World of Writing - Poet Interview
Bri Bruce is a Pushcart Prize nominee and award-winning California poet. For those of you who are not familiar with that, Pushcart Prize is an American-based honorary literary award organization. With a bachelor’s degree in literature and creative writing, Ms. Bruce is the editor-in-chief of the nature-themed literary magazine Humana Obscura - an independent literary magazine that focuses on nature-themed genres. Bri is also the author of four books: The Weight of Snow, The Starling's Song, 28 Days of Solitude, and Measures. Bri invites our readers to reach out to her on Instagram or visit her website @ BriBruceProductions.net
A: I am undeniably a nature poet. Most of my work speaks to the human/nature relationship, and connects emotional states of the speaker to their present surroundings. I’m also inspired by the human experience at large. Pain, love, death, all of it, that is so a part of our existence. I’m an observer in a lot of my work and I feel this stems from my love for looking at things in a factual, truthful way, telling things as they are and as I see them.
Q: Do you still have the first piece you wrote?
While I don’t have the first piece I wrote, I do have a copy of the anthology in which my first poem was published in in 2003’s Celebrate! Young Poets Speak Out. I was in junior high, and my teacher at the time encouraged me to submit, obviously having recognized my propensity to write poetry. Without looking at it now, I couldn’t tell you what it was about, though! I had a number of early acceptances, most of which I’ve forgotten, but every once in a while I’ll go through some of my early work and I either hold on to it for nostalgia’s sake (and to see how I’ve grown as a writer) or cringe and shred it.
Q: What is your typical workday like? (Do you stick to a writing schedule? Do you set daily goals?)
I may be one of the few writers that has no writing schedule or doesn’t dedicate a specific daily or even yearly goal. I write only when inspiration strikes. But if the creative juices are flowing, I try to maximize it and give myself the time and space to keep up the momentum. I’ll seize the opportunity to become immersed—mostly because I’m never sure when the next creative period will come. It really is spur of the moment, and I have to be ready when it hits me.
Q: What have been your most embarrassing or challenging moments, and what did you learn from them?
Criticism, especially negative criticism, is always a challenge. But I’d be in trouble if I were a writer without a thick skin and an ability to take rejection in stride. It’s par for the course. I’ll never forget the comments from a peer in one of my college poetry workshops telling me that I should give up writing and become a painter and my words were wasted in being too imagistic.
I learned that my work is not for everyone, and I’m okay with that. It makes it even more special when my work resonates with someone.
Q: What is a small joy that you celebrate often?
Writing down an idea or a phrase in a notebook I always carry with me. These inspire works later on, and each snippet is like a promise of something more to come. I’ve often been told I have a unique writing style in that I do not write any piece from start to finish in one sitting. Rather, my poems are a compilation of these phrases, or even just a few words, written over time. I imagine it’s much like weaving together a tapestry of different threads or moments, finding a common theme between them and crafting a story.
Q: Was there an early experience in your life that showed you that the way you write affects people in a powerful way?
Readers consistently share that they got emotional reading my work. This is always powerful. The first time I shared my work with my family was after putting together a more autobiographical chapbook of poems as a teenager (heavily inspired by Laurie Lico Albanese’s Blue Suburbia that I found at a bookstore in their free pile). My stepmom still to this day talks about how emotional she was while reading it, and that it gave her not only a window into my soul but made her reflect on her own life.
Knowing that my words can affect readers in such a way leads me to believe that my work and my own human experiences are relatable. Being able to forge these deep connections with readers in this way is really incredible.
Q: Do you attend coffee houses, open mic, type of events? what have you experienced in this regard?
I am absolutely terrified of any form of public speaking and have been my entire life. Thing being said, the events I’ve participated in are small in number and were a huge leap outside my comfort zone. However, my work was received well at each event and I did enjoy getting to meet and network with other writers.
I can only hope that as I get older I can become more comfortable with these outlets and better cope with (I doubt I’ll ever conquer) my fear of public speaking; I understand the value they can have and the opportunity a reading presents, I somehow just can’t quite get over this phobia. It’s a massive challenge for me.
As for coffee houses, I will say that they’re one of my favorite places to write. I’d just prefer not to do an open mic in one!
Thank you Bri for joining us and sharing this insight into the realm of poetry :)
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