Our poetry team is starting the new year by publishing two new poems by Laurie Kuntz, titled 'Gilded' and 'This Personal Eclipse'.
Laurie Kuntz’s books are: That Infinite Roar, Gyroscope Press, Talking Me Off The Roof, Kelsay Books, The Moon Over My Mother’s House, Finishing Line Press, Simple Gestures, Texas Review Press, Women at the Onsen, Blue Light Press, and Somewhere in the Telling, Mellen Press. Simple Gestures, won Texas Review’s Chapbook Contest, and Women at the Onsen won Blue Light Press’s Chapbook Contest. She’s been nominated for four Pushcart Prizes and two Best of the Net Prizes. In 2024, she won a Pushcart Prize. Her work has been published in Gyroscope Review, Roanoke Review, Third Wednesday, One Art, Sheila Na Gig, Anti-Heroin Chic, and other journals. Happily retired, she lives in an endless summer state of mind. More at: https://lauriekuntz.myportfolio.com/home-1
Recently Claire Beaver - one of our poetry editors - talked with the writer about her inspirations and her poetry more broadly. This is a transcript of their conversation:
Claire Beaver: How did you get started writing?
Laurie Kuntz: What drew you to poetry as a form of expression? I have to say my father was a huge influence on my writing poetry. In terms of recreation and travel, we did not do much as a family. My dad worked two jobs, and had only one day off. We were poor; however, we were rich in that we had books on our shelves. My dad sat his children down after his nightly sports programs, and read us poetry from a thick anthology of "Best Poems" that never collected dust. His favorite poem was Casey At the Bat. He had us hooked on poetry from a young age. Then, when I was a freshman in high school, I had a wonderful beatnick English teacher. One day she read "Dying Is Fine" by ee Cummings, and I was doubly hooked. I thought wow, there is a job where you can read poems and talk about them, sign me up. What drew me to poetry was how words worked in concert with nature and life's lessons. I was drawn to the idea that putting words on paper could enact epiphanies toward understanding people and the world we inhabit.
Claire Beaver: What inspires your writing? Do you often find yourself returning to topics?
Laurie Kuntz: So many things inspire my writing. I love to pay attention to the very minute details of the day. A walk, a flower, a bird, a stray cat, or eavesdropping on a conversation. I think inspiration can be found in the quotidian, the everyday tasks we ritually follow. The concept of resilience is also an inspiration. In my career as an educator, I have been so fortunate to teach English to refugees who had to rebuild their lives and resettle in a new country. My refugee students' resilience, strength, and hope contributed to inspired topics. I do find myself returning to many of the basic tenets which appear in my work as is expected when one focuses on hope, resilience, survival, and love.
Claire Beaver: What is your process like? Are you hit with ideas or are you a sit down and write type of worker?
Laurie Kuntz: My writing process is living life. When I am not writing poetry, I am living my poetry. My daily work, play, and interests enact a writing process. My process is listening to the world, the conversations people have, the simple interactions. I get my ideas from listening to and watching these daily details of life. I was never the kind of writer who looked at a clock and said I will sit down and write from 9:00-11:00. I sit down and write when the world and its inhabitants give me reason to write.
Claire Beaver: A favorite question for poets, are you a big editor?
Laurie Kuntz: When I first started to write poetry, I took pride that I never revised or edited. What a foolish thing to take pride in! Yes, I edit, I revise, I sleep on every poem until I feel it is finished. Poems are never finished in a first draft.
Claire Beaver: Who are some of your inspirations? Favorite poems?
Laurie Kuntz: This question comes up a great deal in interviews, and I always feel it is the most difficult question as the answer is always evolving. Every day, I read new poets whom I fall in love with. There is a whole universe of wonderful voices. My beginning muse was Marge Peircy, then of course the rock steadies: Robert Frost, ee Cummings, Emily Dickinson. I am grateful to have studied with some major voices who continue to influence me: Dave Smith, Lucille Clifton, Lynda Hull, Yusef Komanyakka, Sharon Olds, Li Young Li, and Bruce Weigl. Also, I lived in Japan for 23 years, so the haiku form and haiku masters, Basho and Issa are tremendous influences on my style. One poem that I often turn to for a sort of daily mantra is Try to Praise the Mutilated World by Adam Zagajewski.
Laurie Kuntz
Laurie Kuntz’s books are: That Infinite Roar, Gyroscope Press, Talking Me Off The Roof, Kelsay Books, The Moon Over My Mother’s House, Finishing Line Press, Simple Gestures, Texas Review Press, Women at the Onsen, Blue Light Press, and Somewhere in the Telling, Mellen Press. Simple Gestures, won Texas Review’s Chapbook Contest, and Women at the Onsen won Blue Light Press’s Chapbook Contest. She’s been nominated for four Pushcart Prizes and two Best of the Net Prizes. In 2024, she won a Pushcart Prize. Her work has been published in Gyroscope Review, Roanoke Review, Third Wednesday, One Art, Sheila Na Gig, Anti-Heroin Chic, and other journals. Happily retired, she lives in an endless summer state of mind. More at: https://lauriekuntz.myportfolio.com/home-1
Claire Beaver
Claire Beaver is a multidisciplinary writer living and working in New York. Her work has been featured in Last Leaves Magazine, Outspoken, Victory Lapped, and more. Her first chapbook, bones, ashes, fire, was recently released from Bottlecap Press. She is passionate about the power of art and how we interact with it in our daily lives, whether that be conscious or not. She has an M. Phil in Creative Writing from Trinity College Dublin.