Interview with poet Marc Frazier
Marc Frazier has widely published poetry in journals including The Spoon River Poetry Review, ACM, Good Men Project, f(r)iction, Slant, Permafrost, Plainsongs, and Poet Lore. He has had memoir published in Gravel, Autre, The Good Men Project, decomP, and forthcoming in Evening Street Review and Cobalt Review. He is the recipient of an Illinois Arts Council Award for poetry and has been featured on Verse Daily. His book The Way Here and his two chapbooks are available on Amazon as well as his second full-length collection Each Thing Touches which has been widely and favorably reviewed. He just finished a book-length memoir titled WITHOUT. We have conducted an interview with him.
What are the key differences between writing poetry and memoir?
A friend and editor told me when I began writing memoir to "get rid of that poetry voice." It was a big challenge to find the right consistent voice for the memoir. I did weave some of my poetry into the story of my life. Sometimes I changed the poetry into prose form, sometimes I included entire poems of mine in the memoir itself. Writing memoir requires a bigger commitment..
How challenging is it being a memoirist in today's context?
What I find the biggest challenge writing memoir in today's context is not trying to top someone else's story in terms of quirkiness, craziness, or shocking content.
Where are some pieces of your memoir that are being published?
My opening piece "Mercy" is appearing this spring in Evening Street Review along with a related poem. "Appraisal" will appear soon in Cobalt Magazine. Other pieces from my memoir have appeared in decomP, Autre, Good Men Project, and Gravel.
What is your next step for 'WITHOUT', your book-length memoir?
I have been actively searching for an agent to represent WITHOUT. I have also queried many publishing companies about acquiring my manuscript.
Which are the awards you have won for Poetry?
I have won an Illinois Arts Council Award for Poetry and have been accepted to numerous writing conferences to study with famous poets and writers. I recently received some merit-based aid to attend a month-long residency at Vermont Studio Center.
