Each day in April, in honor of National Poetry Month and our third anniversary issue (find out how to get a copy HERE), we are running an interview with a poet who has been published in Gyroscope Review. Read on.
National Poetry Month Interview Series: Interview with Poet Marissa Glover
How will you celebrate National Poetry Month? I will offer my Saint Leo University students creative writing opportunities in the classroom, and I will host another Friday Night Open Mic event in our local community. This outreach allows people of all ages and backgrounds to share their work and add beauty to the world. It’s also super fun and makes me glad that I’m alive.
Pen, pencil or computer first? It depends where I am. If I’m able, I pick the computer because my fingers move faster and can keep up with my brain–less chance I’ll lose a phrase. If I’m driving, I speak into my phone or ask my son to write it down for me (he’s a poet too!). If I’m at a doctor’s office or in a meeting or out to eat, I use whatever means necessary–napkins, coasters…I’ve even been known to write it on my hand so I don’t forget.
Who/what are your influences? Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve always been partial to Robert Frost. Poems that make literal sense on the first-read and carry even more meaning with every subsequent reading are my favorite. Esoteric poems or poems that parrot a party line tend to annoy me. Moira Egan, Wendy Cope, and Dorothy Parker crack me up and keep me sane.
What topic is the hardest for you to write about and why? My divorce. The whole thing nearly destroyed me so it’s tough to revisit, but mostly I worry how my words will affect my son. I’d rather never write a single poem than break his heart again.
What was the worst writing idea you ever had? There. Are. So. Many.
What authors do you love right now? At the moment, my poet of choice is Rudy Francisco. I like to keep up with Dana Gioia’s work because new formalist poets possess a talent for sound and rhythm that is missing from a lot of current poetry. (Another reason I admire Egan and Cope and A. E. Stallings.) As a strong supporter of the performing arts (including spoken word poetry) and someone who is easily bored, I want even a free verse poem to sing and dance in my ears. I also read Keith O’Shaughnessy because he understands myth, his work is SO different from mine, and he’s not afraid to buck convention. I’m also totally digging Deirdre Fagan’s stuff because I think we’re either kindred spirits or were separated at birth.
What is the most important role of poets in 2018? Hmm. This is difficult for me to answer. Although I’m a poet, I consider myself a person, woman, mother, teacher (a good many things) before “poet” even makes the list. So when it comes to the most important role, I guess it’s the same “most important role” for me as a person, woman, mother (you name it), and it’s the same important role regardless of the year: To Love. Only love drives out fear; only light dispels the dark.
Where do you go when you need to recharge? Some place silent. Somewhere with water.
What is your favorite end-of-the-day drink? Cran•Apple™ (Since I was about eleven.)
Marissa Glover’s poem, The Lord Speaks in Metaphor, was recently published in Stoneboat Literary Journal, and she has three poems forthcoming in War, Literature & the Arts. Visit her website https://marissaglover.wordpress.com/, or follow her on Twitter.