Blackbird ArchiveTracking the Muse
Since 2007 we have invited contributors featured in our annual Introductions Loop to comment on their creative process. This year, Alli Cruz, Katarzyna Jakubiak, Andrew Koch, Romie Hernández Morgan, Stephen O’Donnell, and Jessica Tanck step up to the task.
An essay by Jessica Tanck on how her poems begin from unanswerable questions and unresolved discomfort.
FeaturesWhat’s Essential About All This StuffAn essay by Andrew Koch on how his essays emerge from finding resonances between unrelated ideas, including collections, grief, and movies.
FeaturesEveryone’s a PoetAn essay by Alli Cruz on memory as the driving force behind her poetry's structure and content.
FeaturesReasons to WriteA brief lyrical essay by Stephen O'Donnell on the compulsions and reasons behind the drive to write.
FeaturesTranslation and TransgressionAn essay by Katarzyna Jakubiak on writing fiction inspired by her grandfather's delusions and her own coming-of-age during Poland's political transition.
FeaturesTraveling Light: From Photography to PoetryAn essay by Romie Hernández on how an early love of darkroom photography shaped the author's approach to writing poetry.