1. You’re an accomplished poet whose work has appeared in numerous publications. How did your publishing journey begin?
I have been writing ever since I learned to pick up a pen. Starting in the 6th grade, I would write what is now considered a poetry chapbook yearly. One was devoted to the seasons, another to family life. In 8 th grade I wrote a short story that was infused with poetry, and was encouraged by my writing teacher to submit it to the Young Authors contest. My story was picked among hundreds of finalists and I got to travel to the University of Illinois in Champaign for the ceremony. It was thrilling. I never thought other people would be entertained by my writing until then. That was when I knew I wanted to be a writer.
But the important thing I want to note is that I always was a writer. Being a writer does not happen when a story or poem gets published, and then you are magically a writer. Being a writer means that you write. It’s as simple as that. So I was a writer when I was putting together poetry books and plays when I was in grade school. I did this for myself. I had fun writing and reading what I wrote.
I won’t lie and say it’s not thrilling when a piece of mine gets published. Because it is. But I wonder if that’s because of all of the outside pressure writers get to be published. The first question someone asks me when they find out I am a writer is “Are you published?”
Years before publishing was profitable, and still, it certainly is not profitable for most, people wrote simply to write, for their friends and their own pleasure. I know that I write because I love it. I will continue to write, despite whether or not anything else I write gets published.
Rejection is still difficult. As writers we put ourselves out there for rejection all the time. It can get us down, make us think we are following the wrong path. We aren't. I find it helpful to keep plodding on, and I know that I'm getting better as a writer, and some pieces find homes while others are still out there, like orphans in the night, but I know that those pieces made me stronger as a writer, and were meant to "be".
2. Your fourth chapbook, Universal will be released in early 2007 by Moon Journal Press. You’ve also published The Pilgrim Soul in You, The Secret of Ivory Vows and Songs in Red. Please tell us about these collections and the inspiration behind them.
Songs in Red was born out of a course I took at DePaul that required each student to submit a final piece of work, called their Major Piece. I had always wanted to put together a book of poems, but wasn’t quite sure how to go about it. I took my favorite poems from that year at school and compiled them. The original text also had artwork side-by-side next to the poems. I was proud of the final product, and it showed me that I could put together such a collection.
For my next chapbook, The Secret of Ivory Vows I pulled the best erotic poems that I had written. I had always wanted to put together a collection of my erotic verse, and that’s how this book came to be. It’s different from my other poetry collections. It isn't safe territory, and examines the themes of love, lust and loss. My choice of words and images are meant to trap and subtly seduce the reader. I also feel my voice is stronger in this collection as I experimented and trusted myself more and took more risks.
The inspiration for Universal came from astrology. I started writing the poems in that collection while I was pregnant, and I felt really connected to the universe as an extension of that, specifically the sky, the stars and the patterns of the constellations. I started reading texts such as The Astrological Companion and Burnham’s Celestial Handbook, and in between the lines of technical terms, I saw poems. I also was inspired sitting on the dock of our cottage in Michigan. The stars out there are so much clearer than from my house, which is located in a suburb of Chicago. It was like a blindfold had been taken off.
Universal is about patterns – those connected and disconnected like a broken circuit wire. It poses the question – why are we here, and what are we to make of this mass of bone and matter? Of the spaces between our paths, and those that intersect, sometimes haltingly. It includes poems that travel through space and time and those places we’ve never visited and those we wish we had. It spans light years and those minutes that tick away slowly. It lays out the sheet that is the sky with the many holes that make up the stars.
3. Please take us through the process of how you put the collections together and how long they take to complete and produce.
I usually think of the theme for the collection in my head long before I write the poems. For Universal, I knew I wanted to write about constellations, as I was feeling that at the time. For The Secrets of Ivory Vows, the picture of a friend’s wedding dress inspired the cover design, and I knew that would be the cover for my erotic collection.
