The Interview

Carly: What do you remember from your days at The School for Young Writers and/ or being published in Write On magazine?

Amelia: The thing I remember most from my time at the School for Young Writers is the friendships. I attended workshops for almost ten years, and in that time, I made some wonderful connections with other young writers, some of which I still count among my friends today. Even after moving cities for university, on occasion, I’ve run into old acquaintances from the Saturday classes or the summer writing school in my English courses. As an adult, having a network of writer friends who inspire and influence each other is really important to me and I truly value the opportunity I had to develop similar connections when I was younger.

Carly: Which early experiences/opportunities/classes have influenced your writing the most?

Amelia: James Norcliffe was probably the tutor that had the biggest influence on me, and I distinctly remember his iconic persona poem exercises from both school workshops and the Saturday classes. There are some elements from those workshops that I’m sure recur in my newer writing and influence my propensity for highly specific voices in my poems.

I also really loved opportunities to do more comedic writing, and I particularly enjoyed when we’d do group exercises and games that turned silly. In my slam and performance work now, I really love to bring in those theatrical, funny elements and not take myself too seriously. Last year in the Wellington regional slam final, held at the national library, I performed a piece that involved meowing like a cat in front of a really big audience. Honestly, my younger self would have been horrified, but remember: cringe culture is dead! I think the best writing, particularly as a young person, isn’t trying to put on a front to sound more grown up but rather embraces your unique perspective and a voice that is organic to you, balancing the silly and the serious.

Carly: How has your writing evolved over the years?

Amelia: I spent many years trying to tailor my work to what kind of thing I thought English teachers and competition judges might like, which worked to a degree but ultimately wasn’t going to help me grow. Over the past couple of years, I’ve noticed myself developing a much more distinctive, personal voice, which might not always have the same broad appeal but feels much more authentic to me. As I mentioned before, when I was younger, I had a pretty pretentious notion of what I wanted my writing to be like and tried to cultivate a really serious voice. Now, I embrace the memes a little more, and I think my work is at its best when I let it be chronically online. I’ve also finally gotten to a point where I let my work be unapologetically hyperfeminine, where I used to be more concerned about that perspective being alienating to some readers.

After stepping into an editorial role with our new journal, Symposia, I feel like I’ve developed a new perspective on my own work, and I am able to be more objective about it to a degree. I’ve also gotten better at not taking rejections so hard now that I have personal experience with how tough the selection process can be and the amazing pieces that sometimes get rejected, so it’s definitely an experience I encourage others to try when they get the opportunity.

Carly: How do you stay motivated to write?

Amelia: This is still something I’m working on in many ways with the different demands of adult life as well as uni and work commitments. It helps me to make sure I’m always reading something and taking in a variety of influences, and so does regularly attending open mics and poetry events when I am able to. I once again really value having friends that also write, who can motivate me and who I can send stuff to for a second opinion when I’m stuck. And though it’s perhaps not the best for my grades, sometimes I find myself typing up a poem on my laptop during lectures instead of actual notes. Don’t try this one at home.

Carly: Thanks so much Amelia.