Notes from a Poet

 Melinda Palacio

A question I’m often asked is a vague inquiry about where I get my inspiration. My answer to where poems come from may sound equally vague and elusive, especially after a year of lockdown and experiencing the world from my living room window. The window is a sliding door onto the balcony where I spent many hours bird watching, reading, writing, learning the ukulele and participating in readings and meetings online, where most of life took place. 
While I joined many bakers in the sourdough  brigade, keeping sourdough starter healthy and at the ready to turn into bread wonders and crackers, I realized I had to stop with the bread production and consumption. Although I don’t have an allergy to wheat, I don’t have the metabolism of young person and I staying indoors doesn’t help either. With the world awakening, it was easy to neglect Seymour (the name of the sourdough starter. I am a little sad about Seymour demise. Seymour is no more. While I no longer have to keep the pet in the refrigerator, I think I’ll give up baking for a while all together; at least until my expanded waistline shrinks a bit. All that work at home means I need a good diet, even my dog is on a diet. She was a pudgy puppy when we adopted her. We are helping each other get back into shape. 
No matter what I’m writing, I often start with a phrase or a sentence, usually taken from my notebook. For a few months, I had fallen out of habit of writing in my journal and I experienced a dry spell with little ideas. Now, that I’ve returned to the practice, I have more projects because I can remember those sparks of and ideas that nag me in the middle of the night. I used to think that if the idea was good enough, I’d remember it the next day. However, these days, I can’t even fool myself into believing this is true. Ideas, whenever they arrive must be honored by immediately writing them down or else they will move on, and believe me someone else will be ready to listen and jot down that stroke of genius. I’ve found that it’s important to respect those ideas and breath life into them by following through with them by starting with a visual manifestation of the words, a simple jotting down of a a phrase or word or sentence or allow yourself to get as much of the idea on paper as is possible before going back to sleep or attending a meeting or doing some task that prevents you from finishing the thought. 
I do not have a set notebook for jotting down all the ideas that pop into my head. I would certainly recommend having just one place to turn to. I grab the closest piece of paper, notepad or blank journal. The most important thing is to write down the idea, especially if I know the idea will become a poem or story, or song. 

Art Is All We Need

Melinda Palacio

  

Panelists Stacey Balkun in flower dress, Maddie Stratton, Margie Perez (hidden), Christopher Romaguera, Francis Wong

Wednesday's panel, sponsored by One Book One New Orleans, featured four diverse artists, five if you count Clint Smith in asbsentia, whose book, Counting Descent, was meant to inform the panel. Counting Descent, an incredible book of poems, is this year's One Book One New Orleans read. If you don't know this poet, stop what you're doing and read one or more of his poems. The four panelists included painter and visual artist Francis Wong, aka the Asian Cajun, painter and sculptor Maddie Stratton, Singer and Songwriter Margie Perez, poet and writer Chris Romaguera, and moderator poet Stacey Balkun. 

One of the more common themes that kept circling back to the panelist was the question of how the creative process is so unique to each individual person. Maddie discussed the need to create in her studio. Sure she allowed herself access to her sketchbook and could carry that to different places, but when it came time to create her masterpiece, she needed to be in the space of her studio, with access to all of her tools, especially her blank canvas. She enjoyed the element of surprise a blank canvas gave her.

Whereas Francis, the Asian Cajun, sometimes prefers a muddied canvas. One of his favorite mediums was water damaged paper or canvas that he salvaged post Katrina. As an undergrad artist, he scavenged items and repurposed artifacts and materials from derelict houses that would have gone to the landfill. He found beauty in some of the water damaged paper that he found. Some of the items Francis scavenged  and turned to art were pieces of wood to paint on, as well as blueprints. He considered himself an "urban explorer." However, there are times when he prefers a blank slate, such as when he is doing his "rain paintings." He says he has to develop a relationship with the material first and have a dialogue and history with it. To get an idea of his range of art exploration, see his Instagram account: goodtimefrancis. 

Both artists shared their love for music playing in the background as they worked.

Personally, I cannot have music on while I work. The distraction is overwhelming for me. I have such a strong relationship with music. I find it difficult to concentrate on my own rhythm and story because I easily get caught up with a song's rhythm and story. This is why writing in coffee shops doesn't work for me. I end of observing and daydreaming rather than writing.

