Witches in My Future: An Interview with Tina Parker

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Christopher McCurry: I just picked up your beautiful new book, Mother May I (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2016) from The Wild Fig. How did it feel to hold your debut collection in your hands?

Tina Parker: Thank you so much for supporting my work in buying my book! To hold my debut collection in my hands? In many ways, I still can’t believe I have. It feels surreal and gratifying, and I am filled with gratitude.

It’s my pleasure! What I’ve read so far I really like. Kind of an off-the-wall question here, but most of my favorite books of poetry are from local authors, is that true for you? And if so, do you think every city/state with a thriving writing community feels the same about their immediate and living writers, or are we just lucky?

We are so lucky in Kentucky! I often wonder if it’s true in other places, or perhaps our state just has the perfect mix of talent and opportunities for emerging writers to interact with those established Kentucky authors. I’ve had the chance to take workshops with and/or be mentored by some of my favorite poets: James Baker Hall, George Ella Lyon, Katerina Stoykova-Klemer, Leatha Kendrick, Bianca Spriggs, and Rebecca Howell. I am incredibly grateful to them, and to the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning and Wild Fig Coffee and Books for providing the venues for my learning.

My family was out of the house this evening and rather than do any chores around the house, I read your book. First, I want to say congratulations and thank you for these poems. Second, what struck me pretty senseless were the quick transitions from humor and delight to the dark and self/soul-rending nature of parenting. Admittedly, my four-year-old is about to go to kindergarten, so I might be a perfect audience for these poems, but I honestly think, regardless of that, you’ve gotten right down into the messy parts of the relationship between mothers and children (something everyone can relate to, since we all come from mothers). This is isn’t a question, so much as extended and well-deserved praise. To turn it back: what poem in the collection taught you the most? Which one surprised you?

Tina Parker author photo I’m so glad the poems resonate with you. I really want the book to make its way into the hands of readers who need it the most. To hear that has happened for you just floors me.

A poem immediately came to mind, and it’s the same poem for both questions: “When my four-year-old asks mama will me and Opal die one day I want to say no.” It continues to surprise me because it is so raw, rough, and loaded with emotion. It captures a time in mamahood when I just flatlined. I felt anxious, constantly second-guessing every parenting move. I also felt isolated, like every mama had this whole parenting thing down.

Except for me–I was sure I was scarring our children for life. On top of all this was guilt for not being as others thought I should be. Everyone, even strangers, told me to “just enjoy them.” So why couldn’t I?

I learned so much about myself from this poem, and I also learned to push myself in terms of format. I often joke that I thought for a while I’d have a poetry collection of one-line poems because I wrote in the 5 minutes or less I had to spare. At the same time I was sifting through my journal for these one-liners, I was also reading Rachel Zucker’s *Museum of Accidents*. She writes these expansive poems, which gave me the idea to start pulling many one-liners together. I ended up with this long, stream-of-consciousness like poem, a form that mirrors the layers of emotions I felt.

So what was your process like for writing some of the other poems, like the ones that use the voices and sayings of young children?

My process is a messy one! I write when I have a moment–sometimes that’s one line that someone says, or several pages of freewriting. I write in composition books and try not to look back at what I write till a few months have passed. I wrote many of the voice poems while on retreat, which is typically when I make myself sit down and sift through those notebooks. I have to get through a lot of babbling, but I find a few nuggets and pull them out for poem starts.

That sounds really cool. I work differently. Basically I have the piece I work on and that’s it and then when I get sick of it or think it is fine for the time being, I move on. Other than your role as a mother, what other non-writing task feeds your writing?

I thrive on pockets of quiet where it appears I’m doing absolutely nothing. I call it “sitting and staring.”

What other subject matters are you drawn to as a poet?

I am intrigued by the cultural expectations of women, gender roles, and our labels for people considered to fall outside the norm–there are some poems on mental health and witches in my future.

I can’t wait to read those poems! So you’ve been doing readings all over the state (and I haven’t managed to catch a single one somehow!) but which of your poems from the book is your favorite to read out loud?

My favorite poem to read aloud is “At breakfast we talk about our dreams.” It’s a fun challenge to try and “shift” my voice between parent and child as they take turns telling their dreams. I also like how the poem returns me to the little vacuum world of staying home with young children.

What are your hopes and dreams for your writing?

I hope my poems land in the hands of the people who need them most. I hope they see themselves and their experiences and know they are not alone. I hope to make a space for my writing every day. I hope I always dream of being a writer!