We hope you have enjoyed this week’s showcase of poems by prolific young poet Emily Cutler. Emily first appeared as one of Every Day Poet’s published authors in 2010 and she has been one of our most frequent submitters ever since. Emily was gracious enough to answer questions from our staff and allow us all to have a peek at her writing process.
Emily Cutler
EDP: Do you tend to write from the inspiration of a moment or do you collect ideas from all over the place and write them in a notebook for further reference?
Emily: I tend to write from the inspiration of a moment. Sometimes I will get an idea when I am reading a book or talking to a friend and let it sit for a while. I’ll think about it for a few days before I start writing.
EDP: Emily, you are quite young in years, but your poetry sounds so extremely mature. When did you realize that there was a poet in you?
Emily: I realized there was a poet in me at a very young age. I’ve written stories since before I can remember, but I started writing poetry when I was in fourth grade. I immediately loved having a new way to be able to express myself and play with language. When I was in fifth grade, a poem of mine was published an American Girl book, and that really encouraged me to become more serious about poetry.
EDP: How do you see the use of multiple languages as adding to a poem?
Emily: I’ve always followed the advice to write about what I know and love, and one of my greatest passions is studying different languages. Like creative writing, languages break down barriers between people and help to understand the human identity. I hope that the use of multiple languages gives my poems a universal aspect as well as a unique perspective on everyday issues.
EDP: “Thoughts on Gold” is a bit of a visual departure from your other poems. What inspired the formatting?
Emily: “Thoughts on Gold” was inspired by a challenge I received to write a poem involving chemistry for a poetry reading at my school. I thought it would be fun to personify an element by turning each property into a human characteristic. I started by writing a haiku about each property and then changed around the formatting to create a more complete thought.
EDP: What role do you see poetry playing in your life in the years to come?
Emily: I definitely want to continue with poetry and other forms of creative writing throughout my life. In college I plan to double major in Creative Writing and Spanish and then perhaps go on to an MFA program. I actually hope to concentrate on fiction and play-writing, but I believe that poetry is such an important form of art to be able to appreciate and hope to be involved with it in the future.
EDP: Do you have an author’s website or links to your work that you would like to share?
Emily: I do not have a website for my writings, but I do have a few links. My short story “Popular Linguistics” is published at http://polyphonyhs.com/volume-vi-sneak-peak-2010/44-popular-linguistics-emily-cutler, and another short story, “Relativity,” is published in an anthology that can be found at http://www.amazon.com/Able-Muse-review-poetry-inaugural/dp/0986533823. Most recently, my short play was published at http://www.connotationpress.com/drama/995-emily-cutler-drama.
EDP: Thank you, Emily.
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4 Responses to “Poet’s Showcase Interview with Emily Cutler”
Comments
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September 16th, 2011 at 9:43 am
Emily – I tried to read your drama at the following computer address (as listed in this posting): (http://www.connotationpress.com/drama/995-emily-cutler-drama), but could not find it there. Is there another way to reach it?
September 16th, 2011 at 10:05 am
I read your short story POPULAR LINGUISTICS and find it very interesting, with a touch of the demonic. I’ve had a discussion with a heady group and some feel it’s only a pastiche of stories written before. I don’t think so. It definitely has an originality of it’s own and not mereley a pastiche – it’s more like including collage within painting and I think it’s fine. References to the current have a certain aliveness although in time they are likely to be misinterpreted. That, though, is not the fault of the writer. Good luck.
September 17th, 2011 at 1:34 am
I was very interested in your use of other languages, Emily, as sometimes little bits of French, Spanish or Italian slip into my work (most recently haiku/senryu)as sometimes the feeling or mood of what I am trying to say can be best translated via another language – a lot of it has to do with the sound – I had never thought of the universal aspect, so thanks for that!
I have enjoyed reading your work this week very much. :]
September 17th, 2011 at 5:57 am
Emily, we are so glad that you agreed to let us interview you and showcase your work. You are on a path to being a wonderful writer.