Shannon Quinn : coda

I love the opportunity to be around other writers. I think I do so much work in solitude that I can forget there is an incredible community out there….that, and I’m pathologically shy…which is maybe a core reason for why I write poems.

Shannon Quinn : part six

How does a poem begin?

It begins with listening.

Shannon Quinn : part five

How important is music to your poetry?

Rhythm and sound are very important to me and the piece will dictate that on its own, I just need to follow.  If I catch myself defaulting to the same rhythm over a couple pieces I need to stop and have a long think.  In terms of actual music…not so important…I write in silence.

Shannon Quinn : part four

When you require renewal, is there a particular poem or book that you return to? A particular author?

There are a few poets and poems that I go to when I need to remember the amount of possibility available to this form.

Song by Bridget Pegeen Kelley, Washing the Elephants by Barbara Rass, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s collection Islands of Decolonial Love, work by Don Domanski, Patricia Smith, Jen Currin.

Shannon Quinn : part three

What do you feel poetry can accomplish that other forms can’t?

Poetry can evoke so many surprises. It can capture voice, sound and image in a unique way. Something happens in a poem, something unexpected and it can only have happened that one way the author chose…it’s not that other forms don’t do this but more that poetry has to have this pulsing throughout it. It asks us to be economical with our words but also to open up new places…it’s a magical contradiction sometimes.

Shannon Quinn : part two

How do you know when a poem is finished?

A poem has to rest for a while after it has been written. I go through a few drafts, sometimes many. I’m pretty merciless with my editing process but at some point I begin to understand the truth of the piece. I ask myself…is it truthful, do I know it as such in my heart? This may be a response to the fact that I am a fan of magic realism so I need to make sure the piece has solid bones. I also need to read it out loud , ideally to more than just myself.

Shannon Quinn : part one

Shannon Quinn is the author of poetry collection Questions for Wolf (Thistledown Press). Her work has appeared in literary journals in Canada, the US and Ireland.

Quinn has produced numerous radio documentaries for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. She currently works for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. Quinn's second poetry collection, Nightlight for Children of Insomniacs (Mansfield Press) is forthcoming this spring. More info can be found at shannonquinnpoetry.com.

What are you working on?

I’m working on what will be my 3rd collection of poetry…I think it is an exploration of how equanimity manifests but it might take me somewhere else. I try not to impose expectations about content but once content starts to reveal itself I want to maximize the potential for the pieces to work together as a collection. My 2nd collection, Nightlight for Children of Insomniacs, comes out late spring of 2018. In that collection I am exploring how in Buddhism we believe that every sentient being has the potential to have been out mother in another life…that theme was so great to work with because regardless of your personal beliefs, most people don’t respond in a neutral manner to it.