Ted Hughes is trolling me from beyond the grave

~ On My Mind with Louisa Schnaithmann ~

Ted Hughes is trolling me from beyond the grave

~ On My Mind with Louisa Schnaithmann ~

Mark Danowsky: What is going on in your life right now that you're comfortable sharing? How is this impacting your creation of art and involvement in the literary community?

Louisa Schnaithmann: I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) last spring, so I'm still trying to work out how to reconcile my diagnosis with my life; that is to say, past behaviors or childhood memories make so much more sense to me now. One way I'm working through this is to write poems about my childhood through the lens of my diagnosis. I will say I'm a little shy or nervous about getting involved in the literary community since I sometimes feel that there's no place for me in it. I don't think that's objectively true, however, I just have to either find my people or carve out my own path (which is obviously the scarier option!)

MD: What is your personal involvement in the literary and arts community and how does this impact your life and your art?

LS: I'm the Consulting Editor for ONE ART: a journal of poetry. It's a lovely position, and getting a chance to read submissions inspires me to write.

MD: What poets/writers (or texts) have you been reading lately (or other art forms you've been engaged with) and what appeals to you about these individuals and works?

LS: I've been slowly doing a close (re)read of Mary Ann Samyn's book Captivity Narrative. I suppose I was drawn to it because I had a sort of "kept" girlhood and the poems in the book really resonated with me. I'm exploring this kept-ness in my poetry.

MD: What are some of the books that you return to again and again?

LS: Refusing Heaven by Jack Gilbert, Making Certain It Goes On by Richard Hugo, Ariel by Sylvia Plath... the list goes on. I return to Gilbert because he was a true romantic, Hugo because he teaches you so much about writing through reading his poems, and Plath because her work was the catalyst for me to write confessional poetry— she truly gave me permission to write. I wish I could thank her. In fact, I wish I could thank all of them.

MD: Do you have a daily writing routine?

LS: No. I think they're a touch overrated. Maybe it works for some people, but not for me. I get too frustrated if I try to write every day – most of it is drivel.

MD: How do you typically navigate the revision process?

LS: Uh, badly? Well, I'm working on improving my revision skills, since I really want my autism/childhood-themed book (which I hope will be a full-length) to get published...someday. I struggle with revision, because I often feel (and this is probably mistaken) that my first drafts are my best drafts. But who knows? Maybe that's true for some poems, but not for others. I like to let poems "simmer" a while. I think of writing like cooking something in a crockpot – let things sit a while and something good will come out of it.

MD: What are your current feelings about po biz and the world of publishing?

LS: Ugh.

MD: What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were an emerging writer?

LS: Acceptances are rare. Do the work. Do *your* work. Use your voice – be yourself, since you can't be anyone else.

MD: Do you feel travel is important for writers and artists?

LS: Sometimes, depending on what they're writing/working on.

MD: Do you have a personal philosophy / mantras?

LS: I like what Warren Zevon once said about life: "Enjoy every sandwich."

MD: What are your thoughts on meditation?

LS: I try to meditate when I think of it. Breathing exercises help me with anxious thoughts.

MD: How do you navigate social media these days?

LS: This is a tricky topic for me. I don't really like social media, and yet...here I am, on Facebook/Instagram/etc. I consume a lot of social media rather passively, which isn't good for me. At the same time, I'm hesitant to speak my mind on various platforms, since everyone has an opinion and a lot of people, for some weird reason, enjoy arguing on the Internet.

MD: What writers or texts have been particularly influential on your work?

LS: Jack Gilbert, Richard Hugo, Sylvia Plath, some Anne Sexton (I was told I sound like her before I had read any of her work, which is mildly disconcerting, hah), Natasha Trethewey, Dana Levin, Elaine Terranova, Louise Glück, and frankly, at this point, I feel like Ted Hughes is trolling me from beyond the grave, since there's a part of me that really wants to write response poems to the entirety of Birthday Letters, except that would get complicated, I think.

MD: How do you know when a poem is complete?

LS: I never do. It never is.

MD: What do you hope to accomplish with your work in the coming years?

LS: I want to publish my autism/childhood full-length with a decent press. I have ideas.

MD: How do you cope with rejection?

LS: I tell my husband about it and vent briefly to him, then move on. You just have to keep writing.

MD: What is your preferred medium for writing? (Examples: laptop, pen and paper, pencil and paper, phone, audio recording and transcription)

LS: Laptop. My handwriting is atrocious.

MD: What habits have you developed to encourage yourself to read more?

LS: I'm currently in the process of trying to do just this very thing! Setting down with an intention (like to do a close read or to learn something new) helps. Social media is distracting, though. What a great hellish panopticon we've found ourselves in, eh?

MD: What are activities you enjoy doing in your down time?

LS: Going for walks, exploring areas around where I live, being out in nature, traveling a little, watching old episodes of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, or other assorted TV shows, and just generally trying to be an observer of things.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Louisa Schnaithmann is the author of Plague Love (Moonstone Press, 2021) and the consulting editor for ONE ART: a journal of poetry. Her poems have appeared in New Verse News, The Summerset Review, and elsewhere. She lives in southeastern Pennsylvania.