Heather Haley : part five

How does your work first enter the world?

Via the ear. I often hear words and phrases that tickle my imagination. I have used prompts and sometimes will compile a list of random words, then free associate.

Heather Haley : part four

Has your consideration of poetry changed since you began?

Yes. It’s become more vital; to my expressiveness, identity and well-being.

Heather Haley : part three

How do you know when a poem is finished?

Composition has momentum and poems an arc. I grapple with the nuances of each ending but eventually they make themselves known.

Heather Haley : part two

How did you first engage with poetry?

As a child, via nursery rhymes and the Bible. These days I’m a devout atheist but it occurs to me that all that drilling and memorization of verses in Sunday school had a huge impact.

Heather Haley : part one

Heather Haley pushes boundaries by creatively integrating disciplines, genres and media. Her writing has appeared in a variety of journals and anthologies, she was Poetry Editor for the LA Weekly and publisher of The Edgewise Café, one of Canada’s first electronic literary magazines. Haley has directed numerous videopoems, official selections at dozens of international film festivals. Renowned as an engaging performer, she’s toured Canada, the U.S and Europe in support of two critically acclaimed AURAL Heather CDs of spoken word song, Princess Nut and Surfing Season. She is the author of debut novel, The Town Slut's Daughter, with a stage adaptation in the works, plus poetry collections Sideways, Three Blocks West of Wonderland and Skookum Raven.

What are you working on?

Despite myriad distractions and obligations, a new collection of poems, working title, Ask Alexa. I hope to have the manuscript completed by spring of 2023 and as usual, I’m likely being wildly optimistic.