Once I have the idea in my head, I like to write the poems quickly, as I have found that if I write each day, on the same theme (whether that be poems about light, or poems about the stars), then each poem goes deeper and deeper into the subject matter. I like to challenge myself to write 30 poems in 30 days. By the end of 30 days I might have 15 poems I’m happy with enough to rewrite to include in the chapbook. Once I have the poems, I think of the art for the cover. Once I have all of that, the process is very simple through Lulu’s Print-on-Demand publishing service.
For my latest collection, Universal, I’m working with a publisher, so I don’t have total control of it. I’m learning to deal with that, but it’s not the way I normally work. Once I have a collection finished, I want to publish it because then it’s off my plate and I can go on to the next thing. With Universal I had to revise some poems based on the editor’s input, which was fine, I’m not averse to making changes. It’s just different. I feel fortunate to have the editor’s input and to have so many hands on it to make it the best it can be. It’s turned out to be a very rewarding experience and I can’t wait to see the final product.
4. Aside from your award winning poetry, you’ve written short stories, articles and your work was included in both the 2006 and 2007 Her Mark date book calendars by Woman Made Gallery. How did you become involved in this project? What is Woman Made Gallery? And where can we purchase a copy?
Woman Made Gallery is an art gallery located in Chicago, Illinois. But more than just an art gallery, Woman Made Gallery supports women in the arts. They are dedicated to promoting women artists. Through programming which examines the female experience, Woman Made educates and serves as a forum for dialogue between artists and the community.
I first became involved with Woman Made Gallery in 2004, when I saw a call for submissions for poems that focused on the theme of Decoration and Pattern. I had poems I felt fit theme, so I sent them in. The poems would then be read anonymously and chosen by juried selection. Those poets selected would be required to read at an art gallery opening on the same theme.
At the time, I had never read my poetry in public before. It was something I wanted to do, but was afraid to – public speaking being a fear of mine (and a lot of other people, I believe it’s the number one fear next to getting eaten by a shark, or something like that).
I figured if my poems were selected, I would be forced out of my comfort zone and would have to read out loud in public. My poems were picked, I read at the opening, and I had a great time. I grew as a writer and person that day.
HerMark is a spiral-bound appointment book with weekly calendar pages filled with poems and artwork in color. 20 artists and 20 poets are selected to appear in it. Her Mark Datebook contributors are selected via annual poetry and art competitions, which are open to women worldwide. I have been fortunate to appear in this publication two years in a row. The poems are chosen anonymously, so it is fair and open to all poets, regardless of publishing experience. This year's poetry jurors were Lisa Alvarado, Pamela Miller and Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai.
To purchase copies of Her Mark 2007, go to www.womanmade.org/calspecial.html, or call 312-738-0400.
5. Your work has also appeared in numerous anthologies, some of which include Dancing Shadows Horror Anthology,Women of the Web Anthology and Washing the Color of Water Golden: A Katrina Hurricane Anthology. How did you find out about these projects? What advice can you offer aspiring poets who wish to submit their work for consideration in an anthology?
I find out about projects by watching calls for submissions often and I am also a member of a few writing communities and hear that way as well. I highly recommend joining a writing community, online or in your town.
As a previous editor of an anthology for one of the writing communities I’m involved in, This So Called Life, I can say that putting the book together, our goal was to fit pieces together into the book as a whole that work together and can be woven seamlessly together, both complimenting each other and contrasting. Each story/poem needs to stand on its own, but together, in a collection, the work is even stronger and has even more meaning.
The best advice I can offer is to read a past issue of the publication, if possible, or if you are familiar with the editor’s work that might help, too. Also, anthologies usually have a theme, submit work that fits that theme. Every anthology I’ve submitted work to I thought I had the perfect piece to fit the theme. And if I didn’t, then I wrote it.
6. What are your feelings on the poetry market today? What can an aspiring poet do to see their work in print and gain recognition?
I think the poetry market today can sometimes seem difficult to break into. There are so many contests, and to me it sometimes seem as if you need an MFA just to be considered for grants and awards. This is frustrating, but it’s just a matter of submitting to the right places. I also see a lot of wonderful emerging talent in the literary magazines, and that inspires me.
