Today’s special guest is author Cindy Savett and we’re chatting about her new poetry collection, The Breath.
Bio:
Cindy Savett is the author of Child in the Road (Parlor Press), The Breath (BlazeVOX), and the chapbooks The Story of my Eyes, Battle for the Metal Kiss, Rachel: In the Temporary Mist of Prayer and the forthcoming Overtures of Survival. Her work is also found in the anthology Challenges for the Delusional.
What do you enjoy most about writing poems?
Any time given me where I’m able to listen for the muse is thrilling.
Can you give us a little insight into a few of your poems – perhaps a couple of your favorites?
Much of my work over the last two decades has been centered around the death of my youngest daughter. There’s a poem in my recent book (The Breath), the second to the last one in the book, describing my husband’s grief at her death. Each time I read it – at first I realize its faults, but then there’s this internal scream I hear that brings me closer to him. In my first book (Child in the Road), the opening poem always reminds me of the impact that trauma has and the tremendous resilience required to sustain yourself in the land of the living.
What form are you inspired to write in the most? Why?
Free verse is where I land most of the time, where my poems seem to want to live. My teachers over the years have asked me about writing in form – my current one suggested trying the Ghazal. It seems daunting, however I just might.
What type of project are you working on next?
Listening for the greater You in the universe is what’s pulling me now. My relationship as both spiritual, physical, emotional… It seems long in coming.
When did you first consider yourself a writer / poet?
My first writing came when I was around 10yrs old. As a teenager I recognized the power of its impact on me and others in my world, and once in college I devoted myself intensely to developing my voice. However it wasn’t until my two youngest children were born that my daily life shifted towards viewing myself as a poet.
How do you research markets for your work, perhaps as some advice for not-yet-published poets?
I’m not particularly skilled at doing this kind of research and have depended upon friends and professionals to help me. There are good resources, though, to aid those with the capacity to muster their energies towards that.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Lately, it’s walking around the house with my laptop, stopping at different spots (particularly the windows to stare out of). I get a wild sense of freedom that opens me up to the muse. Then I write standing up, still moving from time to time, until I feel confident enough that the muse isn’t going to leave me. At that point I settle in one spot and concentrate.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I’ve been drawn to understanding mental illness. During high school I both volunteered and was hired to work in a local psychiatric hospital. However, my love has always been poetry – I recognized at a young age its profound impact on me and others.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Be dogged. Don’t allow your inner chatter to derail you. Listen for the muse wherever she might be and whenever she chooses to show up.
Thanks for being here today, Cindy!