Pumpkin Spice is back, that crisp autumn chill rewards us every few days with a sneak peek of what's to come, and yet, even as we transition into a new season, there is still too much that remains unchanged. Amidst this juxtaposition, I am excited to chat with Preston Smith about his pages penned in pandemic.
What does the pandemic currently look like in your city?
The pandemic has been very interesting here in Dayton, OH. From early March until mid-July, I stepped away from my barista & manager role at the coffee shop I work at and self-quarantined at home. I live about twenty minutes from the shop, which is actually in downtown Dayton, so I've sort of seen two different sides of it.
Where I live, people don't appear to be taking it that seriously. Especially before government-issued mask mandates, I would constantly see people without masks on my weekly trips to the grocery store.
However, after returning to work, I see everyone downtown wearing masks. What's interesting, too, is that my coffee shop is directly across the street from a fairly large hospital, with a lot of our customers being either patients, visitors, or nurses/doctors themselves. That's really been the most stressful part—just the thought that one of them could be bringing COVID directly from the hospital to us.
From my understanding, though, our county isn't one of the higher risk counties in Ohio anymore, but I'm still extremely weary.
If you haven't been reading, what are some books you're most looking forward to reading?
I haven't been able to bring myself to read unfortunately, but I have bought some books this year that I'm looking forward to reading! I promised a good friend of mine that I would read Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series and even bought the box set but haven't yet—so I really need to get on that! I think in general I'm really excited to get into some YA and fantasy again because I'm beginning my sixth consecutive year of college literature programs where we typically read established works and the canon, so I'm very ready to graduate with my MA in May and have a lot more freedom to read what I want to read! And sometime soon I need to explore this Sarah J. Maas series before my friend disowns me!
Have there been any movies, tv shows, podcasts, etc. that have helped keep you at ease the past few months?
Various media have certainly been escapes for me since the pandemic began. One of the shows I took up bingeing while self-quarantining was "Schitt's Creek," and it's become one of my favorite shows ever! I watched the series in about two weeks and have since gone back and watched random episodes, and I end up quoting it far too often ("Ew, David!"). My older sister got me to watch it and I've since made my mom and my little sister binge it. On the music front, the album I've turned to the most is definitely Rina Sawayama's debut album "SAWAYAMA." It's genre-fluid but remains cohesive, and I can't recommend it enough!
How has the pandemic affected your writing?
More than ever, the pandemic has caused my writing to come in waves. In April, I got the urge to write a chapbook, and by June any ambition I had was completely gone. I'm not sure I wrote a single poem that month. I wrote out deadlines for various projects for myself and everything, but I just couldn't write.
I got myself together in July and wrote and revised a lot, but now in August I haven't been able to write again. Hopefully, this means September will be a good month for writing if this pattern persists?
What this time has really taught me is that I can't push myself and I have to let the writing happen when it happens. My forced writing is always my worst, and it took me a long time to realize that! It's also been challenging because as a person and in my writing I'm very optimistic, and as someone still rather young, this has been one of the most devastating experiences to live through on a global scale and it's been hard to maintain that optimism in myself and in my writing.
I think I ultimately turned to writing about my queer experience and history because they have nothing to do with the pandemic, about which I've only written one poem—"Cinderella as Told During a Global Pandemic," which itself may never see the light of day!
So at some point, I guess I realized I have to separate the pandemic from my writing in order to maintain my optimistic nature, which I spent years building for myself.
Are there any projects you are excited to keep working on? If so, can you give us any details (no spoilers please!) about your project?
Ooh yes!! I've been consumed by two projects, both of which I'm now submitting to presses! When the pandemic first started, I began a chapbook about the life and death of Joan of Arc, which ultimately became titled "JOAN:ARC" thanks to the amazing Rebecca Hazelton, who offered the title to the then-unnamed chapbook in a Twitter reply to me. (I still can't believe that happened!!!)
The other project I've been working on is my debut full-length poetry collection titled "Beneath Honeysuckle Rum." Where "JOAN:ARC" is historical and my published chapbook, Red Rover, Red Lover, tells a fictional story, "Beneath Honeysuckle Rum" is extremely personal to me and it felt right that my first full-length collection would be something raw and from my heart. It's split into four sections (Fear, Apathy, Hope, and Peace), and it's mostly about my queer experience(s). The poems are mostly about two specific men, but other men and women from my past are sprinkled throughout as well and it all culminates in the raging optimist of a bisexual that I am today!
If asked ten years from now what the past few months have taught you about being a writer, what would come to mind?
I feel like we say this all the time—especially on Twitter where there is a condensed community of writers—but I'd have to say that this time really shows that you are a writer whether you're writing all the time or not, that you don't have to write a certain amount to earn that title, etc.
