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?
You’re right: poetry collections tend to weave many threads together, but I’ll give it a shot! At its core, Luminous Crown is a direct response to the climate crisis and a lyric chronicle of its effects on the human and natural world. The book moves through poems of elegy for species facing extinction or habitat loss to poems of encounter with creatures real or cryptid who populate our local landscapes and appear in art, folklore, or legend, to poems of enchantment that seek healing or renewal. Ultimately, the book celebrates the wonders of our living world and, I hope, asks readers to consider all that’s at stake for the future.
Which poem/s did you most enjoy writing? Why? And which poem/s gave you the most trouble, and why?
Hands down, the most enjoyable poems were those reflecting on animal observation or surprise encounters, like “Fox” which pays tribute to the scrappy urban interlopers, or the more speculative “Joining the Crows” where the poem’s narrator recalls her misguided attempts to become one of “nature’s real clean-up crew.”
It’s important to me to honor the animal other—not just to use them as metaphors or emblems of emotion. Developing a stronger scientific underpinning meant reading lot, particularly nonfiction about the natural world, the lives of birds, mycorrhizal networks, insect emergence, and so on, which I loved. But the price of deepening ecological awareness is coming face-to-face with a host of human-generated harms and frightening predictions. This was the case with a poem like “Dragonfly or Drone?” which braids together facts and folklore about dragonflies with info from experiments on their potential use for package deliveries, military surveillance, and more. Most poems required a lot of rewriting to create a balance in terms of tone—it’s all too easy to tip into preachiness, sentimentality, or doomerism when facing down dark subjects.
Tell us a bit about the highs and lows of your book’s road to publication.
This book was built on the environmental and social justice aspects of my last collection, The Badass Brontës. The connections between our historical eras seemed less distant than I once would have imagined; Emily, Charlotte, and Anne’s love of animals was such an inspiration, and the backdrop of botanizing in their novels inspired poems about my own ecotone. It took me a while to figure out I was writing two separate books. I had my share of rejections and also good fortune placing individual poems in journals I admire. It was still a was a delightful surprise that this book—unlike any of my others—found a home on its first round of submission flights. Truly, you just never know!
What’s your favorite piece of writing advice?
I love Susan Orlean’s advice about the importance of being curious. It’s the winding trail that leads you to explore other work and is a return path to your own projects, formed and as yet unimagined.
My favorite writing advice is “write until something surprises you.” What surprised you in the writing of this book?
I’ve enjoyed the challenges of writing ekphrastic poems; works like Kiki Smith’s sculpture, Selkie, or Brueghel’s Big Fish Eat Little Fish opened doors into memory and added a powerful dimension to the collection. Kim Krans’ Wild Unknown Tarot was a new discovery and cool source of uncanny inspiration.
How did you find the title of your book?
The title and title poem found me in the form of stand of trees outside my studio and a firefly rinsed out from my hair the morning after a night walk with my spouse during our residency at VCCA: once I was luminous!
Inquiring foodies and hungry book clubs want to know: Any food/s associated with your book?
Greens, woody herbs, and mushrooms. But also: cake! Some
of the poems were drafted during the pandemic lockdown. When neighbors need
help, cake is reliably good cheer. Dorie Greenspan’s French Yogurt Cake and
Melissa Clark’s Crumb Cake are pantry-friendly and never disappoint. (Recipes
below)
*****
MORE ABOUT THIS AUTHOR: https://janesatterfield.org
MORE ABOUT THIS PUBLISHER: https://wordworksbooks.org
ORDER THIS BOOK FOR YOUR TBR
STACK: https://wordworksbooks.org/product/luminous-crown/
READ A POEM FROM THIS BOOK, “Luminous
Crown”: https://aboutplacejournal.org/article/luminous-crown/
FRENCH YOGURT CAKE
Dorie Greenspan
Adapted
from Baking
From My Home to Yours
Makes 8 servings
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground almonds (or, if you’d
prefer, omit the almonds and use another 1/2 cup all-purpose flour)
2 teaspoons double-acting baking
powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup flavorless oil, such as
canola or safflower
1/2 cup lemon marmalade, strained,
for glazing the top
1 teaspoon water, for glazing the
top
Getting ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Generously butter an 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch loaf pan, place the pan on a
lined baking sheet (page 000) and set aside. Whisk together the flour,
ground almonds, if you’re using them, baking powder and salt and keep nearby as
well.
