April Is Poetry Month! An Interview with Faculty Poet, Bridget Bell
April is Poetry Month and we're thrilled to highlight a new publication by 吃瓜头条 English instructor Bridget Bell. Her book is available at both the Main and Orange County Campus Libraries.
Check out Bridget's awesome interviews with and streaming on WUNC's.
When did you begin writing poetry? How did you decide to write a book of poetry?
I鈥檝e written poetry since I was a little kid. There are some embarrassingly earnest and angsty poems in my childhood journals. Lots of broken heart poems. There鈥檚 one about my cat dying and going to kitty heaven. I went to graduate school for my MFA in creative writing, and the end result of most creative writing MFA programs is a book-length manuscript, so really I wrote my first book during grad school鈥搃t鈥檚 just not published except in the Sarah Lawrence library, so if anyone is ever in Bronxville, New York, you can read it! It鈥檚 called .
You did a lot of research for your book. What was your research process like, and did you discover anything surprising or especially interesting in your research?
I predominantly used the 吃瓜头条 databases for my research! I also used books by a woman named Karen Kleiman, who is a well-known maternal mental health expert. Perhaps the most pleasantly surprising part of my research was during the 鈥減ermissions鈥 stage. My publisher wanted me to get permission to excerpt the research I use in the book. When I contacted the researchers, the support was overwhelming! Everyone was more than happy to let me excerpt their work and were also appreciative that I was incorporating their work into a literary project. It was this beautiful, positive moment where I saw the science, medical, and literary worlds supporting each other in a really great way.
How did your book evolve throughout the process of revising and editing?
It evolved a lot! I am part of a few really wonderful writers' groups and so feedback from trusted readers was really crucial to my revision and editing process. There are some poems that didn鈥檛 make it into the book. There are some that started out as free verse and ended up as sonnets. Revising and editing is just as important and powerful as the initial creative stage.
Who are some of your favorite poets or poetry books/collections?
Oohhhh! So many!
I proofread for a press called , so I鈥檓 quite partial to their authors. I love the book Up Jump the Boogie by John Murillo. National Anthem by Kevin Prufer is really wonderful. Anything by Louise Gl眉ck. A wonderful poet named Eugenia Leigh wrote a blurb for my book, and her collection Bianca will knock the wind out of you.
What advice would you give an author or poet trying to publish their work?
Develop a thick skin. The submission process is time-consuming and rife with rejection. Keep in mind that just because a poem or a piece of work is rejected, that doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 not strong. Literary journals get hundreds upon hundreds of submissions every reading period, and there is limited space. That means really strong pieces get turned away. The submission and publication process has a lot more rejections than acceptances, so try not to take it personally.
How do you balance writing with your full-time teaching job and family?
Honestly, I feel like I am always falling short in every category. I wish I had more time to write. I wish I graded my students鈥 essays more quickly. I wish I didn鈥檛 ever have to work when I was with my kids. That being said, I balance with lists and calendars. I have a white board in my bedroom and I make 鈥淭o Do Today鈥 lists. This helps me to stay organized and also allows me to prioritize.
What question do you wish someone would ask? Ask it! And answer it.
I wish someone would ask me if they could buy the rights to the book to adapt the manuscript into a screenplay for a movie.
My answer would be yes.
Check out Bridget's website for upcoming poetry readings in May for Mental Health Awareness Month: