Meet poet A. Anupama.
How Did You Become An Artist?
I began to write poems as an experiment. (I was a science editor in my pre-motherhood life.) I wrote one poem every day of National Poetry Month, April 2009, just to see what, if anything, would happen. A few months later, I started my poetry blog, and six months after that I was accepted and enrolled in a Masters program for writing at Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Since graduating, I’ve filled notebooks with many, many poems. My father tells me that I started writing poems as soon as I learned to write, but I don’t remember that.
What Kind Of Art Do You Make?
On my blog, Seranam.com, I illustrate the act of poetic inquiry by using photos that create metaphors in juxtaposition to the images evoked by my texts. My photographs, taken mostly around Nyack, also reveal another layer of images in my poetry chapbook, Savasana Dreams.
What’s Your Muse?
Reading poetry is also a major source of inspiration. I like to explore, reading many different contemporary voices. Next in my pile is a collection by Evie Shockley. I write poetry reviews for Numéro Cinq Magazine, and I find that testing out my critical skills yields material for my own art.
What’s Next?
This summer I’m coordinating Vermont College’s overseas writing residency in Slovenia, which I’m very excited about. Poetry translation will be a focus there, so I’ll come home with new projects and ideas.
To follow A Anupama visit seranam.com.
Portrait photo by Photo Dorothea Erichsen.