Austin Allen is one of our featured writers at our June 11th reading. Check out our interview with him below.
What is your first memory of writing for fun?
Writing a poem on the bus on the way to kindergarten. The meter was terrible.
How many drafts = done?
It’s hard to measure in terms of drafts, but on average, I finish a poem (if I finish it) several months after starting it.
What is your favorite book or favorite book-of-the-moment?
I’m currently enjoying Zadie Smith’s essay collection Changing My Mind.
What is it about your discipline that gets you the most excited?
Finding a way to write about something I’ve wanted to write about for years.
What’s your favorite word or words? What about it/them appeals to you?
I love how secret or secretly creates instant drama, even in the most mundane contexts. “I secretly opened the refrigerator.” “She filed the secret tax form.”
Bonus question: What is your favorite shape of the moon?
Secretly? Waxing gibbous.
Austin Allen’s debut poetry collection, Pleasures of the Game (Waywiser Press, 2016), was awarded the Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize. His poetry has recently appeared in The Hopkins Review, The Missouri Review, The Yale Review, 32 Poems, and other outlets. He studies and teaches creative writing at the University of Cincinnati. http://www.austinallenwriting.com
