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Five Fishes: Your poems have a lot to say about racism. Were there any specific events in your life that inspired you to write about it?

January O’Neil: Not specifically. I talk about race but I’m really talking about family. This is who I am and where I came from. I am a first-generation removed from the U.S. Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, raising two children twice removed from the movement. I feel I am only scratching the surface of experience, and what happens when race and culture intersect.

F.F.: Your poems also bring up your parents quite often. Growing up, were you close to them? What were they like?

J.O.: I’m still am very close to my parents—maybe because I’m an only child. They have been married for more than 40 years. They are characters in their own right—funny, warm-hearted, and very proud.

F.F.: If your childhood was a flavor of ice cream, which one would it be?

J.O.: It would be chocolate. (That’s right, I said chocolate!)

F.F.: Speaking of which, if you could sit down and eat a bowl of delicious ice cream with any writers, who would you pick?

J.O.: This question saddens me because I would have a bowl of ice cream with Lucille Clifton, who just passed away in mid-February. I was close to studying with her years ago at NYU, but she was sick the semester she was supposed to teach. I don’t have many regrets in life but I regret never taking a class with Ms. Clifton.

F.F.: What is your process in sitting down to write?

J.O.: Starbucks is my favorite place to write. I need activity and noise to help me focus on the page. I’ll write in my journal for 10-15 minutes, then I’ll transcribe everything to my laptop. It’s not a draft until it has a shape.

If I can’t get to Starbucks, then I’ll write on my laptop after the kids have gone to bed. I try to write a poem a week (not so much this year since Underlife was published), and I’ll try to do a poem a month in April and November.

F.F.: And what is your process in picking stanza lengths in your poems?

J.O.: I don’t pick stanza lengths; I write until I have nothing more to say. In other words, unless I’m writing in some sort of form, I let the content dictate how the poem should look on the page.

F.F.: How do you find your and Nin Andrews’ poems fit together during your shared readings?

J.O.: We’re both from Virginia—two southern girls at heart! Nin’s poetry is so thoughtful and alive with humor. My poems tend to be darker with humor sprinkled throughout. Our work contrasted each other well.

F.F.: Tell me about the process and excitement of releasing your first book of poetry.

J.O.: It took two years for Underlife to be released. During that time, I chose cover art, submitted and published poems in journals, built e-mail lists, and worked on my blog—so the time was well spent. Nothing compares to holding the first book in your hands. I give poetry readings from the first book; it’s a reminder to always enjoy the moment because it is fleeting.

F.F.: You are very involved in the writing and poetry community, even for an established writer, which is saying a lot. What keeps your love of the craft so strong?

J.O.: Poetry is about community. A poem is a connection between the writer and reader. Some of the best poetry written today comes from poets who will never publish a book, and don’t aspire to do so. I don’t want to miss the opportunity to discover something new. Meaning, I don’t want to miss an opportunity to discover something about myself.

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Five Fishes thanks Ms. O’Neil for doing this interview, and we wish the best of luck to the success of her book. Be sure to give it a look, and to check out the CavanKerry website, too.

- C.J.

English Dept newsletter

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Five Fishes: Being a writer and an editor at the same time can be a pretty heavy load. What are the differences in pleasure that you get in having your own work published versus publishing the work of others?

Melanie Browne: I have a sense of pride in the stories and poems we publish. I think it’s a lot of fun to see their work come to life online. We try to pass on compliments we get on the work  along  to the writers. They earned it. We let them know.

As far as my own work, I have to work pretty hard. I get a lot of rejections also, along with some acceptances, and submitting can be a time-consuming process as well.

Robert Henry: Publishing the work of others seems like it matters a lot more than having my own work published. I’m not sure if this is because I don’t really write about anything, or because it’s a lot easier to be objective about other people’s art. The biggest difference is that I tend to still enjoy their work by the time we’ve published it in Leaf Garden. I think the actual process of writing is much more important than getting published, but once something is finished, what else is there to do with it besides eventually ship it off to someone’s inbox or set it on fire? (I do both.)

F.F.: Is there any sense of competition there?