The panel took place at Peaches Record Shop, formerly a Woolworths. 

Something that all the panelists shared was how they replenished or fed their creative soul by delving into other forms of art. In other words, just as energy creates energy, art begets art, a concept that makes much sense to me. When I feel frustrated because a story or poem is not leading me to the last lines or words of the work, I try do something different. I'll take a walk and try to get outside my head.

Lately, I've returned to learning how to play the guitar. I am the shower singer's version of a guitar player and if it were possible, I would limit my guitar practice to the shower and spare Steve's musically attuned ears. I'm always impressed when poets are natural musicians, like panelist and poet Chris Romaguera. Chris wears a tiny silver four-hole harmonica around his wrist that I thought was a razor turned into a bracelet, but he played it for me and with the sampling of a few notes, I could tell he is a fine musician.

Speaking of musicians, the highlight of the panel was meeting New Orleans singer and song writer Margie Perez. She is a musician with a voice that cannot be boxed in. I first heard her four years ago at Cafe Istanbul. She channeled Grace Slick's "White Rabbit," in a rendition that blew the roof off the building. In addition to writing original songs, she has an amazing ability to cover songs and make them her own. She has one band dedicated to performing songs by Celia Cruz. I wasn't surprised when I learned that she also performs sets that cover songs by Madonna. She performs Blues, Pop, and Latin with a New Orleans funky touch, is the band leader of Muevelo, and performs with six other bands. It's no wonder she's hailed as one of the hardest working musicians in New Orleans by Offbeat Magazine. I enjoyed hearing about what motivated her work.

A happy fan moment with Margie Perez.

Margie mentioned she sometimes loses ideas in the great creative backburner. She told the story of visiting the homeland of her parents, Cuba, and being inspired to write a song. The lyrics and melody came to her so easily that she was she would remember it. However, when she returned to New Orleans that beautiful song sprung wings and flew away. A lesson to all creative people, keep pen and paper with you at all times.

The Muse's Editor: Mayra Calvani

Melinda Palacio

Latina Authors and Their Muses
Edited by Mayra Calvani

I am honored to be included in Mayra Calvani's anthology, Latina Authors and Their Muses (Twilight Times Books 2015). In addition to reading about the distinct writing styles and inspirations from 40 different Latina authors, the book itself is a sort of muse that will bolster any aspiring writer. The book is also available in digital form for those who have crossed over to the non-paper side. I had the pleasure of interviewing Mayra Calvani. She also reveals who her personal muse is. Gracias, Mayra for this beautiful book. 

La Bloga: 

After reading Puerto Rican Voices in English, the 1997 anthology edited by Carmen Dolores Hernandez, you decided to do something similar for Latina Authors and Their Muses. What was it like creating interview questions for 40 different authors? And what would you like La Bloga readers to know about this book?

Mayra Calvani:

It was quite challenging because I wanted to ask questions that were important to me and that would be informative for some of my target readers (aspiring authors), so this meant some of the questions had to be generic (the usual questions about the creative process, landing an agent, finding a publisher, etc.), and others had to be somewhat repetitive because I wanted to get answers to the same questions from different perspectives. At the same time, the questions had to be interesting and original. I tried to combine all these elements into the questionnaires.

Latina Authors and Their Muses has been a project very dear to my heart ever since I came up with the idea back in 2008. The journey has been long and challenging, which is why I’m so thrilled to see the book published. It’s also been a wonderful journey of discovery and of sisterhood. I’m deeply honored to have worked with these accomplished authors. My goal is to spotlight their work and bring into attention the richness of their talent, but also to encourage aspiring authors and teach them a thing or two about the publishing industry.

LB:

What if anything would you do differently, now that book is finished? Did any answers surprise you?

MC: 

Now that I’m doing a master’s in Comparative Literature and have taken courses in literary criticism, I see how I could have included even better, more inquisitive, challenging questions. Apart from this, I don’t think I would have done anything differently. I feel that the journey evolved organically, that everything happened the way it should have. I actually wanted to include more authors, but the publisher told me we would have had to split the work into two volumes, so I decided to stop it at 40 interviews.

