Today’s special guest is poet Ashanti Anderson and we’re chatting about her new chapbook, Black Under.
Bio:
Ashanti Anderson (she/her) is a Black Queer Disabled poet, screenwriter, and playwright. Focusing on resistance and autonomy, Ashanti challenges dehumanizing narratives while still holding oppressive institutions accountable.
Ashanti holds an MFA in Creative Writing and currently teaches at her alma mater, Xavier University of Louisiana. She also frequently collaborates with organizations to create programming that promotes diversity, inclusion, and minority health. Ashanti’s experience includes developing youth literacy initiatives and serving as a literary consultant.
What do you enjoy most about writing poems?
I love how excited I get to sit down and create something. The entire process is very sacred to me, very emotional, and I savor it all. It’s that one thing in life I would call my passion.
Can you give us a little insight into a few of your poems – perhaps a couple of your favorites?
Nearly all of my poems feature a speaker making several “I” statements. However, in every poem this speaker is an entirely different persona, and the inspirations for these voices spans generations and landscapes. For example, the “I” in “Cleaning Up Men’s Messes” is not the same I as the “I” in “Ode to Black Skin.” In very, very few of the poems am I, myself, the speaker. Even that “I” which draws upon my own life experience is dramatized. I have tried to put every human emotion I could think of into this book, where each poem is a magnifying glass. In each poem, I really tried to zoom in on a single moment in a person’s life that could strongly encapsulate a particular emotion.
What form are you inspired to write in the most? Why?
I allow the poem to dictate its own form. A lot of my poems each abide by their own set of self-imposed rules that determine its form. It’s still considered free verse, but with constraints. I prefer this over writing sonnets, villanelles, etc. — though I do admire many poets who do.
What type of project are you working on next?
Fingers crossed, a full-length poetry collection!
When did you first consider yourself a writer / poet?
I’ve been writing for almost as long as I could read, but I didn’t choose to be a career writer until I’d graduated from undergrad.
How do you research markets for your work, perhaps as some advice for not-yet-published poets?
I think of my fellow writers who are doing the sort of writing I do, and I look to see where they were first published. An author’s book usually has an acknowledgements page, where they mention the places their poems first appeared. I research those journals and publications, if I’m not already familiar with them. Those are the places I first set my eye on when I started to get serious about publishing and finding a good home for my work.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I have to have a book in my lap when I write.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A scientist. My favorite part of elementary school was doing science experiments and watching Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
If you can handle poetry that appeals to all five senses and several different emotions at once, you should read Black Under. And if you enjoy Black Under, tell someone about it. Tell me about it. We need community more than ever, and nothing brings people together like a good book. I hope to hear what you think of Black Under on social media (@ashanticreates) or by getting in touch with me on my website, ashanticreates.com.
Thanks for being here today, Ashanti.
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