Put the sugar and zest in a medium
bowl and, working with your fingertips, rub the zest into the sugar until the
sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the yogurt, eggs and vanilla to the bowl
and whisk vigorously until the mixture is very well blended. Still
whisking, stir in the dry ingredients, then switch to a large rubber spatula
and fold in the oil. You’ll have a thick, smooth batter with a slight
sheen. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
Slide the baking sheet into the oven
and bake 35 to 40 minutes for the round cake or 50 to 55 minutes, or until the
cake begins to come away from the sides of the pan; it will be golden brown and
a knife inserted into the center of the cake will come out clean.
Transfer the pan to a rack, cool for 5 minutes, then run a blunt knife
between the cake and the sides of the pan. Unmold and cool to room
temperature right-side up.
To make the glaze: Put
the marmalade in a small pot or a microwave-safe bowl, stir in the teaspoon of
water and heat (on the range or in the microwave oven) until the jelly is hot
and liquefied. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the cake with the
glaze.
Serving: In
France, this cake is usually served with a little sweetened crème fraiche, but
it lends itself to other toppings as well. Fresh soft fruit, like sliced
peaches or plums, is a natural with this as is berries with a touch of sugar.
And, because the cake is plain and just a little tangy from the yogurt,
it pairs happily with lemon cream, curd or mousse and is delicious with
chocolate mousse or chocolate sauce.
Storing: Wrapped
well, you can keep the cake at room temperature for at least 4 days and, like
many pound cakes, it will be better one day later than it was the day it was
made. If you do not glaze the cake, you can wrap it airtight and freeze
it for up to 2 months; glazed it’s best not to freeze the cake.
*****
Crumb Cake
Of all the social distancing sweets a
person could bake, cake seems to be the one you’d want to share the most.
Crumb cake is an exception. More of a
snack or breakfast than a showy dessert, a homey crumb cake doesn’t need the
“oohs” and “aahs” of any guests. At the ready whenever the urge for brown sugar
and butter hits, it’s the kind of thing a small family can devour in a few
days, and a single person can freeze in slices. (Wrap each one up separately
and store them in a container in the freezer; a slice will thaw in under an
hour on the counter.)
Crumb cakes are also very adaptable.
You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry. To make one, butter an
eight- or nine-inch pan (square or round, it doesn’t matter).
First, prepare the topping. In a bowl,
mix together four tablespoons melted butter, a quarter-cup each flour and
rolled oats, a half-cup brown sugar, a half-teaspoon salt and a teaspoon of
cinnamon or other spices. I used cinnamon, allspice, and cardamom and loved the
combination. If you don’t have oats, use more flour or chopped nuts.
Now, whip up the cake batter. Using an
electric mixer, beat a half-cup (one stick) of softened butter with a half-cup
granulated sugar. Add two eggs and two-thirds cup fermented milk product (sour
cream, yogurt, buttermilk, crème fraîche, milk acidified with a tablespoon of
lemon juice, nondairy yogurt, whatever you’ve got). Beat in two teaspoons
vanilla extract, one teaspoon baking powder, a quarter teaspoon baking soda, a
half-teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups flour until smooth. If you want to, you can fold
in a teaspoon grated lemon or orange zest, and a half-cup fruit (fresh, frozen
and thawed, or canned). I used fresh blueberries, but another favorite is
canned chopped pineapple. Spoon batter into the pan, scatter the crumb mixture
over the top. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the top springs back when
lightly pressed.
Let it cool completely before you dive
in. It will be gone before you know it.
~via Seattle Times, March 26, 2020
Link: https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/five-adaptable-recipes-all-from-your-pantry/
