Interview with Claire Gallagher: October's Poet of the Month

Congratulations to all three of our winning poets this month, including runners-up Maryam Qureshi and Ryan Buynak. We sat down with the first place winning poet, Claire Gallagher, to get to know her a little better and learn about her writing process and inspirations. 

Meet Claire Gallagher. 

Claire Gallagher is a Los Angeles-based writer, filmmaker, and artist interested in nature, relationships, and humans' and animals' interior lives. On any given day, she can be found working on a screenplay, writing a poem, drawing, painting, or figuring out how to run a small business. 

WHEN DID YOU BEGIN WRITING POETRY? WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION?

I began writing poetry around 11 as a way to self-soothe. It was a way to make sense of my deep feelings—to make something confusing into something pretty. I also loved music but was never musically savvy, so it was my take on lyric and rhythm. I was inspired by words, which, to me, were playful and pliable, and little moments that felt profound. 

WHY DID YOU WRITE THE #POM WINNING POEM?

It was based on a real moment when my partner learned his mother had found a lump in her breast. It turned out not to be cancerous, thank god, but the firework of mortality really tore through our sense of quiet.  

TELL US ABOUT YOUR WRITING PROCESS. HOW DO YOU START? WHERE DO YOU LIKE TO WRITE? DO YOU HAVE ANY RITUALS? 

I like to write poetry alone in my bed. I don't have any rituals. I am usually drawn to write by an image or phrase I can't get out of my head. 

WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE POETS OR WRITERS?

Mary Oliver, Elena Ferrante, Thomas Pynchon, Willa Cather, and Denis Johnson.

ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING ANY BOOKS? IF SO, WHAT ARE YOU READING? DOES WHAT YOU READ IMPACT YOUR WRITING IN ANY WAY?

I am reading Stephen King's On Writing, which is lean and informative. If I'm reading fiction, my internal monologue tends to take on the author's voice, which can detract from my ability to hear myself. I have to step away sometimes, keep my boundaries. 

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TO OTHER ASPIRING POETS? 

Trust your senses. Really look at and listen to what's in your mind, your vision, the world around you. Observe it, record it, write it. Then rewrite it. 

Read the winning poem. 

Here is an excerpt from her winning poem, Spiral. You can read it in full on the pspoets website.