NH Portraits — A Conversation with Elise Powers

Where does a poem begin for you, and what rhythms or conditions help it find its form?

I am a poet, and my poems usually start with an image or a feeling, something small that hits me in the chest a little. A tree outside my window, a conversation I overhear, my daughter doing something tiny and beautiful without realising it.

I don’t have a strict writing routine (life with a toddler doesn’t really allow for that), but I do write very consistently. Every day, almost. All my poems are written in the Notes app on my phone, usually in the middle of everyday life, then I revise and work it over a bit when I can find a quiet hour, usually early in the morning or late at night when my daughter is sleeping. Honestly, the best “routine” I have is just continuously paying attention and documenting the moments that tug at my interest, even if it’s just a single observational sentence typed into my phone that will later become a poem.

How would you introduce the poems you shared with Ninth Heaven, and what drew you to select them?

The pieces I shared with Ninth Heaven came straight from my debut book, The Size of Your Joy. They were written out of everyday moments that lingered in that way certain things do when they end up meaning more than you realise at first – little internal double-takes. Each poem holds a bit of joy and a bit of grief (my favourite combination to write into). I chose them because they felt honest and true to the themes I keep coming back to in my work right now.

What themes or questions do you find yourself returning to – and why do they hold you?

I’m always writing about the everyday stuff that ends up feeling bigger than it looks. Family, memory, motherhood, the little moments that are pretty ordinary in a general sense but catch you off guard if you’re paying close enough attention. I often circle the way emotions (like joy and sorrow) tend to show up at the same time, tangled together in a way that feels almost impossible to separate, like how a single moment can pull an entire history with it.

These themes hold me because they’re literally the things I’m living through, the things I’m trying to understand in real time. Writing about them helps me make sense of things – or at the very least, it gives me a place to sit with it all in a way that feels honest.

What convictions guide the way you write, think, and create, and where do they come from?

I try to write from a place of paying attention and telling the truth, at least the emotional truth of whatever I’m trying to get at. I don’t necessarily want to write something just because it sounds pretty; I want it to feel real and come from a really genuine place. I’ve learned that the smallest, most unassuming moments are usually the ones that carry the most weight for me, so I try not to overlook those or talk myself out of them.

What do the ideas of ‘good’ and ‘beauty’ mean to you – and why do you think they matter in your work?

For me, something feels good if it feels true, if it says something I’ve actually felt or noticed without trying to dress it up too much. Beauty works the same way. It’s not about something being flawless – it’s about something catching you off guard for a second and making you feel more awake to your own life. In my work, beauty matters because it reminds me to pay attention. And “good” matters because it keeps me honest. My goal is not to write good or beautiful poems necessarily. My intention is always to write poems that feel true to me and express the way I actually experience it, which, most of the time, is messy and tender and complicated. I always say writing poetry is like piecing together a puzzle. You’re trying to find the language and imagery that click into place and create the emotional impact you’re reaching for.

How would you describe your experience of working with Ninth Heaven?

My experience with Ninth Heaven was wonderful! Smooth and straightforward. They were easy to work with and respectful of my work, which I appreciated.

In your view, what role does Ninth Heaven play, or hope to play, in the landscape of contemporary art and letters?

I think Ninth Heaven creates a space for work that feels thoughtful and intentional. They seem focused on publishing pieces that encourage reflection. It’s a publication I definitely resonate with and am happy to be associated with.

What are you working on now, and what called you to it?

Right now, I’m just writing new poems and giving myself space to explore whatever shows up. My debut collection comes out in April, so I’m past the big project stage for the moment and finally back to writing at a slower pace without a deadline. There’s still plenty of book-related stuff happening, but the writing itself feels a lot more open right now, which is nice after the rush of writing and editing that comes with creating a book.

What is informing your work at the moment – books, ideas, places, or influences – and why these?

I’m always inspired by the seasons in the PNW and the feelings and behaviours they draw out of people. Lately I’ve been reading Marie Howe, Ada Limon, Maggie O’Farrell. I’m currently listening to When Women Ruled the World by Kara Cooney on audiobook. I love hearing and writing about the different ways women move through the world.

Where do you see your practice heading in the near future?

I’m hoping to keep writing at a slower pace and see where it naturally leads. Now that the book is done and coming out in April, I want to enjoy the process and just give myself room to follow whatever feels interesting without trying to shape it into a project yet, though I’m sure it’ll end up being another book. :)

For more of Elise Powers’s work, visit elisepowers.com, find her on Instagram at @elisepowerspoet, or read her Substack, Two Raw Sugars.