At the beginning, there was this narrative that everyone should be using this time to be productive—write a novel, etc.—and I am SO happy that died down VERY quickly. We're human first, and surviving a global pandemic and maintaining one's mental health are more important than meeting writing goals or trying to prove that you're a writer.
I'd also say that you don't HAVE to write what you know, despite that being the token saying for so long. But mostly that you're a valid writer whether you've been writing during the pandemic or not.
Have there been any fellow writers or people in your life who have helped you stay connected during the pandemic?
There is one man in my personal life that has made a world of difference for me during the pandemic. We've been able to use this time to grow closer, and I can't quite put into words how much it has meant to me. I've also been taking this time to reach out to a lot of people—both friends I haven't spoken to in a while and ones that I saw more recently before the pandemic.
For example, while I was an undergraduate literature student, I became quite close with a lot of the creative writing MFA students at my university, and I've been trying to keep in contact with them and reach out to them periodically during the pandemic. They are some of the absolute best writers I know, and they're even better humans in general. They adopted me as their own even though I wasn't a creative writing student and I was in undergrad, and I'll never ever forget that. They really are my chosen family, and I can't wait to see each of them do amazing things with their words. Roseanna, Remi, Neeru, Julie, and many others—if you're reading this, I love you.
Finally, more than ever, I got to talk with poets on Twitter, which really helped me feel a sort of community during this time. A few writers you should definitely be keeping your eyes on that I adore are Sage Ravenwood, Lynn Schmidt, Ankh Spice, Venus Davis, and so, so many others!
If you curated a playlist for writing life in the pandemic, what top 5 songs would be on your list?
Oh I love this question a lot!! I make a lot of playlists and listen to music constantly, especially during the pandemic, and I also always listen to music when I write. They might not all fit thematically, but 5 songs that got me through the pandemic thus far and from which I would make a playlist are:
1.) "Daisies" by Katy Perry
2.) "I Know Alone" by HAIM
3.) "Bad Friend" by Rina Sawayama
4.) "Joyride" by Tinashe
5.) "Underdressed" by VÉRITÉ
Part of the pandemic for me personally was marked by a pretty big romantic heartbreak, so some of these songs helped me deal with those emotions, while others were comforting for other reasons. No matter the reason, I'd recommend these 5 songs to anyone! :)
Without too many spoilers, what is your favorite poem you've written since the pandemic began?
Ooh, I'm so excited to talk about this. As I mentioned in a previous answer, I went through a pretty bad heartbreak earlier this year. However, before the pandemic, in February, I met a man that I immediately knew I liked. We kept in touch and, a little while after my heartbreak, we've grown closer. One of the projects I've been working on during the pandemic is my debut full-length poetry collection titled "Beneath Honeysuckle Rum," and poems about this boy began materializing as I was putting finishing touches on the book.
My favorite of these poems is titled "To the Boy in California." It begins with "I'll tell the boy in California there is only one way/to cut a pineapple: gently/around its core so as not to break flesh/or pierce its heart," and it very quickly became one of my favorite poems in the book and definitely my favorite since the pandemic began.
While the future is just as unknowable as ever, what is something you are most looking forward to this year?
At the time of this interview, it's August 19th and in 5 days I begin my final year of college—the second year of my literature MA program. While I'm excited to graduate, what I'm most excited about is getting to teach and talk about poetry with my students this year. Like last year, I'll be teaching freshman composition. I was nervous to incorporate too much creative writing into my course last year, as it was my first year and I was new, but this year I really want to get my students thinking about poetry, as I think there are plenty of lessons to be learned when studying poetry that can be applied to academic writing.
So I guess right now I'm just really excited to find that balance where I'm meeting all of the university's standards and preparing the students for the rest of their college careers but also allowing them to engage with creative writing a little bit as well.
Is there any advice you would give to young writers during this time?
I would say to not push yourself too hard during this time. The pandemic is affecting everyone differently. If you're someone where writing is helping you get through it, definitely do that; however, if you're not writing and can't right now, don't stress yourself out about it. As cliche as this statement has become, this situation is unprecedented, nonetheless with everything going on socially—allow yourself to breathe. Whether you write now or later, it will happen.
ABOUT Preston Smith
Preston Smith (he/him) is an MA candidate in literature at Wright State University. He is a poetry editor for Periwinkle Literary Journal, and his debut chapbook, Red Rover, Red Lover, released from Roaring Junior Press in early 2020. He can be found on Twitter (and Instagram!) @psm_writes tweeting about his cats, baking, and fairy tales. His poems appear in Black Bough Poetry, Nightingale & Sparrow, and Pink Plastic House, among others.
Don’t forget to check out Preston’s poem, “When the Apocalypse Hits At High Noon, We Sit Down For a Drink,” published by ang(st)! And be sure to follow Preston and his writing journey at his website and on Twitter and Instagram.
Thanks for chatting, Preston!
