Leah Callen : part five

What do you find most difficult about writing poetry?

Remaining faithful to my own poetic voice when it may not be the popular one out there in the world. But it is mine.

Leah Callen : part four

How important is music to your poetry?

My poems used to be far more flowery and abstract and their music was louder. Lately, I go for more subtle sounds, but the sonic quality is always something that separates prose from poetry to me. I will choose a word for its ping within the poem as well as its meaning. People always say poems can be like little spells or chants if the music is hit upon well. But like anything, it can be slight or heavy. Playing with that dynamic is half the fun of being a poet.

Leah Callen : part three

How does a poem begin?

I’m usually struck by a line or image or sound and I follow the stream of consciousness that goes from there. Sometimes, I’ll hear something in the news or I’ll experience something in my daily life and that will be a jumping off point for the poem. I’m trying to distill life down into a potent shot, but I’m also wrestling with my own reactions to life. I’m squeezing the proverbial lemon and trying to make juice. It isn’t always sweet. It can sting badly because so can life. But hopefully it hits the spot to a thirsty reader in some way. Do I sound ridiculous?

Leah Callen : part two

How do you know when a poem is finished?

I stop reworking a poem when it just feels right. I might tinker with punctuation, line breaks, and diction for a while. I might come back to a draft months later when I wake up one morning and realize a stanza needs cutting. I might rework it in a different way after a rejection just to see how that goes. Editing is all about choices and sometimes time gives insight. But eventually it just feels complete, like there’s nothing more to be done. At some point you stop trying to bake a pie that’s already being served. You stop knitting a mitten that’s being worn. End scene.

Leah Callen : part one

Leah Callen is an emerging poet with an MFA in creative writing from the University of Victoria, BC. Her work has appeared in Barren Magazine, Vallum Magazine, Kissing Dynamite Poetry, and Contemporary Verse 2. Her poem is coming soon to a Twin Peaks anthology by APEP Publications called These Poems Are Not What They Seem. And she is a contributing editor of poetry with Barren Magazine.

How did you first engage with poetry?

I started writing highly-charged, erotic poems about sex, god, and poppies in high school because my hot hormones had to spill out somewhere. A lot of the time it was on the page. I felt great freedom in such self-expression, and I was also studying singing so music and poetry naturally went hand in hand. The funny thing is my wild word collages were unappreciated by my first high school creative writing teacher and I dropped the course. Another teacher saw something in me and tried to grow it by publishing my poems in a class chapbook. Who knew that years later I’d do two university degrees in creative writing? You should always follow your own art.