War and cows: an interview with poet Susan Hawthorne
GIVEAWAYS: Thanks to @spinifexpress we have copies of Susan Hawthorne’s latest & second latest poetry collections to give away. Send us a message on Facebook or Twitter and tell us why you love poetry to go in the draw.
Susan Hawthorne is a poet, publisher and academic. Her book, Earth’s Breath, was shortlisted for the 2010 Judith Wright Poetry Award. She is Adjunct Professor in the Writing Program at James Cook University and the author of books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction, including co-editing (with Bronwyn Winter) the classic anthology, September 11, 2001: Feminist perspectives. Her latest collections of poetry are Valence and Cow.
Tonight (Friday 2 December) Susan Hawthorne will be reading from Valence at a special event at Collected Works from 6pm. We asked Susan some questions about Valence and her other recent collection Cow.
With Valence, Susan commits to words the horrors of war that have been left unspoken. She shatters the conspiracy of silence and dares to draw links between militarism, fundamentalism and the sex industry. She rails against the violence of war and contemplates the link between place and the history of war that is infused into the earth. With a fresh examination of her surroundings, she considers the endless cycle of war that survives on the persistence of hope—hope of an end to war, hope of an end to suffering.
How did you come up with the title Valence for the collection?
The word Valence was in one of the poems and then although I knew its meaning, I chased it up in the dictionary and found out that it had multiple meanings all of which seemed to work with the poem in different ways (grab a copy and check out the back cover for meanings).
Tell us about your personal connections with war? How did that influence the poetry?
My connections with war are once removed – my father was a pilot in WWII; my mother a secretary to an army man in WWII; my uncle a prisoner in Changi; my grandmother a nurse in WWI. I also know friends living in other countries who have had first hand experience of war; I’ve heard first hand accounts of those wars; I have written about war and protested wars. I began to understand more about war while working on the anthology (with Bronwyn Winter) September 11, 2001: Feminist Perspectives. Growing up with stories of the war also seeps into one – and it is the mix of these experiences that come out in the poems.
Can you explain the links between militarism, fundamentalism and the sex industry?
Militarism, fundamentalism and the sex industry share the same ideology. Traumatised and vulnerable individuals become fodder for war and religion and pornography and prostitution.
What’s your favourite poem from the collection?
At the moment it is probably poem 6 about Sabra and Shatila, but these things change.
What do you hope people will take away from the collection?
I hope they feel the horror of war. That you don’t need to have been shot at to feel empathy with others who have been in wars. If we think about it, nearly all of us know someone directly affected by war. This could be the basis of collective action if only we can draw on that to energise our protests and critiques.
Now let’s talk about your previous collection, Cow. Cow leaps and flies into imaginative realms carrying mythology and language. Cow creates the universe, the galaxies and travels through the sky as a herd of stars. Cow writes love poetry and ponders lost histories.
How did your time at the University of Madras, India influence your writing of this collection of poetry?
Being in India, specifically being in Chennai had a profound affect on the collection. It would have been much shorter had I not gone to India. In Chennai, you see cows in temples, on roadways; you see them depicted in all kinds of art; Indian religion and culture is full of stories about cows.
Which is your favourite poem? And what’s the significance?
The three poems from pp. 12 –16 were originally a single poem. The story behind this poem was told to me by a friend V Geetha just a couple of weeks into my stay in Chennai. When I wrote it, I knew that I had the beginning of a structure for the book. Up until then, I had been writing but didn’t understand how what I was writing would hold together. I asked permission to use the story and read a semi-final version to her and some other friends on my second last day in India. Once Queenie appeared, she took over the manuscript – and then her friends just kept coming to the party!
How long did it take you to produce this collection?
I started thinking about this collection in early 2006. I began collecting – mentally – stories, ideas, images. I think I started writing it in late 2008 – although some poems were written from 2007 onwards. I worked continuously on it throughout 2009. Four months of that time was in India. 2010 was spent rewriting; finding a shape; throwing out the first structure; rewriting; finding another structure; rewriting and close editing. About 41/2 to 5 years.
What was the biggest difference between this collection and your previous collections?
Writing from the persona of a cow was a great pleasure. It allowed me all kinds of freedoms I hadn’t experienced before. It also forced me to think differently. It’s the only time I have had the chance to immerse myself for a whole year in writing.
What’s the best place to write?
The best place to write is somewhere that gives you mental space. An exploratory space. Sometimes that is in my study at home; Being in Chennai consolidated my explorations.
Can you describe the collection in 10 words?
From p. 149: I am…just a cow who wants to change the world
