gc cohen : part five

What do you feel poetry can accomplish that other forms can’t?

Poetry always feels so raw and emotional to me – in a way that no other form of writing does. It allows me to contemplate tough subjects or emotions in a succinct, short manner. I appreciate that with poetry, I can say so much with so little. That’s just something I’ve never been able to successfully pull off with other forms.

Poetry also continues to teach me vulnerability in the absolute best way. There’s this quote by David Mitchell that goes, “If you show someone something you’ve written, you give them a sharpened stake, lie down in your coffin, and say, ‘When you’re ready.’” That’s what writing poetry accomplishes (for me) that I don’t experience with any other genre of writing. It keeps me vulnerable. It forces me to keep putting myself out there. It keeps me on my toes.

gc cohen : part four

How does your work first enter the world? Do you have a social group or writers group that you work ideas and poems with?

My work usually enters the world at the most inopportune moment – I’m driving, I’m in the shower, I’m in the middle of a work-related phone call, whilst on a hike. Usually when I’m a bazillion miles away from a pen and consumed with something else. My poems usually end up scribbled on a scrap piece of paper, or in my journal. I then type the poems, just because my handwriting is atrocious. My wife is kind and patient enough to read my work and offer her input, although I usually don’t reveal anything to a beta reader until I feel confident about the work.

gc cohen : part three

Has your consideration of poetry changed since you began?

Absolutely. When I was a teenager, I always thought poetry had to be about love or angst. So that’s all I wrote about when I was younger. My consideration of poetry changed as I changed, and it has become ridiculously cathartic, allowing me to grapple with, work through, and further contemplate tough shit that has plagued me for years – even if I just write something and keep it to myself.

gc cohen : part two

How did you first engage with poetry?

I was eight or nine, and I was rummaging through the kitchen cabinets in my childhood home. I found a stack of books – mostly cookbooks – but one stood out to me: ee cummings’s 73 Poems. I poured over it, and was astonished because I’d never read anything like it. It made me want to write for the first time, and I spent the next several years journaling and writing crappy poetry throughout my adolescence, which I later burned because I didn’t think it was any good. (I sometimes still mourn the loss of burning all those notebooks.)

gc cohen : part one

gc cohen (stylized as such) is a queer writer / poet that currently lives in Massachusetts and daydreams of homesteading with her wife and son. cohen enjoys scribbling in notebooks and journals, adventuring outdoors, hanging with her pets, being a foodie, and drinking copious amounts of coffee. She holds a BA in English from the University of Louisville and dual MA degrees in Children's Literature and English from Simmons College in Boston. family matters (also stylized as such), cohen's debut poetry collection is available on Amazon. For further writing and updates, cohen may be found on Twitter (@bygccohen) and Instagram (@gc.cohen).

Photo credit: Chelsea Cohen // @chelseacohenphotos (Instragram)

What are you working on?

Mellowing out. Being a more patient human. Practicing more kindness. Self-love. Planning future trips. Saving money for a house. Meditating. Trying to get better quality sleep. Putting my phone down more often. Hiking regularly. Marketing my debut poetry collection, family matters.

Writing-wise, trying to make sense of my time growing up/coming of age in the Midwest US, my college years, some tumultuous relationships, and some self-loathing I’ve experienced in the past. I’m still unsure of where it’s all going, and it may take years to write, but I’ll get there.