As far as getting your work in print, and gaining recognition, don’t worry yourself with whether or not you will get published. Write what is inside of you, get it all out. And then the publishing will naturally follow because you have something unique to share with the world. Your work doesn’t need to be in print to be worthy.
Do your research. Read publications that you’d like to appear in. If your writing is similar to the pieces in it, you know that you have a good chance of getting published in that publication.
If you have a dream publication, as I have several, keep submitting. Your writing will naturally get better and better, and if you read the publication you are interested in appearing in, you will eventually break through. It takes people many times before they are accepted.
7. Contests are a great way to get your work noticed, but there are a lot of scam poetry contests out there. How can a poet be sure they’re entering a legit contest? What should they avoid?
Sylvia Plath said "Nothing stinks like a pile of unpublished writing." I add onto that, that nothing stinks like a scam contest.
My first poem was published through a scam publisher that you may have heard of, Poetry.com. I was just out of college and starting to write poetry seriously, and Poetry.com happened to have an Internet ad that caught my attention. I sent a poem in, and received a letter not long after that I was a “winner”, and was chosen to attend an expensive conference, and I could buy an expensive book with my poem printed in it, and I could even buy an expensive CD with a professional reader reciting my poem.
I was taken aback, and thought this was all too good to be true. Sure, I didn’t want to shell out the money, but this sort of tactic also plays into your ego. I did some research, and it didn’t take long to discover that I had been had. Poetry.com apparently accepts everyone’s work, and what’s worse, everyone is a “winner” and then solicited to spend money that most working writers don’t have, just to see their name in print.
What I think is the worst part of it all is, once you discover you have been the victim of a scam, you wonder if your writing is any good. Or, because you fell victim to such tactics, that your writing wasn’t any good. For an aspiring poet, it can be painful to admit that a letter from a poetry contest is nothing more than a sales hustle. But what's worse: being honest with yourself or being the victim of a company that exploits the vanity of aspiring poets?
I dusted myself off, tended to my bruised ego, and bought a copy of Poets and Writers and Writer’s Market and only submitted to publications and contests that were legitimate. I would hate to think that a aspiring writer veered off the path to publication because of the feelings this sort of incident might bring up.
My suggestion to authors just starting out submitting their work is, if you're having problems with poetry.com in particular, you should notify their local Better Business Bureau, which is located in Baltimore, MD. You may also file complaints online at:
http://complaints.bbb.org/Welcome.asp
There are also some websites that do a great job of capturing the scam contests.
Before you submit, check these sites out if you are unsure of a market or contest.
http://www.sfwa.org/Beware/contests.html
http://windpub.com/literary.scams/
http://www.writersweekly.com/whispers_and_warnings.php
8. You participated in National Novel Writing Month (November 2006) and wrote a 50,000 page novel by the deadline (Congratulations!) Was it a good experience? What did you learn from participating? How did you feel when you had finished?
Thank you, Sandy. It was a wonderful and eye-opening experience. I had started a novel draft previously, and three years later am still working on it. Before National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), I thought the challenge of writing a first draft in a month was unattainable.
When I first got the idea to attempt NaNoWriMo, my daughter Lucy was three months old, and I had this idea in my head that once I had children, I would be unable to write creatively. I think, looking back, that this was more of a fear of mine than an actual thought. During my maternity leave from my full-time job as a proposal writer, I had visions of writing creatively and in long bursts in-between diaper changes and baby naps. Boy, this was not the case! I barely got one sentence written during that time. Now I can see that was because the first three months of a baby’s life are the most challenging, especially to a new mother. (I can be gentler with myself now that I am a mother, I think.)
Anyway, I wanted a challenge, a strict deadline. I figured if I could complete a first draft of a novel in one month, with a 3-month old, I could do anything creatively that I wanted to. I ended up writing mostly on breaks at work and at lunches, and then at night when Lucy fell asleep. I completed the first draft (50,000 words) in three weeks, not four. I finished early! I was ecstatic, and felt invincible at that point. I was my own writing superhero. More important, I was a novelist.
