WRITER SPOTLIGHT: Amy Shin Interview by Elizabeth Higgins

Our editors had the pleasure of reading seven of Amy’s poems for the journal, and were struck not only by their carefully-honed and evocative language, but also their movement between the personal and historical, and experimentation in form that we found striking and exciting. I was delighted to be able to interview Amy over email to discuss craft, influences, and more. 

Elizabeth: The poet Ellen Bass said, “Most days I don’t catch a poem,” and described much of the writing process as, “...laying down tracks for when we need them.” How do you lay down tracks, or, what does your drafting, or note taking, or internal distillation process look like? And how do you know when you’ve caught a poem?

Amy: My tracks are pretty nonlinear and fragmented. They oscillate between a running Google document of half-formed sentences and a small, physical notepad where I jot down fleeting ruminations and lingering emotions. After a few weeks of letting these thoughts marinate, I begin to recognize the themes that wish to coalesce into a cohesive poem, which is my indication to start putting pen to paper. At times, I’ll write a poem only to rewrite it entirely in a different form, transforming a three-stanza structure into a prose-poem. As much as it takes time, I truly enjoy the creative labor of crafting a poem—it’s like a keepsake of a particular, ephemeral moment in your life. During writing and revision, I tend to read my poems aloud, over and over (with a closed door, of course), attuning my ears to the way words sound and harmonize with one another. So it’s really an embodied act of listening to your inner and external self, making poetry all the more rewarding and introspective.

Elizabeth: What writers, pieces of work, or teachers have most propelled or changed your writing? What did you learn from them?

Amy: One of the luckiest moments of my life was meeting my ninth-grade English teacher, Mr. Matheson— the most passionate lover of poetry I have ever known. His classes were alive with open-ended analysis and unconventional exercises, from delving into a deep analysis of Eminem’s Lose Yourself to creating a spinoff of Romeo and Juliet. Over the course of the year, I grew both confidence and passion as a writer, performing my poems on stage and founding a literary publication to amplify the creative voices in our community. Teachers really make a profound difference in their students’ lives, and I am forever grateful to have been his student.

Elizabeth: Your work experiments widely with form. How do you conceptualize and test the form of a piece? What forms have you considered or attempted?

Amy: As a young writer, I’m still exploring various facets of creative expression, hoping to push the boundaries of what a poem can and cannot be. I’ve written a plethora of poems in the form of an Asian fusion menu, a quiz-let, a history textbook, and a long, seemingly never-ending stanza. I often come to realize the appropriate form after taking much time to think about what would best serve the content of the poem. At the same time, I’m also conscious of the audience, and how they engage with the words on the page. To me, poetry should be something that fosters accessibility while simultaneously opening up possible avenues of interpretation.

Elizabeth: Are there particular areas of study that animate or inspire your poetry? There is history, trans-generational memory, etymology woven into your work, for instance—do you approach any parts of this or other subjects through deliberate research?

Amy: I’m really interested in the politics and poetics of postcolonial diaspora and trans-generational memory, specifically the temporal collapses that occur between generations. Moreover, poetry affords me the opportunity to articulate underrepresented, liminal voices often standing at the margins of society; I wish to not speak for them, but rather to write from a narrative position where muffled segments of history can be heard and acknowledged. That said, a lot of research takes place before even attempting to write a poem. For instance, for the poem that I’ve written about the “comfort women” during the Japanese occupation of Korea in World War II, I conducted deep research into the victims’ testimonies and the political tension that permeates into the present day, thereby grounding my work in historical context.

Elizabeth: What does poetry offer you, or humans more generally, as a vehicle for processing, understanding, or communicating events across time?

Amy: It offers a sense of continuity through interpretation, allowing fellow humans to connect with one another, develop empathy and awareness, while still staying true to the poet as well as their audience.

Elizabeth: What draws you to writing, or when did you know you wanted to pursue it?

Amy: I enjoy writing because it’s a form of human connection, a way of articulating yourself and hearing the articulations of others. Poetry truly humbles me, and it’s this very community that keeps me wanting to write more, uncovering new interests and friendships throughout it all.

Elizabeth: Is there anything you’d like us to know that I didn’t ask?

Amy: That’s all! Thank you so much!

Elizabeth: Thank you so much, Amy! We love your work and look forward to seeing more of it in the world.