Ask the Author: Marie Anzalone
Answered Questions (5)
Marie Anzalone
The story of my love life should be a book some day. Comedy, horror, drama, mystery, self help, adventure, unreliable narrators, non linear progression, fantasy, sci fi, cooking, travel, spirituality, tragedy- it is all there somewhere.
Marie Anzalone
My inspiration comes from a variety of sources. Often, a conversation with a friend or loved one. An image in the news. Something I see on a daily walk, or working in my garden. Dreams. A peak experience of love or adventure or visiting somewhere unique. Sometimes, just a phrase or image occurs to me, and I construct a poem around it. Often now I blend these multiple inspirations with our monthly poetry club assignments- they provide the theme, but I let my various muses interpret it in their own way. Anything can be an inspiration- from a drop of water to a torrid love affair in a foreign city. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell one from the other, as they get woven together in narrative.
Marie Anzalone
My most recent book is a book of poems written between 2010 and 2015. My poetry is inspired by different things every time I write. Sometimes, it is a conversation, or an article read, a painting or picture, or something I saw in the street. Sometimes it is watching my dogs play in the woods. Sometimes, it is a reflection of something from my work in climate change justice. Other times, it is the processing of human emotions and big and small themes of love, life before and at and after death, events, personal reflections, dedications or letters to other people. Every piece is written to tell a story. In my last book, I separated the book into 4 parts of specific themes: Part 1, reflections of an unrequited love story, from the perspective of one half of the relationship. Part 2 was a section of poems written to/ for other people- writers, friends, etc. Part 3 was an exploration of darker themes- depression, abuse, violence, etc. Part 4 was a section on joy and general reflections of various types on daily life.
Marie Anzalone
Like most graduate students, I am currently behind on my thesis, "only" about 45,000 words in while I seek funding to be able to keep going. In January of 2020, I published and presented 2 new poetry books; one socially oriented and the other of personal reflection. Since the COVID quarantine, I have helped 5 other writers prepare and in some cases translate their manuscripts, as well as working on what will be a 7th book. My novel is also slowly taking shape, I am writing articles for publication, and I am branching out into more short story work.
Marie Anzalone
I have developed a very close friendship with someone who is also an avid reader and wonderful writer. He and I have nurtured a habit of writing to each other, actual letters, several times per week- even when there is nothing much to talk about. So it becomes less of, "what should I write about today?" and more of, "what can I tell my friend about that I saw/ read/ analyzed/ heard/ felt/ or thought today?" Bonus is that we converse in Spanish, so our writing forces me to improve my grammar and vocabulary, in two languages, every day. Very often, my ideas for new works, in both my technical writing and my creative writing, start here, or at the very least get developed and fleshed out, through this friendship. I dedicated my third book to this person.
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