Each week we will be connecting with our contributors showing where they have been, where they are now, and what’s up for the future.
Name: Amy Strauss Friedman
Title of Pieces Published in Sweet: “Biopsy”
Issue: 10.2
Amy lives in Denver, teaches college English courses here and there, and is working on her second full-length poetry collection. She also works for a state senator. In between those activities she writes book reviews, and she just edited her first book for another author. You can learn more about Amy by visiting her website.
What are some major accomplishments you have had since your Sweet publication?
My first full-length poetry collection was released in 2018, The Eggshell Skull Rule (Kelsay Books). I’m now working on a book about the 88 constellations, and women’s place within their myths. Close to 20 of those poems have been picked up by literary journals/magazines out of the 30 or so that I’ve completed thus far. And I’ve read some truly great new books of poetry by other authors, many of which I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing.
Can you tell us about a current/ongoing project that you’re excited about?
I’ve already mentioned it, but my book on the constellations is the project that I’m currently immersed in.
Who is your favorite author?
I have to choose? I’ve long loved Aphra Behn, not just because her writing is enchanting, but because she was one of the very first women to make a living through writing in the 1600s. Rebecca Makkai is one of my favorite modern novelists. There are too many poets I admire to mention, but I’ll name just a few: Gwendolyn Brooks, Sharon Olds, Cortney Lamar Charleston, Jennifer Givhan, Tracy K. Smith, Jennifer Franklin, and Megan Merchant, just to name a few.
What is your favorite poem/essay/book?
Again, too many to choose from, but I do come back again and again to Wendell Berry’s “The Peace of Wild Things.”
What inspires you to write?
I like participating in the large and varied collective conversation that takes place within writing. Every new piece adds another layer to that conversation. Engaging with it inspires me.
What is your favorite sweet?
There’s a place in Denver called D Bar which makes, among many other yummy things, Nutella beignets. They are terrible for me, but they are also heaven!
Thank you, Amy, for taking the time to reconnect with us. We look forward to seeing more of your work in the future!
