12 or 20 (second series) questions with Jordan Dunn
JordanDunn is theauthor of Notation (Thirdhand Books), Physical Geography as Modifiedby Human Action (Partly Press), as well as various chapbooks and ephemeralprints including Common Names, Reactor Woods, and A Walk atDoolittle State Preserve. He lives with his family in Madison, WI, where heedits and publishes Oxeye Press.
1 -How did your first book or chapbook change your life? How does your most recentwork compare to your previous? How does it feel different?
Ipublished my first book, Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action,with Partly Press in 2022. Partly Press is edited by Chuck Stebelton and housedat the Lynden Sculpture Garden in Milwaukee, which is a wonderful non-profitthat has many missions in addition to running its literary press. This meantthat my first book appeared in a location slightly off-center from traditionalpoetry channels. It felt good to appear in a new space, and that experience helpedme feel confident that poets can appear in different kinds of venues.
My newbook, Notation, is like Physical Geography in that it’s a bookconstructed out of other books, and it relies heavily on intertexts to binditself together. The subject matter of Notation was different for me, however,in that it was partially inspired through more personal experiences, includingthe loss of several friends. Notation also feels different in that itsduration is more containable, and it looks quite different on the page comparedto Physical Geography.
2 -How did you come to poetry first, as opposed to, say, fiction or non-fiction?
I’vealways been attracted to the portability of poetry—it is an activity that canbe adjacent to whatever life I have at any given moment in time. I’m notpositive I’m a poet, but the poets gave me a seat at their table, so here I am,enjoying the good company of poets.
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?
Idon’t know when I am beginning a project. After some time, I notice groups ofconsistencies, and then I focus on those as points of attachment. Because I aminterested in book arts, I often make small handmade editions. So, there’s lotsof variability with time and process and drafting.
4 -Where does a poem usually begin for you? Are you an author of short pieces thatend up combining into a larger project, or are you working on a"book" from the very beginning?
Accumulationover time is necessary for me. I don’t really attempt to compose individualpoems when I’m writing.
5 -Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you thesort of writer who enjoys doing readings?
I usedto be more invested in performativity when I would give readings because mywriting was focused on permutation, and so the reading event felt like anextension of the writing process. These days, I am trying to focus on lifting statictext off the page. I feel like I am struggling with that process because Idon’t like it when text loses its subjectivity.
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?
I’m deeplyinvested in literary community and the answers I can find through friendshipwith other writers and artists. I’m also interested in natural history andunderstanding the local ecologies and landscape histories in my area, as wellas areas that I visit frequently.
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?
As Iunderstand it, literary writing is rapidly becoming an analog fixture in ourculture. That means it could have staying power and be used as a refuge, or itcould gradually empty itself of meaning and become irrelevant. Hopefully therole of the writer is to protect against obsolescence.
8 -Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult oressential (or both)?
Essential!Thank you to my past editors: Chuck Stebelton, Kylan Rice, and Lindsey Webb.
9 -What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to youdirectly)?
Ifinished college at the start of the Great Recession. I was living back athome, I was having a hard time finding work, and I was thinking about taking ajob that involved writing scripts for a company that produced training videosfor corporations. At the time, my dad was an ex-marine banker involved incommercial real estate lending, and when I told him about the job opportunityhe said, “What, are you going to be a fucking sell-out?” So, I instead saved upmoney working in a warehouse, quit that job, and rode my bike across thecountry. Thanks, dad. XO.
10- What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one?How does a typical day (for you) begin?
When I’mat my best and my schedule is at its best: I wake up, let the dog out, makecoffee, and then retreat to my lower-level workspace. I like to write in themorning before the rest of the house wakes up. Often, the carnival of being aparent means I write whenever I can, and I often wear noise-cancelingheadphones.
11- When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack ofa better word) inspiration?
I keepstacks of books around my desk and on shelves above my desk. When I stall, Ipick up a book and read it until something wants to be transcribed, and thenI’m writing again.
12- What fragrance reminds you of home?
LakeSuperior white pine.
13- 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?
All ofthe above. I feel like books are simply placeholders for those other things.
14- What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply yourlife outside of your work?
Toomany to list! A few writers/writings I return to: Susan Howe, Lyn Hejinian,Thomas A. Clark, & Thoreau’s journals, among many others.
15- What would you like to do that you haven't yet done?
Athru-hike, like the AT or the PCT.
16- 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?
Hmm .. . working with living things outside the world of finance?
17- What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?
Repetition.
18- What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film?
Weedsin Winter, byLauren Brown. A few weeks ago, I watched The Lost Daughter.
19- What are you currently working on?
I’mworking on a new manuscript that feels attached to the methods used to writeNotation. I’m trying to distill two years of daily/occasional writing withinfused transcription and travel journals. I’m also working on several littlebook arts projects that include a disappearing prairie, collages from Thoreau’sjournals, images of tidal sand, and images of hackberry bark.