I was especially interested in the meaning of “success” for authors, and what it means to be a “professional author.” This is one of the questions I asked several times. It was enlightening to read the different responses. More than surprising, it was illuminating to get into the minds of these authors, what inspires them, what drives them, and what keeps them going in spite of the odds. In a way, they’ve all become my muses.

I was surprised by how different the journey has been for each author. For some, finding an agent and getting published by one of the big NY houses was fairly quick and easy. For others, it has taken many years.

LB:

For the cover of the book, you polled the authors and asked them to weigh in on the decision. I was pleased and nervous for you. Did bringing in all 40 authors make the process easier or more difficult for deciding on the final cover. Tell us a little more on the process. Who came up with the initial designs? Were you happy with the outcome or did you secretly hope for one of the other covers?

MC: 

The search for the perfect cover was an exciting journey! It took several artists and multiple covers (about 10, if I remember correctly) to come up with the “look” that the publisher and I were after. We wanted a look that would reflect the content and also appeal to target readers, but at the same time we didn’t want to be stereotypical. This was a big issue.

After several months we rounded up four covers designed by Tamian Wood. It was hard because all four of them were great in their own way, even though they all had different looks and evoked different feelings. That’s when I decided to conduct a poll with the authors. An overwhelming number chose the present cover as their preferred one—which also happened to be my and my publisher’s favorite. So everybody won.

Mayra Calvini

LB:

Why did you decide to focus on the author's muse. Do you have a muse? I'm guessing you do. Tell us about your muse and how your muse has influenced and inspired your volumes of books. 

MC: 

That sprang from the title. I came up with the title first, and that gave me the idea to begin each interview with a quote from the author about their muse. I thought it would be a nice attention grabber, something that would make the anthology stand apart from other similar titles.

I have a muse, but like Esmeralda Santiago’s, it is often elusive and mysterious. It has various faces and can shapeshift into many forms.  At times, she’s a nurturing angel who fills me with peace and confidence. Other times, she’s a belittling and cruel ice queen. Mostly, she’s the statue of the Egyptian cat goddess Bastet sitting on my desk and keeping a close eye on me. I like her the most because although she keeps me on a leash, she’s the perfect balance of gentle encouragement and firm discipline.

LB:

Is there anything else you'd like to tell La Bloga about this project or any future ones? What are you currently working on or what will your next book entail?

MC:

I recently terminated with an agent and I’m in search of another agent for a YA psychological thriller set in Puerto Rico in the 1970s. I’m also awaiting response from a publisher on a 4-book YA mythological fantasy series. At the same time, I’m self-publishing a series of novels under a pen name.

On the nonfiction front, I just got an offer for a contract for another anthology titled, Born to Write: Honoring Your Gift When Your Partner Doesn’t Support Your Writing. This will be a collection of essays from different authors.

So I guess I’ll have my hands full for a while. I’m excited about 2016 and can’t wait to find out what the New Year has in store for me.

LB:

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule, Mayra.

MC: 

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to talk about my book, Melinda!

About the editor:

Award-winning author Mayra Calvani has penned more than ten books for children and adults in genres ranging from picture books to nonfiction to paranormal fantasy novels. She’s had over 300 articles, short stories, interviews and reviews published in magazines such as The Writer, Writer's Journal and Bloomsbury Review, among others. A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, she now resides in Brussels, Belgium.

Latina Authors and Their Muses includes interviews with 40 multi-talented authors:

Marta Acosta
Lisa Alvarado
Julia Amante
Margo Candela
Kathy Cano-Murillo
Mary Castillo
Jennifer Cervantes
Leila Cobo
Zoraida Córdova
Lucha Corpi
Sarah Cortez
Angie Cruz
Liz DeJesus
Anjanette Delgado
Carolina De Robertis
Lyn Di Iorio
Teresa Dovalpage
Carolina Garcia-Aguilera
Iris Gomez
Reyna Grande
Rose Guilbault
Graciela Limón
Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa
Diana López
Josefina López
Dora Machado
Maria Gabriela Madrid
Michele Martinez
Sandra Ramos O'Briant
Melinda Palacio
Caridad Piñeiro
Berta Platas
Toni Margarita Plummer
Thelma T. Reyna
Lupe Ruiz-Flores
Esmeralda Santiago
Eleanor Parker Sapia
Alisa Lynn Valdes
Diana Rodriguez Wallach
Gwendolyn Zepeda