Catherine Chandler
Where and when were you born?
I was born in New York City in 1950, raised in Pennsylvania, and have lived in Canada since 1972.
Could you tell us something about your background?
My father was a mathematics teacher and my mother was a medical records technician. I went to Catholic parochial school for 8 years, public high school for 4 years, and a private liberal arts university for my Bachelor of Arts degree in French, with a minor in Spanish. I completed my Master of Arts in Education at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, where my thesis topic was a case study of values-based educational leadership.
Were either of your parents or grandparents (or any other relatives) writers? If not, were any of your relatives actively interested in literature?
Though no one that I know of was a writer, we are all avid readers and interested in all sorts of literature.
Are any of your siblings writers or involved in a
creative profession?
I have six siblings, but none are writers or involved in a creative profession.
What was the first poem (or who was the first poet) that turned you on to poetry?
I think that the lyrics and music of popular and church music that I heard and listened to since my earliest memories first turned me on to the magic of poetry. I write only formal, metrical poetry, and I am sure that my musical training (piano, organ, guitar) had something to do with that. In high school I had excellent English literature teachers, and I studied so many poets (British and American) that I am not really sure which was the first poem to ignite my imagination. But it was probably the poem by Robert Frost, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening". Also, having studied French and Spanish literature, I was exposed to the poetry of Spain, Latin America, France and French Canada.
What age were you when you first began writing poetry, and did you receive any encouragement?
I first began to write poetry at the age of 11 or 12. In our crowded house of seven children, I had no privacy or peace and quiet, so I took over a corner of our attic It was dreadfully hot there in the summer and unbearably cold in the winter, but it was my treasured space. My first poem was a nature poem about autumn.
When you started writing poetry did you have dreams about becoming a "professional" poet? If so, did anyone advise you against this course of action?
In my early years, I dreamed of becoming a poet, but this was only briefly. At one point, I drew a poster entitled "Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits" (from Sandburg) and taped it to my bedroom wall. I was never advised against any of my dreams, however, my mother did warn me, "whatever you do, learn how to type". In the past 4 years (when I have begun to submit my poetry on a regular basis, and have it accepted), I often dream of leaving my day job to devote myself exclusively to writing poetry. However, I can't afford to retire yet!
Did you ever get a poem published in your school magazine? (If so, please tell us the title and the year of publication).
Yes, my first published poem was in my high school journal. A poem about the autumn, I believe this was in 1964 or 1965.
Did you go to university, and if so, which subject(s) did
you study?
Yes, I have a Bachelor of Arts in French with a minor in Spanish, and a Master of Arts in Education (culture and values in education).
When did you first start submitting to poetry magazines? And can you tell us how many rejections you received before having something accepted for publication? (And if you received many rejections, was this off-putting?)
Though I have been writing poetry on and off most of my life, I submitted several sonnets to poetry magazines in the late 1990's. Many were rejected, and three were accepted in Amelia SPSM&H. Although I knew that rejections were a fact of the writer's life, still, they were not nice to receive, and I stopped submitting until 2004.
What was the worst rejection you ever received?
"Not quite". (Light Quarterly). Or
getting my poems back in pristine condition, obviously not even read.
What was your first published poem? Which poetry magazine published it? And what year was it published?
I consider my first published poems to be
"Franconia" and "Equinox", published simultaneously in The Lyric in 2004.
"Franconia" went on to receive the journal's quarterly prize as
well.
Round about the time that you started seriously writing poetry, who were your literary heroes? And would you say they had an influence on your writing style?
Robert Frost and Edna St. Vincent Millay.
Have you ever attended a creative writing course or been involved in a writers' group? If so, did you find it useful?
No, I never attended a course, though I do participate in the online poetry workshop Eratosphere. It is immensely useful!
When did you put together your first collection of
poetry?
I put together a collection of (roughly) the same poems for the Richard Wilbur competition out of Evansville University. Those collections were entitled "To a Praiseful Eye", "Where All the Ladders Start", and "Lexicon". I did not win those competitions. I also sent in a collection to a publishing house, WordTech Communications, entitled "The Wonderful Boat", but it was not accepted. I have whittled this collection down and made some drastic revisions and rewrites, and have submitted it to a British publisher. I am waiting for their reply. The collection of sonnets is called "Of Diminished Things".
How long did it take to get it accepted for publication? And, if appropriate, how many times was it rejected?
No collection published yet. Keeping my fingers crossed. I refuse to go the route of vanity press self-publication on demand.
How long did you have to wait between acceptance and
final publication?
What sort of critical response did you receive?
Would you say that your publisher actively promoted the
book?
Did you do readings and signings at bookshops to help promote the book? If so, did you organise these yourself, or were they organised by your publisher? And would you say that they had a significant effect on sales figures?
How many copies of the book sold?
Is it still in print?
At the beginning of your writing career did you enter any poetry competitions? Did you enter a lot or just a few? Did you have any success? And, with hindsight, what are your thoughts about the relative merits or demerits of poetry competitions?
I believe poetry competitions are, in the most part, not worth the time and effort (and money) to enter. I know of some cases where formal poetry entries were not even read, and in one case, there was fraud involved.
Which of your poetry books has been the most successful in terms of sales, and how many copies has it sold to date?
Have you won any awards for your poetry?
I've won a quarterly award from The Lyric (for the best poem
in their Summer 2004 issue). I've won a prize in a state poetry
competition, and $1,000 from a scam poetry operation (that I didn't realize was
a scam until too late).
Do you make a living out of poetry?
I make a spiritual living out of poetry. I could not survive without it. As far as a financial living, unfortunately, no.
If not, do you make an adequate living through poetry related activities such as teaching creative writing workshops? Or do you have to supplement your income through unrelated activities?
I have to have a day-job.
With the benefit of hindsight, are you glad that you pursued your dream of being a poet? Also, if you could turn the clock back, would you do anything different?
I don't believe in looking back or having regrets. I think perhaps my best times as a poet are still to come.
If a young would-be poet approached you, which poets would you recommend as vital reading?
All poets, good and bad.
Which poetry magazines would you recommend him or her to
subscribe to?
The Lyric, Raintown Review, Blue Unicorn, Poetry, Measure, The Dark Horse, Orbis, Kenyon Review, Candelabrum, and many good internet sites such as The HyperTexts.
Assuming that this would-be poet showed some promise, would you advise him or her to pursue a "career" in poetry?
Yes, but I would also advise him or her to have a back-up career as well.
If so, what further advice would you give him or her?
Not to be discouraged by rejections. To persevere, and to continue to read as well as write poetry.
Finally (and
extremely hypothetically), you are selected to appear on the hit reality TV
show, "Desert Island Poets", where you are marooned on a tropical
island for three months with a typewriter and several reams of paper. You are provided with all necessary
provisions, but you are only allowed to take three books with you. Your appearance fee is more than you could
hope to earn in a decade and the show is so popular that all previous
participants have become best-selling poets.
So, would you participate? And
if so, which three books would you take with you?
Yes, I would participate, and I would bring a dictionary, a thesaurus, and a rhyming dictionary.
See:
Catherine
Chandler's poetry at Hyper Texts
Return
to: What Makes Poets Tick?
Return
to: Main Menu