Q&A with Alex Creece
“The nightmare is a mango mystery eating it’s own tail!”
~ Zoinks! by Alex Creece
You've mentioned that you love "bizarro worlds, craft projects and brave literature," and your poem Zoinks! is all of these. Can you tell us about your poem and how you brought it to life?
Sometimes I feel exhilarated by the prospect of infinite sentence and word combinations; other times, this overwhelms me. Using a source material helps when I’m feeling overwhelmed by possibility, or if I’m stuck in a mental rut. By limiting the words available, I can cultivate new meaning in something as unassuming as Scooby Doo!
This process obviously draws from Dadaist and Surrealist techniques – using elements of chance and playfulness, and creating art out of the real world (and hopefully, creating new worlds out of art). I chose to arrange this collage poem into an emoji shape, as I feel like this retains the ooky-spooky vibe of Scooby Doo while giving the words a recognisably modern form.
I also cry on each of my poems for good measure!
As well as poetry, you also write non-fiction, memoir, articles, reviews, and short fiction. What do you enjoy, or find challenging, about writing across various forms?
I find that each genre engages different parts of the brain – the creative and editorial processes vary wildly depending on the work itself. When writing essays or prose, I generally have a better idea of whether something is objectively "well-written". Even if there may be other issues, like goofy structure or storytelling, at least I have a decent grasp of whether the language itself is solid.
In poetry, any interpretation of "well-written" (or otherwise) is up for question. As Frank O'Hara said, "you just go on your nerve." That's somewhat intimidating, because it means there's no standard by which to measure your own work. But this freedom allows for new types of form and feeling that don't necessarily conform to other genre constraints.
I’m very much an over-explainer (as you might be noticing!), so poetry offers a challenge in that sense too – conveying ideas indirectly, considering aesthetics, and choosing which details are most relevant and evocative. While I do have some poems that lean into my natural oversharing vibe, I try to use this technique in a deliberate and sparing way so I can experiment with other modes of expression.
You are passionate about neurodiversity in the arts, and write candidly about topics like mental health, queerness, and identity. What do you hope readers will take away from your work?
I guess, like anyone in the creative arts, I have a need to express something, and a hope that my expression can find its audience. Identity is such a murky, confusing, and important thing. It can be both contorted and clarified through experiences of chaos, adversity, and connection. I think that messiness should be seen in as many forms as possible.
I struggle to relate to others in personal interactions, so often my writing is a way to be understood – and demonstrate understanding – in my own way. There’s something interesting about trying to capture personal and possibly ineffable experiences in a way that resonates with other people’s own equally personal, ineffable worlds.
Sometimes I worry that I'm not subtle enough for traditional poetry, but not witty enough for hip, insta-worthy poetry. But I think the genre itself is considered somewhat dorky even by other literature lovers, so hopefully it’s okay for me to neither be the architect of the prettiest nor the juiciest words. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I like what I do.
Your writing is full of humour, honesty and a good dash of whimsy. Which writers and poets inspire you?
Shucks, thank you! My list of literary inspirations is far too long! But to name a few great talents from here in the Antipodes: Bella Li, Ellen van Neerven, Hera Lindsay Bird, Shastra Deo, Rae White, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Omar Sakr, Elena Gomez, Fiona Wright. I’ve also been inspired by Benjamin Frater, as he wrote from lived experience of mental illness, and was whimsical and punny in doing so.
As wanky as it sounds, I also try to squeeze creative juice from “real life” blandness – like finding inspiration in IKEA instructions, crossword puzzles, infomercials, or even the unique artistry of my own menstrual blood.
And of course, I retain a soft spot for old(ish)-timers. I was pretty obsessed with Emily Dickinson as a teen. Daggy dresser, intense recluse, likely lesbian – what’s not to love? I think it’s important to hold on to that childlike wonder of words too, as with Dr Seuss, Beatrix Potter, and A.A. Milne. I love to read picture books and children’s literature, because I think techniques like rhythm, repetition, and alliteration can activate that sense of whimsy.
Alex Creece is a writer, poet, student and average kook living on Wadawurrung land (Geelong, Victoria). She also tinkers with other people's poems as the Production Editor for Cordite Poetry Review. Alex was awarded a Write-ability Fellowship in 2019 and a Wheeler Centre Hot Desk Fellowship in 2020. Check out more on her website www.creecedpaper.com.