Stella Lei : part one

Stella Lei is a teen writer from Pennsylvania whose work is published or forthcoming in Four Way Review, Okay Donkey Magazine, trampset, and elsewhere. She is an Editor in Chief for The Augment Review, she has two cats, and she tweets @stellalei04. You can find more of her work at stellaleiwrites.weebly.com.

How important is music to your poetry?

I’ve found that I write in a very rhythm-based way, even though I don’t usually use meter. I like to find an internal rhythm that powers the piece and dictates my phrasing. For example, when drafting, I might put “[three syllables]” or “[fragment here]” as placeholders if I know the rhythm but can’t think of the exact line.

Another aspect to consider is the resonance between different sounds and how this affects the reading experience. Every word has a unique sound, and I love to play with how they bounce off each other to create certain textures or moods. Predictably, I adore alliteration.