JM: How were you introduced to writing, and how do you think your poetry has developed and changed since you first started writing?

LH: I've been writing for as long as I knew how to. In fourth/fifth grade I wrote a novella about a girl who disguises herself as a Union soldier in the Civil War that was about as good as a historical novel written by a 9-year-old can be. I wanted to be a singer/songwriter for a while too, and then discovered I have basically no musical talent. But I didn't start seriously writing poetry until the sixth grade. I had an amazing writing teacher who dedicated the entire month of April and some of May to reading/writing poetry, and by the end of the unit we would turn in an entire booklet of original poems (so basically a chapbook). I was going through quite a bit in the sixth grade that only my writing teacher was understanding/sympathetic about. He really encouraged me to use the poems as an outlet for my grief. At the end of the year, I had gotten an A on the booklet, and won an award for it. Before then I had felt like I wasn't truly good at anything, and I feel like "I started taking writing seriously because some adults said I had a gift for it" isn't the best answer to have, but for an unpopular, anxious, depressed 12-year-old, it was the best thing I could've had at that time.

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JM: Who have been your biggest inspirations?

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LH: Oh lord, so many people! On a personal level, I've always been inspired by my mother, who has always been my #1 supporter in my poetry and everything else in my life. Many of the poems in my upcoming book mention her and her influence; the whole collection is dedicated to her. I also moved to Boise, ID 4 months ago after spending about 3 months here in the spring/summer, and have the absolute best group of friends I could ask for. Many of them are also poets, so it's been nice to have people that I can bounce ideas off of, and they can do the same with me, but we've also just built such a beautiful support system. I think we all had a lot of issues with having/keeping friends as children, so there are just days where we'll be sitting around or texting one another in the group chat and we'll just talk about how grateful we are for one another. I didn't have that before this, and it's the most beautiful thing in the world to me.

 

When it comes to writing/performing poetry, I'm pretty much in a constant state of feeling inspired. Off the top of my head: Hieu Minh Nguyen's work got me to write about being abused for the first time, and I will always be grateful for that. I saw Desireé Dallagiacomo perform at Individual World Poetry Slam in 2014 and Women of the World Poetry Slam in 2015 (she placed 3rd overall at both), and everything about her work made me braver. Rachel McKibbens is probably my all-time favorite poet; so much of her work has torn me apart then carefully put me back together. I also took an online workshop run by her when I was 16, and it is definitely still one of the best decisions I ever made. In my home-city of Tucson, AZ, there's a gorgeous poetry open mic curated by Teré Fowler-Chapman called Words on the Ave., and they continue to be one of the most inimitable, necessary writers/activists/organizers I've had the pleasure of meeting and becoming close with.

I am also so honored to be published by Rising Phoenix Press with Darshana Suresh and Linette Reeman, who write fiercely and beautifully about being gay/trans and having mental illnesses, and are overall fantastic people. Darsh's chapbook Fleur was published in August, and Linette's collection will be published sometime this year I think, and I cannot recommend them both enough!

 

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JM: You mentioned that your first full-length book of poetry, Survive like the Water, is being published through Rising Phoenix Press alongside the work of poets you admire. What are you most excited for people to see when the book comes out? How is this experience different from publishing your chapbooks Girls Invent Gods and Warrior Worrier?

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LH: This book has been in the works for about 2 years, under many different names and with a bunch of different poems cycling in and out of the manuscript. This probably sounds super corny but it really did become a part of me. I talk about a lot of events in my life that for a while I didn't have the words for, and was afraid to talk about. I read a lot of these poems at different slams and open mics, and sometimes I was shaking and crying so hard that I couldn't make it through them. Survive Like the Water has become a symbol of bravery for me. Like, if I can write an entire book about everything that tried to kill me and then heal from it, I can make it through this shift at work. I can make this scary phone call. I can get out of bed and be ok. So, I think I'm really excited for people to read this book and hopefully draw something from it? Bravery, hope, anger. Any feeling would be ok with me at this point I think.

The process of working with a press vs. self-publishing has been kind of different in that I have two amazing people doing a lot of the work with formatting and marketing that I've only ever been decent at. Also, Christian and Kelsey at Rising Phoenix are the most compassionate, thoughtful editors I've ever met, so getting emails from them about anything having to do with the book at this point is an absolute treat. So, working with an official team makes things feel a whole lot less scattered, and I like that a lot. Also, I'm having a book release show on the 26th, which I've never done before! I'm super anxious but also super excited, especially since three of my best friends and favorite poets will be opening for me. And I have a really really cute outfit.

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JM: On social media, you’ve announced that this year you’re writing a poem a day, and have even posted some snippets. How is that progressing? Do you have any intention of assembling them at the end of the year and making them public (as a chapbook or otherwise,) or is it primarily a personal project? Other than that, do you have any resolutions or hopes/wishes for the new year?

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LH: Writing a poem a day has honestly been super fun so far. However I did just start a new job so I totally skipped a day this week. I'm in a really great Facebook group with other friends who are taking on this challenge and we've kind of just decided that we make our own rules for something like this. So, I'm letting myself play catch up on my days off. I don't really have a concrete plan for all the poems yet. At the end of January I'll be looking through everything I wrote to edit and maybe submit some pieces to journals? A lot of them may never see the light of day, but I might end up using a bunch of them in a future project! Other than that, I don't really have any resolutions other than goals. I just applied to college for the first time, and if I'm accepted I'll hopefully start in the fall. I'm trying for Boise's National Poetry Slam team this spring, and if I make it I'll be going to Denver in August with 3 or 4 other rad poets. I was able to start the year off with incredibly low anxiety levels (which is an amazing development for me), so my biggest goal is honestly just keeping my mind like this: content and quiet. So far, so good.

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JM: If you could travel back in time, would you tell your younger self not to worry about what others thought of your poetry? Do you think your poetry would be the same?

 

LH: I feel like I would, but I would also tell her to take constructive feedback a little better. I used to get really offended at any sort of criticism, even if it was polite and helpful. It still happens sometimes, especially with big projects or poems I feel a certain way about. So it'd probably be more like "Hey, you're good at this poem thing, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. But also you're not perfect at it so maybe listen to those critiques you get from people you really respect. I promise they don't hate you."

 

My poetry would probably at least be within the same vein of what it is now. Maybe I'd be trying more new things or I'd be a little more confident???? Who knows, I don't wanna play God like that.

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JM: Have there been any books, music, movies, or shows tugging at your heart strings lately? When you get really into something, do you see it reflected in your work?

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LH: Always! I just finished Netflix's adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events this afternoon and I can't stop thinking about it. Those books were my favorite as a child, so it was so wonderful to see it get the screen adaptation it's always deserved. I listen to all different kinds of music, and that has always deeply affected my work. I first listened to Sufjan Stevens' Carrie & Lowell about a year ago, and I think a majority of the poems I've written in that time are secretly dedicated to him and everything that album did for me. R.E.M.'s music was a huge part of my childhood and adolescence, and a lot of their songs have been coming up in my work recently. I just have a lot of feelings about Michael Stipe's voice. But yeah, other pieces of media have always affected my writing. Two of my most popular poems (and two of the best poems I think I've ever written) are about the movie Blue is the Warmest Colour and a Nine Inch Nails song. Books, music, movies, TV, they've always been ways for me to cope, or try to explain what's going through my head.

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JM: To stay true to our name, do you like sweet or sour food better?

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LH: Haha, is savory an option? This past year I developed an awful intolerance for most sweet foods (although I'm still very big on soda, lemonade and other sugary drinks), and I'm not too big on sour foods either.

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