Poet Chloe Yelena Miller is chatting with me about her latest collection, Perforated.
Bio:
Chloe Yelena Miller is a writer and teacher living in Washington, D.C., with her partner and child. She’s the author of Perforated (2026) and Viable (2021), both published by Lily Poetry Review Books, and also the poetry chapbook Unrest (Finishing Line Press, 2013). She co-founded and co-directs Brown Bag Lit, an online writing community. Miller teaches writing and literature through University of Maryland’s Global Campus, Politics and Prose bookstore, and New Directions in Writing. Miller has a BA in Italian language and literature from Smith College (1998) and an MFA in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College (2003).
Welcome, Chloe. What do you enjoy most about writing poems?
Depending on my mood, I can enjoy all aspects of writing. If I’m feeling creative, I enjoy the generative process most. When I’m feeling less creative, it feels cathartic to edit (and often cut) parts of a poem or even an entire poem from a manuscript. When I don’t have as much time or focus, I can keep up with my writing practice by completing smaller, administrative tasks related to organizing submissions.
Can you give us a little insight into a few of your poems – perhaps a couple of your favorites?
Since we are close to the new year, one of the poems in my new collection, Perforated, is “Happy New Year.” You can read it here, published first by Beltway Poetry Quarterly.
In this poem, I look both inward and outward. I include a very personal detail, here my grandmother’s African violet in this poem, and then reach for something larger. This poem addresses how humans can both plant trees and start fires.
In “To Mourn”, published by Calyx (you can hear a recording here https://www.calyxpress.org/to-mourn-by-chloe-yelena-miller/), I share a very personal moment –my Great Aunt Dora’s funeral – and then move into larger questions and a moment with our son. I do find that since my first pregnancy, I write a lot about motherhood. It is hard not to find meaning in these small moments with a growing child.
What form are you inspired to write in the most? Why?
I write free-verse poems. I usually start a poem by thinking about something while physically moving (walking, cooking, folding laundry, etc.) Then, the rhythm of that action starts to form a beat for my thoughts and I can weave the ideas into words with my body’s rhythm. With editing and time, I think that initial words often to fall away, but it helps to get me started.
What type of project are you working on next?
My mother, a visual artist, finished breast cancer treatment. With her permission, I’ve been writing about her journey and my own relationship with my breasts. She’s illustrated some of the poems and they are starting to build into a full manuscript. A poem from that manuscript, Breast Buds, will be published by Rogue Agent in January. https://www.rogueagentjournal.com
When did you first consider yourself a writer / poet?
I remember writing poems in elementary school. Admittedly, I don’t really remember not writing in my journal and some of those entries turning into early poems.
How do you research markets for your work, perhaps as some advice for not-yet-published poets?
Read, read, read!
Also, be a spy! Ok, not exactly a spy, but that’s a good way to think about it. If you find a contemporary writer you really like, follow them on social media and read the literary journals where they are publishing. You might like those journals, too, and consider submitting your work to them.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I don’t know if this is a quirk because it is probably true for others, but I find submitting to be a great part of the revision process. The entire process of choosing and ordering the poems teaches me a lot and helps me to edit. For example, if a submission call asks for three to five poems, the act of gathering those poems and ordering them helps me to see themes emerge and notice how I could group poems together in a manuscript. I often learn that I have a number of poems on the same subject or theme and that only one is strong enough to submit.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
While there were times I hoped to be a ballerina or a gymnast who could do a backflip, but mostly I wanted to write.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Be open to all of the arts. There’s inspiration to be found in visual art, music, architecture, etc. Maybe your work will be in conversation with another art form. I write the weekly #RandomWritingPrompts for Brown Bag Lit, an online writing community I co-founded and co-direct. Some of these prompts are built around art from other mediums. You can find them on our social media: https://www.instagram.com/brownbaglit/
Links:
Website | Substack | Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | LinkedIn
Purchase Perforated directly from the Lily Poetry Review press.