Established in 2018, TBR [to be read] is a semi-regular, invitation-only interview series with authors of newly released/forthcoming, interesting books.
We don’t expect an elevator pitch from a poet, but can you tell us about your work in 2-3 sentences?
The poems in the collection
explore my main areas of interest which include ecopoetry, migrant literatures,
translation, and experimental writing, among others. I think through the
parallels between botany and migration and look at migrant experience through
the lenses of the natural world and ecology. I like to interrogate language(s)
to see what is possible and how words can point beyond their ascribed meanings
to create multi-dimensional, polyphonic connections.
Which poem/s did you most
enjoy writing? Why? And which poem/s gave you the most trouble, and why?
I most enjoy writing poems when
I am guided by language, when I give myself into the music of language without
control or an agenda. I feel that this is how I come up with my freest poems.
An example of such a poem is a sequence “Sounding Soil” where I give up using
words altogether and focus on sounds to create a soundscape which hopefully
resonates beyond the sounds themselves. I also enjoy writing poems in
conversation with other poets, artists, and writers. There is a sense of
dialogue and being connected to something larger than myself. An example of
such a poem is “A Bird in Flight” written after Jane Hirshfield’s poem “A Chair
in Snow.” The poems that gave me most trouble are the poems where I attempt to tackle
specific topics that are difficult and emotional for me, for example, the poem
“Women’s Hell” where I look at the total abortion ban in Poland. I wrote six or
seven versions of this poem before I was somewhat satisfied with it. It still
feels like it only scratches the surface.
Tell us a bit about the highs
and lows of your book’s road to publication.
Most of the poems in the
collection have been written in the last five years. I started immersing myself
in poetry during the Covid pandemic as I could only read and write poetry at
the time. I got hooked and have been obsessively writing poems since then. A
few years ago, I saw that one of my favourite poets was judging a poetry
manuscript competition. While I didn’t expect to win it, I really wanted him to
read my poems. I put the manuscript together and sent it. I didn’t win of
course, but I had a manuscript ready to submit for publication. I submitted it
to Bad Betty Press who accepted it. It was totally unexpected and the opposite
experience to submitting my novel manuscript for publication which was rejected
so many times I lost count. Working with Amy Acre, my editor, has been one of
the most nourishing experiences. I feel Amy understands my poems even better
than I do and has helped me make the poems stronger. I’ve been very lucky to
have been selected by Bad Betty Press.
What’s your favorite piece of
writing advice?
Read, read, read. Read as much
as you can, particularly writers and poets from other countries.
My favorite writing advice is
“write until something surprises you.” What surprised you in the writing of
this book?
What surprised me about writing
these poems is how indispensable writing poetry has become in my life. My
perception and sensitivity to the world around me has changed completely since
I started writing poems regularly. I have fallen in love with it. I still occasionally
write prose, but it is influenced by my poetry writing practice.
How did you find the title of
your book?
I was initially trying to find a
phrase in any of the poems, but nothing seemed suitable. I then thought of
distilling the main themes of my book and this is how I came up with Woman :
Plant : Language. The colons represent the interconnectedness of these
themes in my collection. I also like to view the title as an image rather than
a string or a sequence of words.
Inquiring foodies and hungry
book clubs want to know: Any food/s associated with your book? (Any recipes I
might share?)
One of my poems, “Herbiporous,”
talks about how I became vegetarian. Here’s one of my favourite veggie recipes:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/butternut-squash-sage-risotto
***
READ MORE ABOUT THIS AUTHOR: https://agatamaslowska.co.uk
READ MORE ABOUT THIS PUBLISHER:
https://badbettypress.com
ORDER THIS BOOK FOR YOUR OWN
TBR STACK: https://www.waterstones.com/book/woman-plant-language/agata-maslowska/9781913268763
READ TWO POEMS FROM THIS
COLLECTION:
“Sounding Soil,” https://www.propelmagazine.co.uk/agata-maslowska-sounding-soil
& “A Bird in Flight,” https://poetrysociety.org.uk/poems/a-bird-in-flight/
