[Interview_2] Alice Lenkiewicz

Alice Lenkiewicz is the author of Men Hate Blondes (origional plus, 2009), a poetry collection; and, Maxine (Bluechrome Publishing, 2005), a novella.

In addition to being a writer and a poet, she is also an artist and a poetry and art magazine editor.

In an earlier interview, she spoke about the series of events that led to her setting up Neon Highway, the magazine she edits with Jane Marsh.

Below, Alice Lenkiewicz talks about some of the ways in which she approaches her work as a writer:

How would you describe your writing?

I have found that what I read and how I write are different things. When creating a process of writing poetry and fiction I am quite interested in the ‘cut up’ method and using various techniques that are considered postmodern, such as playing and challenging the traditional idea of linear text, creating a variety of discourses, mixing different genres, taking note of the voice and the author and how this will affect the overall viewpoint. I enjoy challenging the idea of singular identity with inter-textual references.

Postmodern theory opened up a new ways of seeing the world and provided me with interesting ways of experimenting with language and plot. I experimented with this in my novella, Maxine, the idea of multiplicity and ‘self’. Identity and place were important parts of this book, drawing attention to the idea of metafiction.

I also experimented with the idea of fact and fiction, prescriptive versus descriptive language, the authoritative voice and the subversive voice, the idea that nothing is finite, the displacement of self, identity and place, the various ways of interpreting time.

Maxine was my final MA thesis and was written in context with the Writing Studies course I was on, that focused on theorists such as Foucault and Roland Barthes.

I am also interested in Surrealism, reinterpreting the dream and the subversive nature of fairytales and the sublime.

When it comes to poetry I am quite diverse. Sometimes I write in traditional forms and sometimes I will go outside the norms playing and experimenting with the language yet again in multiple ways. .

I read a variety of works, both traditional and alternative. I enjoy the Victorian novel and poetry such as Keats and Donne, Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath. I also enjoy reading works by Gertrude Stein, Albert Camus, Kafka and Carlos Williams as well as more contemporary poets such as A.C. Evans, and poets from my own magazine, Neon Highway.

I have come to appreciate language as a tool for understanding and enquiry. Language can be about sound and exploring the visual. It does not always have to make immediate sense. It’s a complex subject. But I think a variety of techniques are necessary to explore in order for writers to gain the most out of understanding their own writing process and also to find out what it is they actually enjoy.

Who is your target audience? And, what motivated you to start writing for this audience?

I am very open with the idea of my audience. I enjoy variety and I don’t celebrate the idea of being instructive or factual in my approach. I find that once you label yourself a certain kind of writer with a certain technique then people find it harder to approach your work. For instance, at one point I was known for being an ‘experimental poet’ which can get in the way of people’s thought processes and there have been times when people have said they didn’t understand what I had written when in fact it had been a traditional sonnet following traditional rhythm and metre, so it can lead to some surprisingly awkward and confusing situations.

I don’t mind people saying they don’t understand something but it needs to be for the right reasons. Also, I like to think that people can make their own minds up and therefore I feel it is up to the audience how they interpret and read my work.

On a more general level, my work could be seen as more feminist or for those who enjoy reading poetry or illustrated works, as I tend to illustrate and provide artwork and write about women’s submission and empowerment as part of my theme. But, again, it is up to the reader how they would interpret this.

Possibly related books:

,,

Possibly related articles:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

[Interview] Lauri Kubuitsile

Image
Lauri Kubuitsile writes romances novels; crime fiction; books and stories for children and teenagers; and, literary fiction. She was shortlisted for the 2011 Caine Prize for African Writing and has won awards that include the PanAfrican prize for children’s literature, The Golden Baobab Prize and the Orange/Botswerere Botswana Artists Award . Her books include the collection of short stories, In the Spirit of McPhineas Lata and Other Stories (HopeRoad, 2011); and the novels, Signed, Hopelessly in Love (August 2011) Tafelberg, 2011) and Mr Not Quite Good Enough (Sapphire Press, 2011). In this interview, Lauri Kubuitsile talks about her concerns as a writer: When did you start writing? I started writing 8 years ago, just when I was turning 40. I actually became a published author almost by accident. My books in my Kate Gomolemo Mystery Series were actually all first published in a small newspaper I owned in Botswana. We were changing format and wanted to see what we ...
Read more

writers' resources

A abbreviationz , the a to z of acronyms and abbreviations on the net absolute write agent query agent research and evaluation allbookreviews angle on writing artella author mania authorsden a woman's write B backspace bartleby bella online bernie-zine black on white booksite boost brandy magazine bulwer-lytton fiction contest, the C 21st century writing christian writers' market guide colorado springs fiction writers' group coverscript creativity for life creativity portal critique circle online D E electronicbookreviews elite skills erma bombeck's writers' workshop essay writing center eye on books F fanstory fiction factor forward motion for writers forwriters freelancewriting freelance writing job opportunities freelance writing organisation international funds for writers G gabrielle luthy go publish yourself H happily ever after hollywoodlitsales how stuff works I inkygirl institute of children's literature J K L literary mama long ridge writers group long...
Read more

[Interview] Marita van Aswegen

Image
South African author, Marita van Aswegen writes poetry, short stories and novels for both children, young adults as well as adult readers. Her work has been published Afrikaans, Sesotho and English. Her books include Dance Thispo, dance (Kwela, 1997); Gavin’s Game (Masterskill Publishers, 2009) and Phapo’s Gift (Knowledge Thirst, 2010). In this interview, Marita van Aswegen talks about her writing: When did you start writing? I wrote my first story when in 1964 when I was fifteen. I sent it to a magazine ... but it was rejected. It was a love story and I sent it to Sarie . That was the favorite magazine of the sixties. I was a teenager and my mind was filled with roses and moonshine and the perfect love. What would you say motivated you to start writing? As long as I can remember, I always wanted to write a book. During the years when my children were small, I wrote essays and poems because essays are short and you can complete one in an hour or so. ( Small children do not gi...
Read more