How often had you sent out The Glass Crib before it was chosen as the winner of the 2010 Zone3 Press First Book Award?
I sent the manuscript out
to about a dozen contests and two open reading periods for about a year and a
half before it was finally accepted by Zone 3 Press in 2010. It had been a finalist for six contests
before that point, so by the time it was accepted, I was like, “finally! Thank God!”
Tell me about the title. Had it always been The Glass Crib? Did it go through any
other changes?
The manuscript was
actually titled Glossolalia, which
roughly translates to “speaking in tongues.” However, Rigoberto González, the judge of the Zone 3 Press
First Book Award for Poetry, suggested The
Glass Crib as a title and I fell in love with it instantly. The image of “the glass crib” appears
throughout the book and I feel that based on the thematic subject matter and
what Rigoberto said—the nuance of fragility and of containment—that it was
appropriate for this collection.
It seems like there’s a possible misconception
among some poets who are trying to get their first book published: that they
must win a contest. Were you concerned about winning a contest at any point?
What advice would you give to poets sending their book out now regarding
contests versus open reading periods?
I did want to win a first
book prize. I think I was hungry
for it, actually, as a lot of poets seem to be early in their careers. A first book prize comes with prestige
and a monetary award (in addition to publication), and who wouldn’t want that
straight out of the gate? Someone
once told me that a first book prize can be a career “maker.” I don’t know how so that actually is,
but it certainly can’t hurt. A
book prize does set a book apart in some way. It not only has the stamp of the press, but of the judge as
well. I’m very grateful for
that.
I would tell other poets
who are just beginning to dip their toes in sending out a completed manuscript
to send to both book contests and open reading periods. I had a great response from Graywolf
when I sent them my first manuscript during their open reading period. While they opted not to accept it, I
had wonderful feedback from them and they were very positive about my collection
as a whole. It should be said that
you need to research every single press before you send your work out. You have to do this even if you think
it’s tedious. Don’t blanket submit
because you want to get published just “anywhere.” You and your publisher should be a good fit and they should
be behind your work 100%.
What was the process like assembling the book? How
many different versions did it go through as you were sending it out?
My first book actually
went through about two main revisions. Ed Ochester, who was my thesis director at Bennington
College, told me to leave the final manuscript alone (which I finished at
Bennington, but had started at the University of Houston) because I would only
mess it up and edit myself into a hole.
I think this was some of the best advice I’ve ever received and I’ve
passed it on. If you find yourself
revising and revising and reordering and reordering while you’re sending the
manuscript out, it’s not ready to be sent out.
My husband, who is not a
writer, actually is responsible for the ordering of the manuscript. He is very logical and orderly and we
spread out all of these poems on a work table in the garage and went through
them one by one until we created the narrative arc I was going for. Rigoberto González emailed me with a
few suggestions in terms of ordering and removing a few poems to make the
structure tighter. I’m very
thankful to both of them.
How involved were you with the design of the
book—interior design, font, cover, etc.?
Did you suggest or have any input regarding the image that was used on
the cover?
Zone 3 Press was
wonderful about giving me a lot of say-so in the design process. I was fortunate enough to know a
spectacular artist, Carrie Ann Baade, who provided the cover image. It’s funny—when I began working on my
first book in 2006, I told Carrie that if I ever got the book published, I
wanted to use that image for the cover.
I’ve always felt that that image resonated with what I was trying to do
in the poems.
I worked very closely
with Zone 3 Press in terms of choosing the font, etc. I’ve always thought that they make gorgeous books and it was
great working with them on the design-end of things.
What about the publication of the actual poems
prior to the book being published? Was there ever a concern for you to have the
majority of the poems published before you were sending out your manuscript?
I published about 45 of
the poems in journals, which in hindsight is quite a number. I didn’t think about that too much when
I was sending out the manuscript, however. I started sending out the poems in late 2006, so there was a
span of about four years where I was writing and sending out the poems. I was fortunate enough to have such a
high acceptance rate, so I guess I can’t complain. In contrast, I sent out very few of the poems from my second
collection, The Wishing Tomb, mainly
because I was so focused on the research and I was teaching. I don’t think it matters how few or how
many poems have been published.
I’ve never had an editor mention it to me, at least.
How much work did you do as far as editing the
poems from the day you knew the book would be published to its final proofing
stage?
I didn’t edit the poems
at all with the first book. The
ordering changed a little and I think two or three of the poems were removed,
but that was about it.
What do you remember about the day when you saw
your finished book for the first time?
I about died when I
opened the box. The book was
gorgeous and I wanted to share it with everyone I knew as soon as
possible. I had such a tremendous
amount of joy and gratitude that I was a little emotional. It was, in a way, my gold medal.
How has your life been different since your book
came out? I know that your new book, The
Wishing Tomb, [EDIT: which was just released] by Perugia Press. Can you
tell us a little bit about that book? The poems all deal with New Orleans in
some way?
My day-to-day life isn’t
really that different: I still hang out on my couch in flip flops checking my
email on my iPad while watching Mad Men
or Project Runway while drinking
tea. I have been able to relax a
bit more because I’ve had two books come out in under a year. That part has been a bit
overwhelming—trying to publicize two books, get reviews, schedule readings,
etc. I’ve had more interest in my
work since my book came out in the form of solicitations, interviews, Facebook
friend requests, etc. I’m not
writing poetry right now and instead have switched gears toward memoir writing,
which is something I’ve wanted to do for the better part of a decade. I’m working on a memoir about adoption
and the foster care system and have spent this summer banging out about 20,000
words. I’m really happy where
things are and feel fortunate to be in a position where I don’t have to send
out a manuscript just yet.