M.B.: Not really. There are so many talented writers in the world. I enjoy writing  and I know others do too, for the same or different reasons.

F.F.: When and how did you start up your own literary journal?

R.H.: It was towards the end of 2008 when I became interested in publishing (again.) At the same time I remember watching this movie about a social experiment. This experiment was a record label that allowed the artists to have complete control over their music. I really liked that, and I thought I could apply it to literature. A friend and I designed a hand-bound collection, but he flaked on this project before distribution.

So, I started looking for someone to help me try again. I guess I’m obsessed with books but prone to false starts. A few months later, I remember e-mailing Melanie (a stranger at the time) a poem in response to one of her poems. We’ve been friends since, and then everything kind of started to fall into place with Leaf Garden.

F.F.: How does the co-editing process work? I mean, how do you two split up and share the responsibilities and duties that come along with the job?

M.B.: We both read and accept and reject. Robert is younger than I am, so he might be up at 2 am reading submissions. We work as one mind, which is unusual. We agree on almost everything. Occasionally he likes something I’m neutral on, or vice-versa, but we trust each other’s judgement.

R.H.:

We’re not very organized about splitting up the work. In general, we both handle submissions, often discussing them. Sometimes we “go rogue” and accept and reject on our own. We rarely disagree on things, though. This freedom as co-editors allows the journal to remain more eclectic, which is really important for me. Even if Melanie accepts work I’m not too keen on, it has my support. I know she has good tastes.

I handle all the technical junk like the website and the designing of the issues and books. Essentially, I’m the maintenance guy on top of being a co-editor.

F.F.: Do either of you ever want to fire the other? Be honest now.

R.H.: Hah. No. As much as I like publishing people’s work, the friendship with Melanie Browne is honestly the best part about co-editing the journal. If there’s a point where she needs to stop being co-editor, I’ll probably never find another co-editor that I get along with so well.

M.B.: Yes, or vice-versa, we get into tiffs now and again. I wouldn’t call them arguments, just misunderstandings. It can be a challenge to communicate everything online.

F.F.: What advice would you give to other writers about time management?

M.B.: Writing is hard work, and even if it isn’t how you earn a living, you are essentially working two jobs if you are a writer. Sometimes you just have to be lazy too. Watch VH1.

F.F.: If Robert Frost and William Carlos Williams both (somehow) submitted work to your journal and you were only able to publish one of the two, who would you choose?

M.B.: I guess  William Carlos Williams because I like chickens and wheelbarrows.

R.H.: I’d reject both. I don’t put up with ultimatums. So if you talk to them, tell them I said, “Nyeh.”

F.F.: Lastly, what inspired you to start writing in the first place?

M.B.: I originally kept a blog on Myspace, as a way to express myself. Then I was introduced to some poet friends, and I gave poetry a try.

R.H.: I wanted to start a revolution. Actually, I don’t know. There was no defining moment where I said, “Oh, I’m going to be a writer.” I never felt like I had an important purpose or story to tell. I just started writing very young. I was/am the type of kid that just sang/sings random words, and it seemed like these things should be on paper. I think instead of imaginary friends, I had pieces of paper. I remember the first time I read Hatchet by Gary Paulsen when people ask me this question. It was the first book I read that really blew my mind with some of its implications about being a human being. I think this book led to my first attempts at writing fiction. I was an impressionable ten-year-old boy, but I’m still in love with that book. It used to seem important to leave behind some kind of legacy. Maybe that’s it?

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Five Fishes wants to gratefully thank both Melanie Browne and Robert Henry for doing this interview. I really enjoyed asking these two fine folks about their passions, and I admit that I giggled at some of their responses. A good insight into the lives of both editors and writers, right? Right. Be sure to check out Leaf Garden Press when you get the chance, too.

- C.J.

- C.J.

Fairchok’s tone in her poems is relatively hard to pin down, but it is enjoyable. It is real. It is the voice of someone who honestly wants to deliver a childhood vision. This book engulfs the reader into Fairchok’s world, one of hard work and honest living. It is a pleasant place to stay.