By Nita Noveno
Nita Noveno: Congratulations on your debut collection of poetry! I had a glimpse of your time fine tuning your work while we were both at The Seventh Wave’s Rhinebeck Residency last summer. (What a gleeful writing residency!) Soon after, you got word that your manuscript was selected by Patricia Smith for publication in the Miller Williams Poetry Series at the University of Arkansas Press. Incredible and well-deserved! There is so much to mine given your multicultural background as a Chinese-Iranian writer from the San Francisco Bay area. Considering the central exploration of multiraciality and the legacy of exile in this incredible collection, Self-Mythology, could you expand on how you navigate the concept of “otherness” and its influence on the pursuit of belonging and identity in your poetry?
Saba Keramati: Thank you, Nita! It was so lovely to work on the finishing touches of Self-Mythology next to you in Rhinebeck.
Children learn very early on how to categorize: shapes, colors, other people. As a multiracial person, I often felt that strict categories were not fully able to capture my lived experience. There was, of course, the othering that was prescribed upon me by white society, but there was also a sense of loneliness that would occur in spaces that only represented a part of me. And so part of the goal with Self-Mythology was to confront and combat that loneliness for other multiracial folks, to create new senses of belonging, and to expand the definition of identity.
NN: Could you share an observation or experience from the journey of creating and publishing your first collection that has left a lasting impression on you?
SK: A dear friend said to me recently, “This is years in the making. Honor it.”
It’s been helpful for me to remember that the writing of this book did not come all at once; the process was sometimes messy and hectic. The same could be said for the publication journey. I’m publishing a book for the first time, and part of honoring that means rolling with the punches. We are not meant to do something perfectly the first time!
I want to honor the joy and pride of publishing the book much more than I want to lean into the stress of organizing a book tour. I want to give myself time to rest after working so hard on Self-Mythology. I push back against the capitalist notion that that book’s success is about sales or reviews of social media. So I’m learning a lot about how I want to be, while I learn about what Self-Mythology will be.
NN: Is there a poem that you find yourself returning to frequently, either for solace, inspiration, or introspection? If there is, what draws you back to this particular poem, and how has it influenced your own writing or worldview?
SK: These days, I find myself questioning poetry’s role in politics. So I’ve been returning to “PALESTINE IS A FUTURISM: THE DREAM” by Fargo Nissim Tbakhi, published in Strange Horizons.
I think this poem does a lot of things I struggle with in my own writing. It is exact and sure. It is not afraid. It uses exclamation points. It inspires me to be more forceful in what I ask of poetry, and poets.
NN: If we were to peek inside your creative process, would we find any guilty pleasures like binge-watching TV shows or rewatching favorite movies that unexpectedly spark inspiration for your poetry? If so, could you share any memorable instances where a particular show or film ignited your imagination?
SK: I watch a lot of reality TV. I don’t know that it’s ever outright inspired a poem, but I will be honest in that watching reality television is a helpful tool in narrative pacing and surprise. Also, emotions on reality television are extremely heightened, and conversations and words are often picked apart and analyzed. This, too, is a helpful framing for poems.
NN: Do you ever find yourself grappling with writer’s block or periods of creative stagnation? If so, how do you overcome these challenges and revive your inspiration to continue writing?
SK: Often!
There is a series of centos in Self-Mythology called “Cento for Loneliness & Writer’s Block & the Fear of Never Being Enough, Despite Being Surrounded by Asian American Poets.” The cento is a form I love turning to when I’m at a loss for where to begin writing. I often find that the more I read, the more inspired I become, and the cento makes reading a necessity.
However, these days I rarely have deadlines for poetry, so I’ve learned to let writer’s block be a fallow period in a writing season. I trust that whatever has been planted will eventually sprout when the time and conditions are right.
NN: Considering the theme of this SalonZine‘s issue of secrets and lies, how do you navigate the delicate balance between revealing truths and exploring the hidden parts of one’s life in your work?
SK: Self-Mythology is a very personal book, and much of it is written in the confessional mode. I wouldn’t say everything in the book is factual, but I would call the book true.
Ultimately, poetry is an exercise in language, so I prioritize that more than I do facts. As a writer, I try to draft without the expectation of a reader in mind. We can’t fully control how a reader will receive our work, which is somewhat of a blessing to reveal as many truths as one can.
