12 or 20 (second series) questions with Lee Upton
LeeUpton is amulti-genre author of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and literarycriticism. Her novel Wrongful, a literary mystery that deals withwriters behaving badly, is due out in May 2025 from Sagging Meniscus Press. Hercomic novel, Tabitha, Get Up, appeared in May 2024 from the samepublisher. Another novel, The Withers, is forthcoming in 2026 from RegalHouse Publishing. Her other books include The Day Every Day Is (Saturnalia2023); Visitations: Stories; Bottle the Bottles the Bottles the Bottles: Poems; The Tao of Humiliation: Stories; and the essay collection Swallowingthe Sea: On Writing & Ambition Boredom Purity & Secrecy. She isalso the author of an award-winning novella, The Guide to the Flying Island, as well as six additional books of poetry and four books ofliterary criticism. Her poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, TheSouthern Review, The Massachusetts Review, and three editions of BestAmerican Poetry.
1 -How did your first book change your life? How does your most recent workcompare to your previous? How does it feel different?
Myfirst book was a collection of poetry, The Invention of Kindness. Itopened up new and gratifying friendships for me. Wrongful is a literarymystery and, as such, differs a great deal from my previous book, a comicnovel—Tabitha, Get Up. This new book, Wrongful, feels quitedifferent because questions about evil animate the book. It’s a romance, insome ways, but there’s terror lurking.
2 -How did you come to poetry first, as opposed to, say, fiction or non-fiction?
Poetrycame most naturally to me—the way rhythm and images unfold, the way associativelinks lead us through a poem. It hastaken me a long time to learn how to orchestrate fiction in which cause andeffect propel at least some outward action. Writing both poetry and fiction issatisfying—you can’t help but find yourself inside mysteries within othermysteries.
3 -How long does it take to start any particular writing project? Does yourwriting initially come quickly, or is it a slow process? Do first drafts appearlooking close to their final shape, or does your work come out of copiousnotes?
I tendto work on multiple manuscripts at the same time—and things move quite slowly.When I hit a wall in one area, I work on another manuscript. By the time Ireturn to the original trouble-making manuscript, I may discover a solution.This way of working means that multiple manuscripts finish at roughly the sametime. My final drafts often are very different from my first attempts.
4 -Where does a poem or work of prose usually begin for you? Are you an author ofshort pieces that end up combining into a larger project, or are you working ona "book" from the very beginning?
Mypoems, short stories, and essays tend to have individual lives and often stubbornlyresist becoming part of a collection. Or so I tend to think at first. And thenI realize that the same obsessions are winding their way through much of thework.
5 -Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you thesort of writer who enjoys doing readings?
I likereadings. It’s only the hours before readings that tend to be problematic forme. I’ve hardly ever not been a nervous person. Once I begin reading, however,I’m often very happy to voice the work.
6 -Do you have any theoretical concerns behind your writing? What kinds ofquestions are you trying to answer with your work? What do you even think thecurrent questions are?
In Tabitha,Get Up (2024) I was concerned with issues of self-trust and how we mayattempt to defeat entropy and create sustaining meaning. In my new novel WrongfulI’m interested in questions of evil, how evil always has its “reasons” and aself-perpetuating vitality. Wrongful is not only about the temptationstoward bad behavior that writers and all of us face; it’s also about readersand reading—the intimate romance of reading
7 –What do you see the current role of the writer being in larger culture? Do theyeven have one? What do you think the role of the writer should be?
Thisis an individual matter, but it seems that writers should be profoundlygrateful to whoever taught them to read and write and find their way to newadventures through the imagination. We can help others find their way bymentoring and by allowing ourselves continual freedom to be bold in our own writing.
8 -Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult oressential (or both)?
I’ve beenable to work with marvelous editors and publishers and designers. Publishing takesa willing and devoted team, and I’ll always feel gratitude for those I’veworked with.
9 -What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to youdirectly)?
“Relax.”It sounds so insulting, but it’s pretty good advice. If you can relax, your ownmind will give you something to imagine and consider…
10- How easy has it been for you to move between genres (poetry to fiction to non-fiction)?What do you see as the appeal?
Eachform is difficult. Moving toward extended time and action frames in the novel wasespecially challenging for me, given my general proclivities. Each genre comesbearing its own gifts for discovering whatever mystery we might be avoidingotherwise.
11- What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one?How does a typical day (for you) begin?
I’mnow able to write full-time, and so my life is very different from the dayswhen I was working full-time and had small children and many other obligations.Typically, now, my day begins with too much coffee, and then maybe with mymaking a list about what I want to do, and then—if I don’t have any largerresponsibilities—I dive into working. Usually on my laptop first. Then I printout the manuscript and revise. Next, I put those revisions into my manuscripton the laptop, and the process begins again. And again.
12- When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack ofa better word) inspiration?
Iusually read poetry or fiction—to hear another voice. I might pace around thehouse…I might eat something, like chocolate. Chocolate needs no defense.
13- What fragrance reminds you of home?
Lilacs.
14- David W. McFadden once said that books come from books, but are there anyother forms that influence your work, whether nature, music, science or visualart?
Visualart, flowers, trees, talking with family members, overheard conversations
15- What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply yourlife outside of your work?
I’m inspiredby the writing of Muriel Spark, Iris Murdoch, Emily Dickinson, Tomas Transtromer, Anita Brookner, Tracy K. Smith, Margot Livesey, Timothy Liu, Charles Holdefer, Rachel Cusk….and so many others. I’m fortunate to have a number offriends who are writers, and they’re deeply important to me.
16- What would you like to do that you haven't yet done?
Ithink it would be nice to stay for a while in a cottage by the sea and takelong walks every day. And have marvelous hot soup on those days. (I sounddeluded. I’m actually serious. It would be so nice.)
17- If you could pick any other occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or,alternately, what do you think you would have ended up doing had you not been awriter?
If Icould pick up another gift and had the talent…I would still want to be awriter. For the freedom and the adventure of it. If I couldn’t be a writer andwere suddenly gifted with ability, I’d want to be a singer who worked onoriginal material. Which really means being a writer with vocal range…
18- What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?
I’vewanted to be a writer since childhood. I also, as a child, wanted to be a spy.Now I don’t want to be a spy. Although writing is a little like trying to spyinto the depths of the culture’s hidden life.
19- What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film?
Lastgreat book: The Sea, The Sea, by Iris Murdoch.
Lastgreat film: 1900, by Bernardo Bertolucci
20- What are you currently working on?
I’mworking on poems—always—and I’m redrafting a novel in which a younger visualartist believes her life has been dramatically damaged by her relationship withan older artist. I’m also rewriting acouple of novel manuscripts that I lost faith in earlier. I’m now trying togive those manuscripts new and more exciting lives.