I learned from participating in NaNoWriMo that having the support of thousands of others working toward the same goal helped me, but more than that, it was the accountability of it. Each participant had their own profile on the NaNoWriMo website where anyone could look at your progress day-by-day. I had friends who had signed up, I also told everyone I knew about the challenge, so that I would be held accountable.
I also discovered that writing a first draft of a novel will be messy. It doesn’t have to be perfect, won’t be perfect, and there will be holes along the way and crazy plot developments. I needed to let all of this happen, it’s all part of percolating the first draft. In the rewrites is when you can analyze, fix things and criticize. Until then, write away.
I now set specific writing goals for myself, and this is helping me work through the rewrite of my NaNoWriMo novel, and I am also going to apply this principle to going back to my first novel and finishing that first draft.
For more information on National Novel Writing Month, visit www.nanowrimo.org
9. You welcomed a new baby girl, Lucy, into your life last year. Congratulations! I’m so impressed with your work and the many projects you’re involved with. How do you balance your personal life with your prolific writing career?
Thank you, Lucy is the best thing that has happened to us. Her name means “Bringer of Light” and that encapsulates who she is. She is the sweetest baby, even on the most difficult days. So in that respect, she makes it easy and we are truly blessed.
It is a challenge to balance working full-time in a demanding job, and family life. On top of that, I write creatively in my “off-time”, so it’s like adding another piece to a Jenga tower, hoping that all of the pieces don’t fall down.
I’m responding to this interview right now with Lucy asleep in my lap. I do most of my creative writing when she is asleep, or when my husband is taking care of her. I am fortunate in that my husband watches her during the day while I’m at work. I feel comfortable knowing she is with one of her parents, and I know he cherishes that time with her and he is nurturing her as I would. I take advantage of being away from home, at my office. I try to write on my lunches. If I was at home, I wouldn’t have the luxury of a full hour without Lucy needing something typically, so there are benefits to working outside of the home.
Most importantly, she inspires me to be a better person each day, and I want to write even more because of her.
10. What advice would you like to share with our readers?
My advice to anyone trying to balance work, family and a writing career is that it is possible. Many people will tell you it’s not, and you might feel that you need to wait until your children grow up until you pick up that pen again, and have something to say. You have something to say NOW. And you’ll still have something to say when your children are grown, but it will be something different. You will have changed as a person by then, too. I know that by continuing to pursue my dream of writing, I am a better role model for Lucy. I want her to believe that you should always follow your dreams, whatever they may be. I can’t teach that message unless I am doing the same thing myself.
It’s difficult, but not impossible. I wrote an entire draft of a novel in three weeks, mainly on my lunches and breaks at work. I usually spent an hour after she fell asleep writing as well.
Another tool that is helpful is writing prompts. When I am stuck in a project, and am not sure where to go next, a writing prompt can help unblock the way. A great book is The Writer’s Book of Days by Judy Reeves. It has a prompt for each day, and also writing advice along the way. Also, timed writings helped me finish the NaNoWriMo novel draft. Just set a timer for 5, 10 or 15 minutes and don’t stop writing until the buzzer goes off. You’ll surprise yourself by what comes out.
Treat your writing as something that comes as naturally as breathing. Set aside that hour a night, just as you would to brush your teeth and wash your face. Writing is a part of who you are. Honor that.
Most of all, keep writing.
Kathy Kubik is a graduate of DePaul University. She is the author of three chapbooks and her work appears in several anthologies, including the recently released Hurricane Katrina relief anthology, Washing the Color of Water Golden from Sun Rising Press.
Her other publication credits include: The Mississippi Review, Lily Lit Review, Hiss Quarterly, Mad Hatters’ Review, VLQ, Wicked Alice, Poems Niederngasse and many more. In 2005 she was short listed for a Ragdale Fellowship.
Her fourth poetry collection, entitled Universal, will be published in early 2007 through Moon Journal Press.
Visit her website, www.kathykubik.com, for news and samples of her writing.
In addition to Kathy’s web site, you can also learn more about Kathy and her work by going to her Authorsden site: http://www.authorsden.com/kathykubik
Be sure to also visit Kathy’s bookstore at: http://www.lulu.com/kathykubik
