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Allison Lorum Hilborn (left) and June Sylvester Saraceno, (right) |
Comments (4)Dynamic Duo Make Good with Published Chapbooks
Published: December 12, 2006by Eve Quesnel
English Professor June Sylvester Saraceno and one of her previous students, Allison Hilborn, say they are a “two-woman support group.” In the competitive world of poetry, they help one another at every stage in the writing process while pursuing the unrelenting ambition of getting published. Especially when one of them receives one of those ‘good effort but no thanks’ kind of letters, the other one is right there to cheer her forward. Recently, instead of consoling, they were celebrating… jointly, in a case of almost unheard of good fortune.
In November, the two poets each independently landed publishing deals with Pudding House Press (which amazingly was at the top of both of their lists since the press publishes writers whose company Saraceno and Hilborn wanted to join: Annie Finch, C.B. Follett, Virgil Suarez, Ilya Kaminsky and others). Pudding House accepted chapbooks from both authors: Hilborn’s “Crooked” and Saraceno’s “Mean Girl Trips” – an amazing coincidence since Editor Jennifer Bosveld says the publisher only accepts a “trace amount” of manuscripts submitted.
Saraceno, who is the English Program Chair at Sierra Nevada College, said she is feeling quite proud and honored to be in the company of other poets published by Pudding House. Plus, Saraceno just received notice the Conference of New Directions in Humanities, in Paris, accepted a paper she wrote concerning the dual publishing journey. If all goes well with funding opportunities and planning, she and Allison may head to Europe to present the piece.
Before we talked about Saraceno’s recent publication, I wanted to know some of her thoughts on poetry. Whether interviewing a novelist, nonfiction writer, or poet, I’m always curious what artists believe is the role of art, in society and in our personal lives. Here is Saraceno’s response: “Poetry grows out of the common experiences we have in life: giving birth, getting old or angry, slicing a finger instead of an onion, falling in love, eating crow, those sorts of things. Because it gives voice to our ordinary experiences, I think the real place for poetry is integrated into everyday life, not walled up in academic fortresses or part of some bizarre subculture.” Said like a poet!
Now, let me explain what a chapbook is. It’s a small collection of poems filling 15 to 35 pages, as opposed to a full length manuscript of 48 to 100 pages. Chapbooks, Saraceno explained, enables poets to keep writing while in the process of sending full manuscripts. The genesis of Saraceno’s newly published chapbook, “Mean Girl Trips,” began as means to avoid boredom during a long layover at an airport. Mean Girl Trips, Saraceno told me, “recounts a series of trips, but not all are real, some are imagined.” We follow one woman’s journey to Disneyland, Vancouver, Washington D.C., Carson City and San Francisco and even to France and Bavaria.
And the name, Mean Girl? I asked.
“Sometimes we feel cranky. With good cause or without any explanation, we just feel mean,” she responded. “You know, there are moments when you feel out of sorts, and on the outside everything seems fine, but inside it’s different.” Saraceno’s newly published work responds to some of those trepidations and the questions concerning What ifs? Like in the poem “Mean Girl at the Mall,” Saraceno addresses the fear of being homeless and considers how someone would contemplate the tools of survival. In this poem, Mean Girl “Samples everything: chocolate, cologne, the massage chair in/ Brookstone. She plans how to live here if ever she’s homeless. Notes which bathrooms are best. The Barnes and Noble library for her/rainy days, the Body Shop delights after her morning wash in the/Macy’s ladies room, an endless buffet at that cheese and ham/shop…” “Mean Girl Trips” also reveals those moments when we don’t feel obligated to follow the shoulds in life and so instead act impulsively and honestly. In “Au Pair,” Mean Girl admits her sordid but honest epiphany about one of the children she cares for: “J.O. is the only child I’ve ever hated.”
Hilborn’s chapbook, “Crooked,” speaks about the tough things we all face in life: relationships, depression, and identity. Especially for women.
“Confessional writing allows us to write about our personal journeys. And for the reader, my hope is that women connect to new realizations, so that they can move forward.” According to Hilborn, the written word’s power is its propulsion in making the unspoken, tangible, and speaking to our common bond: “We really are all the same and poetry exposes that sameness.”
But writing poetry is tricky, Hilborn confesses. Because poetry is a condensed form, the writer must find the exact words that capture a moment, a sense, or experience. One must get rid of any unnecessary words so that the writing gets to the heart of the matter, succinctly; this is where the Saraceno and Hilborn team flourishes. Not only do they act as each other’s guides by suggesting writing prompts, asking thoughtful questions, and lending constructive criticism, but they also edit each other’s works so that those exact words are the most productive. Having Saraceno’s expertise in the editing process, one of the most significant parts in the collaborative process, is indispensable, Hilborn said.
For both Hilborn and Saraceno, poetry is everyday life. It is a means for expression, a design for connection, and a way to represent ourselves. Poetry is us.
As a way to let off steam, maybe we should all write poetry to express our feelings, even when we’re feeling darn right cantankerous.
To pick up copies of Mean Girls and Crooked, stop by Bookshelf at Hooligan Rocks in the Safeway shopping center and for information, visit http://hilborn-saraceno.blogspot.com/. To hear the Saraceno/Hilborn team read their poems, join them at Sierra Nevada College on January 24. The event is free and open to the public.
(From Mean Girl Trips)
Gold Rush Breakdown
(excerpt)
Mean girl at the wheel again:
flying through the mountains,
over Donner Pass, under Castle Peak, through Crystal Springs.
She’s shedding all this nature like old skin, to get to the city again.
The sharp cliffs can’t snag her speed,
a hawk circles and
disappears, tangled up in blue blares out, but she reads signs and decides these are good omens all…
(From Crooked)
Intricate
I am Josh’s addictions.
I am Sadie’s slight hunch.
I am Heather’s want to be loved.
I am Scout, chasing his tail.
I am Meaghan’s need to be caught.
I am Mom’s desire to please.
I am Jeremy’s thoughtful eyes.
I am Dad’s loud stereo.
I am Sam’s driving record.
I am Gina’s laughter.
I am Friday’s ashes.
I am crooked.
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