Get Yer Rocks Off...
by April Michelle Bratten
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Dear April, First, thank you for accepting our invite for this interview. When did you write “Anne’s Sadness” and what’s the story behind it? I wrote the poems for my chapbook, Anne with an E (a darker and more “adult” take on Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gables books), in the summer of 2014. “Anne’s Sadness” was one of the first poems I wrote in that series. I loved the idea of a bisexual Anne, and perhaps this is the largest of my own attributes that I incorporated into her character. |
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
The friendship between Anne and Diana in the original book series was romanticized into a deeply intense and dramatic devotion. I found myself repeatedly returning to the scene where Diana gets married. Anne feels abandoned by Diana in a lot of ways in that scene, but in my chapbook’s universe, Anne has always been a little bit in love with her best friend. I had hoped to capture the feeling of losing both a friend and a complex love in one swift motion.
In your poem “To Write a Letter When There is Too Much to Say”, you write, “…I sit warm under a mocking / sky. I could tell you about leaving, about sinning, / about swinging little boys from my hip….” Who is the intended reader in this case? Do you find that poetry is your instrument of choice when there is too much to say?
Correspondence was a common device used in the Anne of Green Gables series. Anne often wrote honestly of her fears and failures in her letters to friends and family. I thought it would be interesting to write a letter from Anne’s perspective to fans of the books.
The letter is to “Anne girls”-- to readers like me and those who find comfort in books and their characters. Anne comments on her troubled past, but tells the readers “you are not as alone as you think”. It seemed like something Anne would do.
Poetry is my instrument of choice, yes. Poetry is a comfort, both writing and reading it.
What are the top five lessons you’ve learned as the editor Up the Staircase Quarterly?
Surround yourself with people who are just as excited about the work you are publishing as you are.
Follow your gut.
Finish your issues early.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Be aware.
What are the three best discoveries you have made conducting research for your article Three to Read published in Words Dance Publishing where you are a contributing editor?
The poems I choose to highlight in Three to Read are all gleaned from online journals. I spend a lot of time reading poetry online and I’m always looking for new and exciting work.
Some of my favorite online journals to find such work are Sixth Finch, cahoodaloodaling, and Hyperallergic.
In your poem “To Write a Letter When There is Too Much to Say”, you write, “…I sit warm under a mocking / sky. I could tell you about leaving, about sinning, / about swinging little boys from my hip….” Who is the intended reader in this case? Do you find that poetry is your instrument of choice when there is too much to say?
Correspondence was a common device used in the Anne of Green Gables series. Anne often wrote honestly of her fears and failures in her letters to friends and family. I thought it would be interesting to write a letter from Anne’s perspective to fans of the books.
The letter is to “Anne girls”-- to readers like me and those who find comfort in books and their characters. Anne comments on her troubled past, but tells the readers “you are not as alone as you think”. It seemed like something Anne would do.
Poetry is my instrument of choice, yes. Poetry is a comfort, both writing and reading it.
What are the top five lessons you’ve learned as the editor Up the Staircase Quarterly?
Surround yourself with people who are just as excited about the work you are publishing as you are.
Follow your gut.
Finish your issues early.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Be aware.
What are the three best discoveries you have made conducting research for your article Three to Read published in Words Dance Publishing where you are a contributing editor?
The poems I choose to highlight in Three to Read are all gleaned from online journals. I spend a lot of time reading poetry online and I’m always looking for new and exciting work.
Some of my favorite online journals to find such work are Sixth Finch, cahoodaloodaling, and Hyperallergic.
How to Come: Get Yer Rocks Off with Anne of Green Gables |
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Do not stay up late. Retire before 8 p.m. and slink into your floor- length nightgown. Breaths will spurt soft, quick from your excited mouth. Do not frighten. Place your hand over your warm breast and inhale. Tuck your bible under a muslin cloth. Tuck your Bible into your bedside drawer. Tuck your Bible. Tuck your Bible–Amen. Get on your knees by the window with hands clasped. Swell of crude Lady’s Slipper–Amen. Secret shapes form from the robust silo– Amen.Amen. Slip into bed. The scratch of the handmade mattress will redden your sugar-white ankle. Breathe. Reach a timid hand down your thigh–Amen. Yank up the material and place one pointed finger inside. Now curl. Now Swoosh. Now Loop. Now– Now–Now–Amen!Amen!Amen! |
I thought it was dark as hell in there |
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but we found the womb was still luscious green trench waking / wisteria / tumor tunnel flush with knotted blood & what will the baby eat you asked around the drag of a cigarette you just remind me of my father which is pretty funny if you don’t think about it so let’s think about it we thought the baby was dead / someone shouted / night is falling & that crater fits nude & ridiculous in a blackout he feels for / pinecones / thorns / the coyote of your clitoris meanwhile I find one star to sip let the storm in my breath in your mouth like a cave one wind / wounded knuckle / a really good goodbye thunder burnt & tripping past last night |
Not to Be Taken |
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At the planetarium she wanted to save the world nostril hairs already crisp before the fire they said let her fry smoke hiss she admired its tea color & gentle curl faces plush to window glass thick as dogs watching thick as the details burn the whole thing to the ground flame eruption a tulip sewn in the dark pluck her from chaos she will comfort her shadow in the heat & destroy the details. |
What’s life like for a poet in Minot, North Dakota? What are the most characteristic attributes of the artists’ circle there?
