MANDIRA PATTNAIK

LET’S KNOW OUR POETS BETTER

AN INTERVIEW SERIES WITH CONTEMPORARY POETS

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SAM SZANTO

Inspired by the celebration of National Poetry Month to promote awareness and appreciation of poetry, beginning today, I’ll bring you interviews with contemporary poets. My craft essays are posted month-end and they usually focus on flash fiction, but here we take a break, and celebrate these amazing poets and their art throughout the month of April. First up, is Sam Szanto, who mentioned in an earlier interview with Fevers of the Mind that “I was born with a pen in my hand”! Sam Szanto is a poet and short story writer from Durham, England. I met her on Twitter and loved her writing. “The Mouse” is a favorite, so is “When I Dream of My Grandmother She is Not“. You may also listen to her reading “125” here. Sam Szanto’s latest collection is ‘This Was Your Mother‘. I had a chance to chat with her about the book and her writing.

Congratulations on This Was Your Mother! Tell us a little about your latest collection.

My most recent publication is a poetry pamphlet called ‘This Was Your Mother’, published by Dreich Press in March 2024.

What themes/motifs/symbols appear most commonly in your work? Do you think there’s a reason (or reasons) behind?

This pamphlet is primarily about family: being a child and having children. The poems are both lyric and narrative, one in a play-form! The first poem is called ‘Hiraeth’, a Welsh word for which there is no direct translation but which to me means a combination of nostalgia and homesickness, perhaps for a home or place or time that may never have existed, and that’s a dominant tone in the pamphlet. Although there are also poems like ‘The Mouse’, about a time my cat brought in a mouse and my kids tried to deal with it because of my phobia, that are humorous. Also ones like ‘My Son Falls In Love with a Potato’, which have surreal elements. And that sums up family life as well as the book, really – the contradictions, the way one emotion can so quickly slide into another. Annie Cowell in her blurb called the poems ‘A glorious celebration of love life and loss’ and I think those three elements certainly do combine in the book.

When did you start writing? Can you name poets who absolutely inspire you?

I have always written – there may have been long periods when I wasn’t out there submitting, but I always knew I’d have a book published some day. There are so many poets who I love – the obvious ones like Sylvia Plath and Sharon Olds, to a whole host of recent ones: Fiona Benson, Joelle Taylor, Amy Acre, Rachel Zucker and on and on. I think the way Caroline Bird writes surreal poetry that still has a heart and an interesting story to tell is just incredible. But actually, what inspires me is all kinds of writers, fiction too – and all the people around me, particularly my children who see the world with such freshness.

How did the collection happen? How did you find your publisher?

I submitted the chapbook to the Dreich Slims contest in August 2023, I think, and was thrilled when it was one of the winners and was published. I met Jack Caradoc, who runs Dreich, at a reading he was organising subsequently and was delighted he’d be publishing it as he’s done so much for poetry.

Please let us know where we can purchase your collection.

At the time of writing, you can contact me for a copy through a DM or else order from the Dreich website.

How would you describe yourself as a poet?

That’s quite a difficult question! I do like to tell a story when I write – I also have a published collection of short stories – and I generally write about people first and place second. I don’t usually use form although I am a fan of a sonnet and couplets! I like to experiment and take risks with poetry, not all of which come off. I guess read a few of my poems and decide for yourself!

[Interviewer’s Note: Sam Szanto’s collection of stories “If No One Speaks” is available from Alien Buddha Press]

Anything else you’d like to share with our readers? Let us know where we can find you. (website/social media)

My other poetry pamphlet, ‘Splashing Pink’, with Annie Cowell, was published by Hedgehog Press in 2023 and was a Poetry Book Society Winter Pamphlet Selection. I also have a short story collection, ‘If No One Speaks’, published with Alien Buddha Press in 2022. You can find me on X at sam_szanto, Facebook at sam-szanto, Instagram at samszantowriter and on my website at samszanto.com

Thank you so much, Sam. I’m sure readers will be as delighted as I am to know more about you and your work. Wish you all the best with your latest collection.

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