10 Questions for M.A. Untch
- By Christin Howard
“Stars crept through bedroom windows to feed the dark.
Everybody became a friend that died.
Blitzed desire tiptoed in from all directions.
Wintered, feverish roses bloomed on yellowed sheets.
Not me, thinking back as far as I could– who
did I touch? How many sheets spilled over my bed…” —From "Better Angels II," Summer 2019 (Vol. 60, Issue 2)
Tell us about one of the first pieces you wrote:
I wrote a poem “Estate Sale” while visiting relatives in Appomattox, VA. My aunt was having a lawn sale. When I started the poem, I had no idea where I was going with it until I decided to let the objects speak for themselves. No thing is just a thing. All objects have a story. So, I just looked at the items spread out over the lawn and imbued them with life, with whatever my subconscious came up with. I let the objects drive me as opposed to the other way around. I learned a lot about writing that way, to “let” rather than “impose” any pre-conceived notion about your subject matter. I found great freedom in that. The poem found a home pretty quickly. It made me feel that I can do this. I can do this.
What writer(s) or works have influenced the way you write now?
James Agee’s “A Death in the Family” left me awestruck. The opening chapter of the novel I found to be almost perfect poetry—descriptive, metaphorical, passionate. Spencer Reece also has a profound impact on my thinking about poetry. His poetry collection “The Clerk’s Tale” is a perfect example of artistic restraint and quiet beauty. The list goes on and on. As a reader, I like to draw from as many different forms of writing as possible, whether they are philosophical, autobiographical, fiction, non-fiction. Great writing is great writing. One of the best books I’ve ever read was Ron Chernow’s Hamilton. Go figure.
What other professions have you worked in?
I’ve worked as a Business Analyst for a major steel producer, sold high end home furnishings to Beverly Hills clientele, and currently work as a Wine Steward for a major grocery store chain.
What inspired you to write this piece?
I wrote Better Angels because I needed to wrap my head around the AIDS crisis and what was happening during a decade where so many people died, including my twin brother. After I wrote my first draft, I let the poem go for about six years. I recently rediscovered the poem in one of my file folders, polished it up and sent it out. I find that sometimes a writer can be too close to their subject matter. Time and distance can be a great healer, a great way to gain perspective and renewed insight into a particular piece you may be struggling with. Sometimes it’s just a matter of not having enough skill/tools/life experience at your disposal to tackle a certain piece. That was the case for me. At the risk of sounding pretentious, I hadn’t earned the right to write it.
Is there a city or place, real or imagined, that influences your writing?
Every year I visit my relatives in Appomattox, VA. I live in a metropolitan city, so it’s like escaping into another world. Silence influences me. Graveyards on family owned properties that stretch back as far as the civil war, influence me. In that type of space I allow myself to write without thinking, recording it all down, what I see, what I don’t see, what I’m feeling. You can lose yourself in that kind of silence. You can also find yourself.
Is there any specific music that aids you through the writing or editing process?
I don’t listen to music while I’m writing. In order for music to be appreciated I feel you need to focus on it, much the same way you would focus on a painting in an art gallery. I find music is just as demanding on the senses as writing is. Silence is my best writing partner.
Do you have any rituals or traditions that you do in order to write?
I like to read other poets before I start writing. For me, it’s a way of jump starting the creative process. One of my favorite practices is to take a certain poets poem that I admire and copy it down in my journal, using all the exact line breaks, punctuation, spaces, etc. as printed in the author’s book. Then on the opposite side of the page, I write down my reaction to the poem, i.e. what I observe, what I think an author is trying to say, use of language, metaphor, etc. I want to try to get into the head and heart of a great author and get out of myself. Oftentimes this process will trigger an idea of my own or “open my consciousness” if you will, and start me writing. I liken it to the art student who goes to a museum and tries to draw a hand drawn by DaVinci, doing the best they can to capture the artists nuances, etc. Why should it be different for a writer?
Who typically gets the first read of your work?
I work one-on-one with a teacher that I run my work by, an accomplished poet who understands the process and helps my poems arrive where they need to arrive. I want the first reader of my work to be a clinical observer, someone who has no vested interest in my work personally, except to maximize its potential. I would say having your mother read your drafts is probably not the best or wisest choice, with the one exception of Marianne Moore’s mother who told her daughter that her first collection was terrible and that she needed to re-work it. The rest is history.
What are you working on currently?
I’m compiling my first manuscript and currently looking for a publisher. As far as poems go, I tend to work on several poems at a time. When I get stuck on one poem, I let it go and move on to another.
What are you reading right now?
Right now, I’m reading Bright Dead Things by Ada Limon. I really admire the way she uses language. I like to be exposed to a writer’s work that is unlike what I write in shape, size, form, or subject matter. She takes me out of my head and into hers. I like to read a lot. I like disappearing.
M. A. UNTCH is an emerging writer. Recent publications include Beloit Poetry Journal, Poet Lore, North American Review, Confrontation, Nimrod International, Painted Bride Quarterly, Chattahoochee Review, among others.
