Forget your personal tragedy.

I receive a lot of questions about myself, my project, and poetry in general so I decided to make a page devoted to it instead of filling up people’s dashboard’s with my answers. Here we go!

Who are you?

I’m a 20 year old girl. I’m a college student and an English major. 

Is your name really Marissa? 

Yes.

Where are you from?

I’m from Massachusetts.

What’s your writing background?

Nothing special, really. I’ve taken several writing workshops (fiction and poetry) at my college which I feel have helped me a lot. I’m also a devote reader. 

What’s your favorite poem?

My favorite poem is “Before Everything is Over” by George Wallace. It’s not prose poetry, but I suggest it regardless.

What’s your favorite book?

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, always.

Do you like short stories?

Yes. My favorites include “The Fat Girl” by Andre Dubus, “The Vintage Thunderbird” by Anne Beatie, “The End of Something” by Ernest Hemingway, “The Blue Lenses” by du Maurier (love her endlessly) and “The Camel’s Back” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Do you want to be a poet?

Not really. I’m tentatively considering MFA programs in Fiction after college, but if I’m not accepted (which, as programs seem fiercely competitive, is a distinct possibility) I’ll probably do volunteer work or get an internship until I figure things out.

I want to get an MFA in Poetry. Can you help me work this out?

I really don’t know as much about Poetry MFAs as I do about Fiction, and in terms of Fiction, I only have a broad list of where I’m applying. So, I think the best person to ask is your Poetry professor, but if you don’t have one, I’ll be more than happy to help you out to the best of my knowledge.

What inspired your project?

My project, to write at least one prose poem a day for a year, is a dedication to a close friend of mine whom passed away in March. We become very close in a poetry workshop and so I decided to commemorate her and her gift for writing through compiling a book of poetry written in the year after she passed.

Did she write prose poetry too?

Actually, no. We both wrote mostly in form. I chose prose poetry because I think it’s difficult and the form (or lack thereof) pushes me to write more of my emotions, which was always important to my friend. She managed to relay poignant feelings through form, whereas I treated the confines as more of a puzzle than a route of artistic expression.

So wait, what is prose poetry?

A Google search defines prose poetry as ”poetry written in prose that departs from some of the usual practices associated with prose discourse, for the sake of heightened imagery or emotional effect” and I think that’s pretty accurate. In more reader friendly words, though,  Peter Johnson summed it up well when he said, “Just as black humor straddles the fine line between comedy and tragedy, so the prose poem plants one foot in prose, the other in poetry, both heels resting precariously on banana peels.” In my prose poetry, I usually use alliteration and extended metaphor, although one can use numerous devices and techniques.

I’ve never heard of it before. Is any of it famous?

Yes. I think a great example is Paul Colinet’s “Summer” (link will open in a new window). My personal favorites include Pablo Neruda, Lisa Garna, Rose Marie Waldrop, and W.S. Merwin. Poe and T.S. Elliot, amongst other “token” writers also have some prose poetry out there.

Does prose poetry get published like other creative writing?

Generally speaking, yes. If you’re interested in reading more prose poetry, I suggest six little things, which is an online literary magazine dedicated to prose poetry exclusively. Fraglit publishes short prose poetry and “fragments” of writing. If you’re interested in magical realism, periphery is a zine which publishes prose poetry. I think the majority of literary magazines and journals publish prose poetry, but not exclusively, so you may have to pick through to find them.

Is prose poetry the same thing as flash fiction?

I don’t think so, but some people will disagree with me on that. Flash fiction is generally 1,000 words or less (although I’ve often seen the limit set at 750) which tell a complete story, whereas prose poetry is usually much shorter (less than 300 words) and is more concerned with emotion and language than a coherent plot. But, the forms are definitely similar and if you enjoy prose poetry, I suggest you check out flash fiction too.

What blogs do you recommend?

I follow mostly other creative writing blogs. My personal favorites include giraffescantype, wryit, barretta, tylerknott, thewhiskeymonologues, mckinneycantwrite, shaynacurran, and lifeserial. As for wonderful blogs about poetry, I suggest poetry365, yespoetry, and hellopoetry. Unrelated to poetry, I also enjoy oldhollywood, moviesinframes, fuckyeahliteraryquotes, and quote-book. Lastly, I recommend nostalgictraces, who posts beautiful photographs of vintage attire, particularly corsets. (All open in a new window).

Do you want to get in touch?

Of course! Feel free to message me and I can give additional contact information then. I love talking about writing and really anything, so please don’t be shy!

Will you answer questions about your writing?

Yes.