MANDIRA PATTNAIK

LET’S KNOW OUR POETS BETTER

AN INTERVIEW SERIES WITH CONTEMPORARY POETS

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Tanya Sangpun Thamkruphat

Our next poet in the Interview Series LET’S KNOW OUR POETS BETTER in celebration of National Poetry Month, is Thai-Vietnamese American poet and essayist Tanya Sangpun Thamkruphat. My earliest association with Tanya was in 2022 when she published It Wasn’t a Dream, a digital chapbook through Fahmidan Publishing, and we became press mates because my debut poetry chapbook Anatomy of a Storm Weathered Quaint Townspeople was also published under the same submission call. As far as I remember, Tanya’s came into the world a month before mine, and I was so excited about it. Needless to say, I have been following Tanya’s work ever since. You’ll love “The Halloween Fireball,” San Diego Poetry Annual, 2022-2023 and this poem in The Cincinnati Review, among her many other poems. Also read “Dear Khun Yai” (Peatsmoke Journal) and “The Call to Play” (Midway Review). Tanya’s latest book is Care Instructions (Finishing Line Press, 2024), a poetry collection composed of short and simplistic poems, addressing the type of healing most of us yearn for during unexpected times. They were written during a prolonged period of personal and global crisis characterized by turmoil, change, and loss.

We chatted about the book and her writing over emails.

Congratulations on Care Instructions! Tell us a little about your latest collection.

So, a little backstory. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was worried, depressed, and anxious about so many things. So, naturally, I was spending too much time in my own head. However, the only thing I did feel in control of was channeling my feelings through writing, particularly via poetry. I’m a self-taught poet, so at the time, I was in the early days of learning and writing poetry. I was in no way what you called even an emerging poet. I was writing short, simple, and, sometimes silly, poems as a means to encourage me, to help me, and to heal me. Eventually, I had a pile of these pocket-size poems that were simple, and definitely weren’t meant to be studied or analyzed. These poems were my tiny helpers who were getting me through each day, one breath at a time. So, this poetry collection, CARE INSTRUCTIONS, is meant to help others whenever they’re feeling out of sorts, when the world doesn’t make sense, or just whenever they need a small dose of pick-me-up poetry.

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

General themes in my poetry include cultural identity and heritage in the context of being a child of immigrant parents, familial relationships (especially between parent and child), depression, and body image, among other themes. These themes appear quite frequently in my work just because they’re all topics I’ve personally dealt with over the course of my life. However, right now, my in-progress work has been focusing on themes of isolation and nostalgia. I recently moved to an almost remote part of the Southern California desert where it has felt like I am even further away from my communities, and has me feeling very nostalgic for times, places, people, and things from my past.

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

I had an interest in writing at a young age, about 8 or 9. I remember writing short stories and making a book out of them. Then, I discovered Shel Silverstein and that increased my interest in writing, specifically in poetry. Growing up, I was fascinated by Emily Dickinson’s work and her career as a poet. These days, there are so many poets who inspire me. However, it really was Jose Hernadez Diaz’s work that really got me serious about writing and publishing poetry. His poetry inspired me to think beyond the traditional boundaries of poetry forms. Plus, his poetry is amazing. Other poets who have inspired me include, but definitely not limited to, Victoria Chang, Paisley Rekdal, Natalie Shapero, Moira Walsh, Diana Khoi Nguyen, Vi Khi Nao, Monica Ong, Keith S. Wilson, Hua Xi, Emily Luan, and Nkosi Nkululeko.

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

This collection came together as a means to help me get through some challenging times and the poems were written during the early days of my poetry career in 2020 (so, these were written by baby poet, Tanya). A couple years later, I wanted this collection to be published since it meant a lot to me and I hoped it would get others through their own difficult times. For me, the collection is a piece of my story and holds a special place in my poetry career. So, I submitted CARE INSTRUCTIONS to different publishers who had open calls for poetry chapbook submissions. Finishing Line Press gave CARE INSTRUCTIONS a home and the rest is history!

Please let us know where we can purchase your collection.

You can purchase CARE INSTRUCTIONS from Finishing Line Press at https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/care-instructions-by-tanya-sangpun-thamkruphat/. You can also purchase a copy through Bookshop.org, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and most any online site where books are sold. If anyone wants a signed copy, they can email me at tanya@tanyasangpun.com for details.

How would you describe yourself as a poet?

Ooo, this is a great question! I would say that I’m a poet-in-learning who is still finding her way and place in the poetry world. I will say that I’m definitely leaning more into visual poetry. There’s something about creating/writing visual poetry that really appeals to me right now.

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

Yes, thank you, Mandira, for inviting me to answer these great questions! Truly honored. Also, I’m always looking to connect with folks, poetry or otherwise, on social media. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram at @madamewritelyso. If you’d like to see some of my work, you can visit https://tanyasangpun.com/creative-writing/. Lastly, thank you in advance to those who do order a copy of my book and thank you to those who have supported me and my writing. Much love.

Thank you so much, Tanya. Always a pleasure to share more about writers I admire and keenly follow. All the very best!

GENTLE REMINDER: My craft essays, posted month-end and usually focused on flash fiction, will resume in May, because here we take a break, and celebrate these amazing poets and their art throughout the month of April.

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