MEME

Thanks to Karen An-hwei Lee for inviting me to participate in the Next Big Thing, a meme I'd not known was a meme when Moi was asked. (Thanks as well to wonderful poet Marthe Reed for asking.) Karen is the author of several poetry books, about which more info can be found HERE.


*Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing*

What is your working title of your book?
I have three manuscripts-in-progress. The one I’ll focus on, as it’s possible it’ll be the first to be published, has a working title of Reproductions of the Empty. (Don’t know if the title will stick.)


Where did the idea come from for the book?
It’s a poetry collection of verse. The text come out of lines from prose poems published in my first U.S.-published poetry book, Reproductions of the Empty Flagpole. You can see the relationship between the two titles. I was thinking, with the second collection, of the idea of chiseling sculptures out of blocks of stone—I thought of “chiseling” verses out of the prose blocks in the first book, which is a collection of prose poems.


What genre does your book fall under?
Poetry. But that’s not saying much in terms of categorization. If I designed, say, a miniature chair, I’d consider that poetry.


Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Whoever would pass the auditions/screen tests, which would include but not be limited to reading the poems out loud.


What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
“______________________—Fill in the blank.”


Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
How interesting that you give just two choices…


How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
For this, I consider the concept its first draft. It took about 14 years to conceive it.


What other books would you compare this story (sic) to within your genre?
Not applicable.  Or, "Genesis" from The Holy Bible.


Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Moi. With a huge dose of laziness desire for the Seventh Day of Rest…


What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
If it’s published when I think it’ll be published, it’ll be my 25th poetry collection. Actually, that’s boring. Try this: It’s either what would have been written by the violinist while Rome burned, or what Rimbaud might have considered if he hadn’t decided to traffic in guns.



WHO I INVITED (supposed to invite at least five and I did, but only one confirmed participation):

John Bloomberg-Rissman  (which incorporates Ivy Alvarez's Meme...)