1. Lisa, can you tell us a bit about your background? Where did you grow up, and what was your early life like?

My cultural background stems from an Italian father (who immigrated as a child at the age of five) and an Australian born mother of Anglo Celtic origins. My father was a labourer, and we moved around a lot, between states S.A. and N.S.W, as he followed work or his own family. My mother was a mother and housekeeper while with my Dad, but became a barmaid when they broke up. The longest house I ever lived in (7 years) was in Corrimal on the south coast of N.S.W and my memories of it are idyllic. Particularly in contrast to my life at 14 years old when we lived in Adelaide, S.A. and tragedy struck our family. In this sense I’ve lived two childhoods; one dreamlike, one nightmarish. But you asked about early life, so I’ll paint a picture of the dreamlike childhood. If you’d like the nightmare version, see my personal essay, ‘Prolonged Exposure’ in Women of a Certain Courage (Fremantle Press) or some of my poems in, How to Order Eggs Sunny Side Up (Gazebo Books). We lived on the edge of the forest, where we would hike and collect natural materials to make ephemeral art. Creativity was key in our family and going to the library where  I learned to read voraciously. I played the piano, did various sewing crafts, and played netball. We were very extended family oriented, particularly on the Italian side where we went to many engagement and wedding celebrations.

2. When did you first begin writing poetry seriously?

Mmm. Well, seriously seven years ago but really, I need to clarify with a slight build-up. As a child I self-published a book of poems, and edited a feminist magazine. This was before the age of thirteen. Lol. In my twenties I wrote short travel stories and poems. Then there was a huge hiatus where I was bogged down in work and living and so I didn’t really start writing with total immersion until 2019, when I turned fifty. I resigned from teaching and decided to focus on being a fulltime writer. It was a dream I’d had my entire life, but life got in the way, and I decided that it was now or never. I focused and immersed entirely and since then I’ve written and published two poetry collections and a personal essay.

3. Were you encouraged to write at that time?

As said above I felt drawn to do so. I’d got to this stage in my career where I was burnt out by teaching and felt that I had always done everything in my life that I dreamed off bar one thing, and that was to publish. So, the encouragement was purely self-directed initially, but I began with storytelling on stage, followed by a memoir course, where I was encouraged to follow my natural tendency to write lyrically; this led to writing poetry. Through that journey, I received a lot of encouragement in various quarters which helped spur me on; these included (but are not exclusive) being asked to be a feature poet with Perth Poetry Club, volunteer with Voicebox, a participant in the Westerly Writer’s Development Program, a Four Centres Emerging Writer, and an artist resident for The National Trust of W.A. and Bundanon Art Museum.

4. Which poets or writers have had the biggest influence on your work?

I read widely, particularly contemporary Australian poets. I go where my interest lies, which is sometimes in the past and second (or third) wave feminist poets, the French feminists. My voice in the first and second collection is very much influenced by them, but I’ve also been likened to Donne. My poems are also influenced by fiction writers, ones that speak of hearty desire, abjection, and ground arrogance. This is very much influenced by my working-class background. Some writers that I think have influenced me include; Sylvia Plath, Toni Morrisson, Adrienne Rich, Deborah Levy, Elena Ferrante, Simone Lazaroo, Luce Irigaray, Helene Cixous, Italo Calvino, Jane Austen, Miranda July, etc. I’m interested in all writing, but I’m particularly interested in voices that project agency, and speak to the embodied experiences of life.

5. Where do your ideas for poems usually begin?

Connections made. For me, a poem is usually looking at something and connecting it with something else which sparks a transformation of sorts. Because of this, some of my poems are considered abstract. For example, when I was driving back from Broome to Perth on the Great Northern Highway, I witnessed bloated upturned cows (roadkill)  and then likened the highway to a catwalk, and then I thought of the cow statues on display in Perth. This made me think about the differences between the rural and the urban, and about our appetite for cattle, and the environmental impact on the land because of this. So, my poem, Soft Country, Hard Hooves (How to Order Eggs Sunny Side Up) was produced and is macabre, yet comical, and political. My poems are quite symbolic and often allegorical.

6. What do you find most difficult about the writing process, and how do you manage those challenges?

Self-doubt. For me, writing is about playing with language, and pushing it to see what interesting ideas emerge. Sometimes though, I have imposter syndrome. This can lead me to forget how to play, and become self-critical to the point of being immobilised. When this occurs, I feel like the words don’t flow naturally like they usually do when I’m playing, and so not much occurs. How I deal with it is varied. Sometimes, I take a break and do another creative activity that I enjoy, say painting. Often, I do physical exercise. This is always essential, as it helps unblock the body, and gets me out of over thinking. Reading in other genres, can also unblock. Being with friends who nurture you, and value your voice can also help get you out of all that negative self-talk. When I get myself back on track, I begin playing again, and remind myself that it’s a game and that I am writing for myself and to enjoy the journey.

7. Your recent poetry collection, Gold Digger, was published by Gazebo Books. What themes or ideas were you exploring in the book?

I started the work of Gold Digger when I was writing How to Order Eggs Sunny Side Up but realised I had unfinished business. That was a foray into working class women’s work which began while I was on residency at Woodbridge, a National Trust of W.A. property. I write to the gaps and silences, and there is truly little in the way of representing women at work. I also wanted to disrupt the domestic mythology of women’s work that seems omnipresent, and present the thesis that women have always worked (in public spaces), particularly working-class women. Some of the poems were autobiographical, some were based on my matrilineal ancestral work history collected through interviews with my mother. Most of them were conducted through referenced research in the archives, literature, photos, podcasts; whatever I could get firsthand. It was difficult as women’s work is almost impossible to find documented and so I had to piece together snippets of information, coupled with my imagination. The last section looks at recent political experiences of women, namely Brittany Higgins, Julia Gillard, and Kamala Harris. Another theme explored in Gold Digger is female competition, and the way in which women are often pitted against one another as they fight over scraps.

8. What are you planning next?

I am currently writing a novella on grief, booze, and jazz. This is an interesting experience for me as I’m writing in a different genre and long form. The novel came about through a burst of inspiration at the Perth International Jazz Festival two years ago, and a flurry of connections I made between place and symbols. It is partly stylised on jazz music, and Toni Morrison’s novel, Jazz is a touchstone text for me. As it is musically inspired, it is still (in parts) quite lyrical, so, drawing on my poetry background but does follow a story as conventional of fiction. It is a contemporary story and very much grounded in Perth city with historical allusion to the building of the city over a wetland chain. I’m having a lot of fun with it, although, the current section I’m working on is a bit of a struggle to be honest. Lol. I better go exercise!

 

Find Lisa Collyer’s books @ https://gazebobooks.com.au/authors/lisa-collyer/