1. interview w/ katy haas
This September, we tried to reach out to poets all over to see if they would be interested in doing an in-depth interview
...
We only got two responses back.
That being said, we wanted the most out of what we could get with two interviews. We asked the most useful, interesting, and unique things that could be said in an interview.
Take a peek. ;)
So, who are you, what are your pronouns, and, where are you from?
I’m Katy and I use they/them pronouns. :)
I’m originally from Pinconning but slowly made my way down to Bay City for the time being.
When did you first discover poetry?
Other than Shel Silverstein, I didn’t have much of an interest in poetry growing up. I briefly got into Oscar Wilde / Lord Alfred Douglas in my early teens because I was a closeted queer kid living in a conservative home and it was a way for me to read queer literature without my parents really knowing.
Okay, okay. What about writing poetry? When did you start with that?
I didn’t actually get “into” poetry until my friend convinced me to take a poetry course at Delta. I was mostly into writing fiction and thought I hated poetry & would hate poetry class but it turned out I actually loved it. I wrote what I consider my first “real” poem in that class.
What does your writing space look like?
I like to get out of the house and write in different places. Wenonah Park, coffee shops around town, anywhere that’s not my home.
What does your writing process look like?
I don’t have much of a process. I might have a certain image or idea that I want to write about and I try to just write without doing too much thinking tbh. Then I’ll come back through and edit/revise until I feel like it’s a complete “thought.”
What's something that inspires you to write?
I’m a little cry baby and don’t talk about my feelings, so I write about it. That’s probably my main inspiration womp womp.
How and when did you know you wanted to be a poet?
When I got into reading contemporary poets, seeing what they were doing and creating, I think that’s when I decided I wanted to be one too. I met some cool poets when I was just starting out, and the idea of being like them at all was what drove me to really try it out.
What's the best poem you've written?
Idk if it’s my best poem, but a poem I felt really good about (and later got published in SVSU’s [defunct?] Still Life) was written at Live Oak in September 2020
Errr not to name-drop a different coffee shop sorry lol.
It’s called “i still can’t pass your house without looking for your car in the driveway.”
*GASP* Another coffee shop?! One that's not LoLoBee's?! The audacity?!!
Haha!
You're all good though!
What about your favorite poem? Tell us about that?
One of my favorite poems I’ve written that can be read by people is “What If We Kissed on the FBI Most Wanted List.” (HAD :: What If We Kissed On The Fbi Most Wanted List (havehashad.com)). It was cowritten with Frances Klein, a poet I met on Twitter, and the first line was donated by her son who was 3 at the time, so it was just really fun to write a collaborative piece with someone else, and a piece that’s far-removed from me and my personal life/thoughts/feelings.
Haha!
You're all good though!
What about your favorite poem? Tell us about that?
One of my favorite poems I’ve written that can be read by people is “What If We Kissed on the FBI Most Wanted List.” (HAD :: What If We Kissed On The Fbi Most Wanted List (havehashad.com)). It was cowritten with Frances Klein, a poet I met on Twitter, and the first line was donated by her son who was 3 at the time, so it was just really fun to write a collaborative piece with someone else, and a piece that’s far-removed from me and my personal life/thoughts/feelings.