Damen here generously shares valuable pieces of advice. We thank him for his candour.
Would you please tell us a little about your writing process?
Typically, I write once or twice a week, usually on a Saturday or Sunday morning. I go to my local café and write while sipping a latte. I can usually get a poem completed by the time I have reached the bottom of the cup.
How do you believe a writer improves? Practice? Mentors? Reading everything? Attending festivals?
All of the above! Write often and with freedom. Be playful.
What motivated / motivates you to write?
It doesn’t happen as often as I would like, but every now and then, the words are right – they feel like someone else has written them – someone much more accomplished then me! The words seem to have been sent to me on a bolt of lightning. That’s when it’s worth it.
Do you enjoy writing?
That’s a good question. The answer should be ‘yes’, right? I think I mostly enjoy writing poetry, but somehow I also find it exhausting. Mentally exhausting. Beginning the next poem can sometimes be daunting.
Which mistakes have you learned the most from?
Every poet has a folder full of juvenilia. I certainly do. These are the ways we slowly learn what to do and what not to do. I am still writing them, hopefully less frequently. Every time I do, the next poem is a little better.
Are there any downsides to being a writer?
The administration! I probably write once a week, but I spend hours through the week working on submissions, responding to acceptances (hopefully), recording rejections (unfortunately), creating and sending invoices (rarely), corresponding with other poets, editing poems. I have said this before, but why can’t every poet be given a personal assistant tax free? The world would be a better place.
Which question do you wish you were asked more?
“Would you like us to publish your poem?”
I think every poet wants that one.
What do you find most inspiring?
I love going to festivals and feeling myself part of a big community of fellow poets and poetry lovers, talking poetry, thinking poetry, living and breathing poetry. It is generative, restorative and inspiring all in one.
Damen is a mulit-award-winning Australian poet. In 2024, his prizes include the Fingal Poetry Competition, the Ware Open Poets Competition and the Ros Spencer Poetry Prize. Damen’s poems have been published in the Marrow, Florida Review and the London Magazine among other journals. His latest book of poetry is Walking the Boundary (Pitt Street Poetry, 2024).