At the moment, what project are you collaborating on with WIC?
I am currently collaborating with WIC teaching poetry to fourth graders at Inez Foster and Cleto Rodriguez Elementary schools. Our project is titled “Neighborhood Odes” and celebrates the neighborhoods and people that surround us. My fellow poets are excellent student writers who embrace the challenge of learning about and practicing forms of poetry. In fact, they have taught me how to play with and push the boundaries of language in new and exciting ways!
What are your writing practices?
I typically write two times during the day. I like to write in the early morning when I first wake up. This is when I do the best work of fleshing out my ideas and really get down to the nuts and bolts of putting my stories and poems together. I also like to write in the late evening before I go to bed. This is when I jot down any ideas I might have had over the course of the day or I make notes about what I would like to work on the next day.
What book on the craft of writing do you highly recommend?
The Poet’s Companion by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux is a nice introduction to the major ideas and concerns in poetry. I like this collection because it considers not only the major “topic” areas of poetry, but also pays close attention to the form and language of poetry. However, nothing can replace the practice of reading poets and their work. When I want to write I read the work of those poets who inspire me such as Sharon Olds, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, and Barbara Hamby, among others.
What writing projects are you working on right now?
I am a PhD student at the University of Texas at San Antonio and my all-consuming writing projects are connected to my dissertation. However, I find that I like to “switch-up” my writing by working on creative projects throughout the semester. My current creative project is a collection of short memoir pieces that explores my relationship with my brother as we grew up in urban Texas. Of course, there is always poetry!
Bio:
Nicole Provencher is a PhD student at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Her current work focuses on comic books and graphic literatures, specifically intersections of gender and race in graphic media. She received her master’s and bachelor’s in English from Our Lady of the Lake University. Nicole has taught courses in American and world literatures, creative writing, and composition. Her recent community projects include teaching poetry in the San Antonio Independent School District and working in the genre of autobiography and memoir with young incarcerated mothers in San Antonio, TX. Nicole’s recent publications appear in the Concho River Review, Nimrod International Journal, Karamu, Nexus, and The Lullwater Review.
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