The Wishing Tomb began in 2010 when the Saints went to (and won!) the Super
Bowl. I read in an article where a
New Oreleanian was asked what this meant to New Orleans and they said, “New Orleans
is more than Katrina.” That really
struck me. I’m a Gulf Coaster and
I love New Orleans. I had read
wonderful works (poetry, fiction, and prose) about New Orleans, but they were
all about Katrina in some way and I wanted to do something different. I wanted to create a history in verse
about this very quintessential American city and that’s what I did.
And can you talk about the challenges of writing The Wishing Tomb in that it’s a conceptual book? Are the challenges different for this kind of manuscript? In what way?
The book was a giant
undertaking, to say the least. I
spent more time reading and researching than I probably did writing the
book. I kept a journal of ideas
for titles and poems and at final count, I think it numbered around 300 ideas,
so I had to narrow it down and create a structure from these stories. The challenge was different in that I
was not writing about myself as I had done in large part (though not entirely)
in The Glass Crib. I was writing a lot of persona poems. I was dealing with race, and plagues,
and history, and death, and musical legends, and Katrina, and the oil
spill. I wanted to do it right and
not create caricatures. I wanted
it to have a voice of authenticity.
I felt deeply about this work—more so, I think, than even the first
book. America would not be America
without New Orleans and I wanted a book that would bring back these histories
and voices because I think so much has been lost to time. It was difficult to say the least, but
I enjoyed the challenge and am happy with the result. I wanted to do something that hadn’t been done before and I
think I accomplished that.
You’re also co-editor of the poetry journal, Pebble Lake Review. Has being an editor
helped shape your own writing in some way? How so?
I love editing and my
dream job would be an acquisitions editor at a publishing company. However,
editing does not shape my writing at all.
I switch gears when I’m editing.
Reading, whether it’s submissions or other works, does influence my work
in that it makes me want to write, but the day-to-day act of editing does not.
Why and when did you start Pebble Lake Review? Do you have any advice for others who want to
start their own journal?
I started PLR back in
2003, so we’re approaching our big 10-year anniversary, which I’m very proud
about. I had worked as an
editorial associate on Gulf Coast
(and continued to do since through 2006), but I wanted to have my own journal
and present my own aesthetic. I
had high hopes for the journal from the start and it’s not been a
disappointment.
Running a journal is very
time consuming and you make no money, unless you’re backed by a college or
university or a grant. Don’t do it
to make money. Do it because you
love literature and you want to give voice to what’s new in poetry and writing
at large. Have a plan on where you
want to go with the journal, because it can get big before you know it. PLR literally grew from a tiny nobody
to a Verse Daily, Poetry Daily, and Pushcart Prize-appearing journal in three
years. Also: don’t try to run it
by yourself. The operations are
too much for one person. You have
to learn to relinquish control and delegate.
What have you been doing to promote The Glass Crib, and what have those
experiences been like for you? And how do you plan to promote The Wishing Tomb?
I’ve been scheduling
readings for both books, using social media (which is a big help), sending out
promotional postcards and copies of the book for review. I’ve just discovered Goodreads and held
a drawing to win two free, signed copies of The
Glass Crib, which drew 619 entries.
Even if only a small fraction of people actually go on to purchase the
book, that’s still 619 people who know about it, some of whom may actually buy
it at a later date or suggest it to someone else. I’ve also been asked to do a few radio programs, which I’m
really excited about (although I think I sound like a five-year old on the
radio). I’ve been pushing both
books just this side of annoying, but that’s what you have to do. There are so many books out there and
such a limited audience, that you have to make yourself stand out in some way,
but always, always be professional.
It does matter.
If you struck up a conversation next to someone
seated on an airplane, and after a few minutes you eventually told them that
you were an author who had a book of poetry published, how would you answer
their next question: “What are your books about?” What advice do you wish someone had given you before your
first book came out?
I hate this
question. A lot. I always tell
people that The Wishing Tomb is a
collection of poetry about New Orleans because that’s the simplest answer and
almost everyone I’ve met loves New Orleans or is interested in New
Orleans. Describing The Glass Crib is more difficult because
there are several narrative threads that run throughout the book. I usually focus on the
mother/child/sibling/faith aspect of the book because most people can relate
those elements. I want poetry that
people can relate to, even if they don’t understand every word of it. I want my poetry to be read by poets
and the mailman. People want to be
moved and want to be told stories.
I want to do this.
I wish someone would have
told me how hard it was to get your book reviewed and that you really have to
put in the time to sell it. You
have to be a good salesperson and wear many hats to be successful—you have to
know a little PR, a little editing, and have a lot of dedication.
Do you believe that poetry can create change in the
world?
Of course I do. Words, not weapons, I say!
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Amanda Auchter is is the founding editor of Pebble Lake Review. She is the author of The Wishing Tomb, winner of the 2012 Perugia Press Award, The Glass Crib, winner of the 2010 Zone 3 Press First Book Award, and of the chapbook, Light Under Skin. She holds an MFA from Bennington College and teaches creative writing and composition at Lone Star College. She lives in Houston with her husband and three cats. Visit her website for more information at http://www.amanda-auchter.com
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