An Interview with Ohio Poet Wendy McVicker

 

An Interview with Ohio Poet Wendy McVicker

Athens County Ohio 2022 Poet Laureate

The hills of southeastern Ohio are filled with talent. Poetry flows like the many creeks that weave through the hills. One of my favorite local poets is Wendy McVicker. I remember meeting Wendy for the first time at my barn and recognizing her love of words and books. We have met several times since, most often at a poetry workshop or book fair. I connected with her recently and asked her to interview about her writing. Today is the last day of her reign as Athens County Ohio 2022 Poet Laureate. Join me in wishing her well, continued inspiration for her writing, and the best years ahead.

Welcome, Wendy!

GM: What is the premise for your new poetry collection?

WM: My most recent (Zero, a Door; The Orchard Street Press, 2021) focuses on the experiences of being a girl or woman in 20^th/21^st century America: I didn’t set out to do this, but when it came time to put together the collection, I saw that this was what I had. There’s also a fair amount of landscape in there: woods, rivers; the world I know and love. I draw a connection between the treatment of women and the treatment of the natural world.

GM: As a poet, what do you enjoy capturing in your poetry?  

WM: I would say that I am mostly interested in capturing the fleetingness of feelings and experience; in finding the seed that glows within experience; in celebrating (when I can!) life and the world around me. I often think I’m trying to stop time by naming memory and experience; things too often lost in the flow of daily life. I’m always seeking the kernel of silence at the heart of the words.

GM: A prolific poet and the 2022 Athens County Ohio Poet Laureate, your poetry is engaging. Please share a favorite poem from your collection...

WM: what a kind assessment, thank you! When asked to read, I often turn to the first poem in this collection:

Runaway 

She has fled to this field,

seeking cover in the tall grass

that waves past her shoulders,

fills the air with dust.

 

She is not afraid of snakes,

or stinging insects, not afraid

of nettles or poison ivy.

She has other fears, other

torments, and they are back

at the house, with its windows

that watch her still.

She keeps her body

quiet, her face blank,

she doesn’t let her eyes flare

or even look up at the sky.

She can hear the river

slipping past on the other

side of the hill, a promise

she cannot keep.                                     

There is a wood, a stand

of silent trees, and among them

one she will enter, pull

around her, become.

Leaf and branch, roots

sinking into darkness.

And her voice, muted: the wind

that wakes us in the night.

GM: A beautiful poem. How do you maintain thoughts and ideas for future poems?

WM: I take notes! I have a notebook by my side, and a smaller one that travels in my pocket or purse. Sometimes I write things down on random scraps of paper: this can be dangerous! I catch phrases I overhear (or mishear!) or that “come” to me and write them down, see where they take me when I sit down for some quiet time.

GM: Who is your favorite poet?  

WM: Oh, gosh! I love so many poets! William Stafford and Mary Oliver are steady favorites — I think of them as my poet-grandparents; continuing that line, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman would be poet-great-grandparents! I’m very excited about Ada Límon becoming our next US Poet Laureate, as I’ve loved her work for years. There are too many contemporaries I love for me to name; I’d feel awful if I left someone out. I’m excited by the greater variety of voices we get to hear these days.

GM: What are you currently reading?

WM: Two new collections by contemporaries: Pauletta Hansell’s Heartbreak Tree, and Hayley Mitchell Haugen’s The Blue Wife Poems.

GM: What are you currently writing?

WM: At the moment I’m winding up loose ends for my term as Athens Poet Laureate, and preparing for a class I’ll be taking in January. Mostly I’m “noodling” or “scribbling” in the early mornings; not sure what will develop from that just yet.

GM: Do you have advice for novice poets?

WM: Read, read, read! Don’t worry about what you’re “supposed” to like, find poetry that speaks to you. Anthologies are great for finding voices that resonate with you. There are lots of poetry podcasts, and lots of sites that will send you a poem a day. It’s easy to find poetry! Read it aloud (to yourself, a loved one, the dog) to feel the words in your mouth. All the while, write, write, write.

GM: I just joined the Ohio Poetry Association. What other memberships/groups can you recommend?

WM: The Ohio Poetry Association does great things! I’m so glad you’ve become a member. They offer so much: workshops (free or very inexpensive) with interesting poets, various get-togethers throughout the year, information about contest and publication opportunities, monthly open mics… I’m not much of a joiner, but love being part of the OPA. I know there are other organizations devoted to poetry out there that are relatively easy to find.

GM: List 10 things your fans may not know about you...

WM: Ten things!! (1) I hold a black belt in karate and (2) I’ve taught karate for many years (3) I lived in Switzerland for seven years (4) My first child was born in Lausanne (5) I always thought I would have horses when I grew up, but that hasn’t happened…yet…! (6) I’m even shorter than you think (7) When I lived in the French-speaking world, dance was my form of creative expression (8) My oldest child’s first words were in French (9) Given the chance, I love to get onto the floor and engage in make-believe with the experts: young children (10) I’d rather be out in the woods than sitting at a desk!

Connect with Wendy…

Amazon: The Dancer’s Notes

WOUB Interview

The Orchard Street Press