CARLISLE, Pa. — They say to teach what you know—a message author Adrienne Su takes to heart.
When she’s not in the classroom, Su can be found working on her collections of poetry and prose.
Her book "Living Quarters," January’s FOX43 Book Club read, uses poems to explore the concept of house vs. home and what really makes a space feel comforting.
Originally from Georgia, Su now calls Carlisle home. She moved to Pennsylvania 23 years ago to become a professor of creative writing at Dickinson College.
“I do love being a combination professor and writer because what I do in the classroom is so closely related to what I do the rest of the time. It’s nice to have writing be part of my job, even though hours aren’t set aside for it in the way they are for classes.”
She finds that creative writing and poetry go hand-in-hand.
“...I think that’s the nature of creative writing, that you're often exploring something that you don’t quite understand," she mused. "If you already understand it, there’s no point in writing a poem about it.”
The classroom is often where people first read poetry—an experience Su hopes doesn’t diminish their enjoyment of it
“A number of people have had a painful introduction to poetry," Su conceded. "It was something that occurred in an English class; they felt it was a test—something to get right or get wrong. And that’s unfortunate, because poetry should be just as enjoyable as fiction. I don't think people have a problem reading a novel for fun, but there's something about reading a book of poems that feels daunting, and that might just mean that the books you’re choosing aren’t the right ones for you.”
The author stresses that poetry can be just as pleasant as prose if readers are willing to give it a chance.
“Just as you would pick up a novel and say 'oh this one doesn’t really suit me,' you can pick up a book of poems and say ‘well this one doesn’t suit me.’ That doesn’t mean the genre doesn’t suit me. Look around.”
Even Su herself didn’t think poetry would be her genre.
“I didn’t know there were poets, really," Su said. "Poetry seemed—I think as it’s viewed by a lot of people—as something kind of remote and ancient. I was used to novels; I thought that’s what I would write. But over time, I think we just discover what our strengths are. And as much as I wanted to write in a more popular genre, poetry was the one in which I worked best.”
And although poetry wasn't her immediate interest, the author knew from a young age that her calling was to put pen to paper.
“I always wanted to write," she said. "I was a kid who went to the library a lot. I always read, and I think I was 6—I’m pretty sure I was 6—when I just decided, I want to write books.”
In order to write her poems, Su says there has to be a topic she feels both curious and uncertain about.
“I think it was Robert Frost who said, ‘A poem begins with a lump in the throat,’" she explained. "There has to be something I can’t quite solve.... So there have been times when I couldn’t write anything at all, because I wasn’t feeling that way about anything.”
And even when Su has plenty to write about, her creative process isn't always organized. She says "Living Quarters" is a collection of poems that just fell together.
“It’s the most frustrating way to write a book, because you don’t really know if you’re building something," Su said. "So I often felt like, ‘oh I don’t know what I’m doing.’ I don’t like that feeling, but I think it’s worse to decide, ‘okay, this is what I’m going to do’ and then soldier through and do it, even if there’s not a real compulsion toward it, a natural stake.”
Although "Living Quarters" wasn't planned, it came together like building a house—literally. The book of poems is divided into four sections that are reminiscent of different rooms of a home. Su hopes that her verses are accessible for anyone.
“There are also just poems about life, and in that way I feel that a book of poems is usually for everybody, because it’s just about daily experience," Su said, describing the works that make up "Living Quarters." "There are some Pennsylvania-specific poems in here, but I think they’re also just about inhabiting place, and being aware of the place you’re in. So my hope is that it works wherever you are.”
Su is currently working on another collection that she says she “can’t really describe at all, but it involves some anagrams.” She also has a collection of essays titled “Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet” coming out in August. The author talks more about her life, teaching and her writing journey in the full interview below.
Those interested can follow along with Su on her website to stay up to date on her latest works.
Anyone interested in joining the FOX43 Book Club's discussion of "Living Quarters" can join the Facebook Live at 10 a.m. on Jan. 29 on the FOX43 Book Club Facebook group.