Ask The Author: Laura Kochman

Laura Kochman wrote Five Poems, which we published in the May Issue. Now Laura will discuss the science of beaches and women in the woods.

1. Why did you choose to form these poems in the shape of prose?

The beach feels to me like a space in between the land and the sea, belonging to both but also belonging to neither, and I wanted a form that was also in between two things. So prose poetry! The speaker is also way too unhinged to write with line breaks.

2. If you had a LiveJournal, what would be your username? What would be on it?

I didn’t have a LiveJournal during my teenage years, but I did have a Xanga. My username was innerblonde[some numbers], and it was full of veiled messages and angst and Dashboard Confessional lyrics. If I had a LiveJournal right now, it would be split 50/50 between pictures of my cat and pictures of food.

3. Who is the woman in the woods?

Well, she might exist or she might not exist. She might be receiving these letters, or they might not ever get sent. She might live in a house in the woods on chicken feet, or she might live by the sea. She might be a man. She might be a folk tale. She’s, like, totally cooler than your average grandma.

4. What is the science of beaches?

Ecosystems. And terror. I am so afraid of sharks.

5. How is a protector bright?

I have various sets of recurring dreams, most of them nightmares, but one good dream is about a bright green place. It’s kind of a lovely hotel lobby where people murmur quietly, but it’s also outdoors, and it slopes up into grass and rocks. There’s also a small peninsula and some clear water. The lights are almost like glowing Christmas lights. I just can’t imagine anything nicer, or safer.

6. Why is poetry so fascinated with nature?

It’s so complicated, and obvious, and everyday, but it surprises you all the time. I think poetry is fascinated with lots of things, though. Take, for instance, alcohol-influenced poetry. Or poems about New York City.