In Minot, specifically, there isn’t much of an “artists’ circle”. It can feel lonely at times, but thank goodness for social media to keep me connected.
A couple of years ago I curated an issue of Up the Staircase Quarterly that highlighted poets and artists from this region (North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho.) I was blown away by the amount of submissions I received, and it felt wonderful to connect via the issue with other artists in the area.
You are the daughter of a USAF active duty father, traveling and living across the United States and abroad. How has that impacted your career choices?
I’m not sure how much of an impact it had on my career choices, quite honestly, but being a military brat definitely made a deep impression on my life.
I have used a lot of those memories in my work. I was quite taken with the concept of “place” for several years and wrote extensively about the different cities and countries I have lived. I have moved on a little from that topic these days, but it feels like something I could return to and still find something new to write about.
On a different note, where do you go for the most impressive beer selection and cool atmosphere?
My living room! Haha. I seem to go out less and less as I get older. I love staying at home with some good beer and chatting with my boyfriend or friends, watching the game, etc. I’ve been obsessed with citrus flavored beers lately.
What are the top camping spots that inspire you to take out pen and paper or iPad to write poetry?
Camping in the Badlands of North Dakota is definitely my favorite. We try to go every summer. You can wake up in the morning and find wild horses or bison have wandered into your campsite. It’s exciting and beautiful. I’ve written a lot after my trips out there.
Do you consider yourself an exception as a poet who loves sports or quite the contrary? What are your favorite sports, by the way?
This is an interesting topic! There are a lot of people in general who aren’t fans of sports. I find that the poetry community in particular seems to be largely opposed. However, I’m in a fantasy football league with other writers, and I know of sports themed literary journals. We are out there! I know a good amount of poets who love sports.
My favorite sports are tennis and basketball, but I’ll watch just about anything.
What is your game plan for days ahead? Does it include another full-length publication or poetry readings or anything of that sort?
I have been working on a series of poems that I’m quite excited about. I have not thought far enough ahead about where I would like to take them, but perhaps another chapbook manuscript would not be out of the question. Mostly I will be focusing on finding good homes for those poems to be published, working on UtSQ, and reading everything I can get my hands on.
In Minot, specifically, there isn’t much of an “artists’ circle”. It can feel lonely at times, but thank goodness for social media to keep me connected.
A couple of years ago I curated an issue of Up the Staircase Quarterly that highlighted poets and artists from this region (North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho.) I was blown away by the amount of submissions I received, and it felt wonderful to connect via the issue with other artists in the area.
You are the daughter of a USAF active duty father, traveling and living across the United States and abroad. How has that impacted your career choices?
I’m not sure how much of an impact it had on my career choices, quite honestly, but being a military brat definitely made a deep impression on my life.
I have used a lot of those memories in my work. I was quite taken with the concept of “place” for several years and wrote extensively about the different cities and countries I have lived. I have moved on a little from that topic these days, but it feels like something I could return to and still find something new to write about.
On a different note, where do you go for the most impressive beer selection and cool atmosphere?
My living room! Haha. I seem to go out less and less as I get older. I love staying at home with some good beer and chatting with my boyfriend or friends, watching the game, etc. I’ve been obsessed with citrus flavored beers lately.
What are the top camping spots that inspire you to take out pen and paper or iPad to write poetry?
Camping in the Badlands of North Dakota is definitely my favorite. We try to go every summer. You can wake up in the morning and find wild horses or bison have wandered into your campsite. It’s exciting and beautiful. I’ve written a lot after my trips out there.
Do you consider yourself an exception as a poet who loves sports or quite the contrary? What are your favorite sports, by the way?
This is an interesting topic! There are a lot of people in general who aren’t fans of sports. I find that the poetry community in particular seems to be largely opposed. However, I’m in a fantasy football league with other writers, and I know of sports themed literary journals. We are out there! I know a good amount of poets who love sports.
My favorite sports are tennis and basketball, but I’ll watch just about anything.
What is your game plan for days ahead? Does it include another full-length publication or poetry readings or anything of that sort?
I have been working on a series of poems that I’m quite excited about. I have not thought far enough ahead about where I would like to take them, but perhaps another chapbook manuscript would not be out of the question. Mostly I will be focusing on finding good homes for those poems to be published, working on UtSQ, and reading everything I can get my hands on.
