe how perfect the images were. I could feel the narrator’s longing. And she’s earthy and passionate. Her honesty surprised me. I loved it.
I’ve read it out loud hundreds of times these past three years. It moves me every time.

CNP: Who are your favorite poets? Any specific poems?

TH: Dorianne Laux – “Ghosts”, “Fast Gas”, her poems about her mother
Mary Oliver –  “The Waterfall”, “The Summer Day”
Charles Bukowski – “for marilyn m”, “the singular self”
Rachel Korn – “On The Other Side Of The Poem”, “My Body”
Peter Lefcourt – “The Sadness Of Dentists”
Anna Akhmatova – “The Guest”, “Lot’s Wife”

CNP: Can you share for us a little bit about your writing process? Any specific rituals that get you in the zone?

TH: Sometimes I like to get inspired by other poets so I’ll read their work first.
I like to tell a story and talk about people in my life who have touched me, so I think about them and come up with some images. Sometimes a photograph will help me get focused, or music.
My acting background helps me discover the underlying emotions and subtext of my work. So I try to be open to the words and ideas that seem to pop up out of nowhere. I’m learning to trust that my creative process is listening to those words and ideas.

CNP: How do you decide the form for your poems? Do you start writing with a form in mind, or do you let the poem tell you what it will look like as you go?

TH: I try to open my mind to different forms, so I’ll read Russian poets like Vladimir Mayakovsky and Marina Tsvetaeva and intentionally be influenced by how they design their words on the page. My poem, “Across The Room”, is an example of that.
e.e.cummings’s visual sense influenced my poem, “a finite number”.
Poetry is also a visual medium for me. I like looking at the words on the page, their order, the line breaks, spacing, etc. The visual helps inform the emotional.
Once it’s done, I’ll play around with line breaks and stanzas. I find the poem itself will find its own design and form.

CNP: Any advice for poets who have yet to find their voice?

TH: Ask yourself why you want to write a poem instead of prose. Why sing a song instead of speak the words? I think the answer is you sing because there’s no other way to express those specific thoughts and feelings. It’s the same with poetry.
Be fearless. Sing your truth and you’ll find your voice.
Find a great teacher who encourages your voice. I’ve been studying prose and poetry with Jack Grapes. I’ve just finished my debut novel, The Lightness of Rain. One of the main characters, Alison, is a poet! She talks about poetry being the access into what she feels but doesn’t know she feels, until she writes the poem. So in her case, the poem is her voice.
Keep on writing.

CNP: What is your editing process like?

TH: I’ll sit with the poem and read it over and over again, out loud. I listen for rhythms, feelings, and tone. I’ll play with words and arrangements. When I think I’m done, I’ll work with an editor, Joshua Grapes. He has a keen eye and helps me see the poem I want to write.

CNP: When do you know that a poem is finished?

TH: I know a poem is finished when I don’t think about it anymore.