12 or 20 (second series) questions with Mahaila Smith
Mahaila Smith (they/them) is a researcher,poet and editor based on the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabegin Ottawa, Ontario. Their novelette in verse, Seed Beetle, isforthcoming with Stelliform Press. Their recent chapbooks include Water-Kin(Metatron Press 2024) and Enter the Hyperreal (above/ground press 2024).You can find their work on their website at mahailasmith.ca.
1 - How did your first book or chapbook change your life? How does your mostrecent work compare to your previous? How does it feel different?
Myfirst chapbook, Claw Machine, came out in July 2020 with Anstruther Press! I was very lonely that summer, with all of my socializing happened overvideo calls. I launched that collection on Zoom with other new Anstrutherchapbook writers, including Kirby, Ayaz Pirani, Síle Englert andSamuel Strathman. I think the biggest thing that came from that experience wasthe greater sense of belonging I began to feel within the poetrycommunity.
2 - How did you come to poetryfirst, as opposed to, say, fiction or non-fiction?
Ifirst began writing poetry as a child, with strict adherence to rhyme andsyllable count. I treated poetry like a logic puzzle then. When I was inuniversity I read 10:04 by Ben Lerner, which is about a poet in NewYork. That book includes autobiographical poems by the main character and setme on an obsession of writing autofictional poetry for the next couple ofyears.
3 - How long does it take tostart any particular writing project? Does your writing initially come quickly,or is it a slow process? Do first drafts appear looking close to their finalshape, or does your work come out of copious notes?
Usually,if I have an idea, then writing will come fairly quickly, and a poem won'tchange too much after the initial writing. As I write something I reread andedit it a few times to make sure it works.
4 - Where does a poem usuallybegin for you? Are you an author of short pieces that end up combining into alarger project, or are you working on a "book" from the verybeginning?
Inthe past couple of years, I've been writing collections that have overarchingnarratives, including Seed Beetle,and the fungal horror MS I am working on as part of the John Newlove PoetryAward chapbook. I've been enjoying writing initial poems about characters andsettings and seeing how I can build out those worlds.
5 - Are public readings partof or counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who enjoysdoing readings?
Ilike doing readings! Mostly because it's a chance to spend time withother writers I admire. I appreciate getting to hear other people read morethan reading myself. I find it so interesting to hear how others choose whatwords to put together and how they read their work.
6 - Do you have anytheoretical concerns behind your writing? What kinds of questions are youtrying to answer with your work? What do you even think the current questionsare?
Recentlysomeone told me that the main question a lot of people are working towardsis, how do we live well withothers? I think that you could argue that that is the question behindmy new collection. And probably the question behind a lot of work tocome.
7 – What do you see thecurrent role of the writer being in larger culture? Do they even have one? Whatdo you think the role of the writer should be?
Currently,there are a lot of issues with the role of writers. Writers are exploited fromso many sides, rates of pay have stagnated and work is scraped to feed largelanguage models. I think that the current role of writers should be to protestxenophobia and fascism, ideologies that appear to be on the riseinternationally.
8 - Do you find the process ofworking with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?
Ihad the immense pleasure of working with both Lynne Sargent and Selena Middleton on the edits for SeedBeetle. Working closely with outside editors was a new experience for meand definitely an essential one. Their feedback helped make the collection intosomething I'm very proud of.
9 - What is the best piece ofadvice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?
Ithink the best advice I've heard is the work of writing isn't limited to justwriting. Make sure you are spending time with friends, with family, doingthings you enjoy, learning new things. Good writing comes from being inthe world.
10 - What kind of writingroutine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one? How does a typical day(for you) begin?
Ahh!I wish I had a daily writing routine. Everyday is different. I have been doingweekly writing sessions with other poets, including Helen Robertson, Rhiannon Ng Cheng Hin and Ellen Chang-Richardson. I dearly appreciate writing with otherpeople. It keeps me inspired, motivated and accountable to my projects and tomy peers. I am not a morning person, but my mornings often begin with acup of herbal tea. In the past year I started using a website called 4theWords,and that has been motivating for me to hit a consistent daily word count.
11 - When your writing getsstalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word)inspiration?
Iusually turn back to reading, working through my endless tbr pile. CurrentlyI'm reading Marisca Pichette's debut novella, Every Dark Cloud and Tlotlo Tsamaase's Womb City. When I'm stuck on characterdevelopment I like to rewatch Fleabag.
12 - What fragrance remindsyou of home?
Thesmell of lilacs! There were two big lilac bushes in my parents' backyardgrowing up.
13 - David W. McFadden oncesaid that books come from books, but are there any other forms that influenceyour work, whether nature, music, science or visual art?
Iam a frequent visitor to art galleries! I was raised in a family with twogallery curators, so that has always been an important part of my life. I havenot been writing ekphrastic poetry recently, but that is a form I turn to whenI am feeling uninspired. You can read one of my ekphrastic poems, Haze, in the Ekphrastic Review's page dedicated to poetic responsesto Lovers on the Beach by Müfide Kadri.
14 - What other writers orwritings are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work?
Ilove writing that combines humour and sci-fi/fantasy. My all-time favouritewriter is Jasper Fforde. I have already mentioned Ben Lerner, who consistentlyinspires my poetry. Stuart Ross' poems inspire me to write surreality,especially his collection, I Cut My Finger. I attribute my interest in narrative poetry to Autobiography of Red by AnneCarson.
15 - What would you like to dothat you haven't yet done?
Inmy writing work, I would like to complete a novel-length manuscript! I'm alsointerested in trying to do more script-writing.
16 - If you could pick anyother occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or, alternately, what do youthink you would have ended up doing had you not been a writer?
Fora summer, in 2019, I worked as an archaeological field tech for a culturalresource management company. I really miss doing that physical labour. Over thelockdown I became an obsessive baker, and I'm curious about what it would belike to work in a bakery.
17 - What made you write, asopposed to doing something else?
Mainlymy love for reading and hearing stories. I have always loved to make up storiesand write them down. It wasn't really a conscious decision, just something Iwas always compelled to do.
18 - What was the last greatbook you read? What was the last great film?
Thelast great book I read was Cobalt byrecently retired MP Charlie Angus! It's about the history of the silver rush inCobalt Ontario. The last great film I saw was Sing Sing.
19 - What are you currentlyworking on?
Asidefrom the John Newlove Award poetry chapbook and aside from finishing my MA inNorthern studies, I am working on writing a longer fiction piece about sentientmetal, a fibre artist and a mining con man.
