The Lightning Room With E. Kristin Anderson

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Eons ago, last September, [PANK] published two otherworldly poems by E. Kristin Anderson. Read on, for urban legends, chupacabras, and the Jersey Devil.

1. These two poems dwell on mysterious appearances and disappearances, of an unknowable natural world mixed with something else. Is this a preoccupation for you?

I wouldn’t say it’s a preoccupation. But it’s definitely something that intrigues me. I love reading about urban legends, about things that people believe despite contradictory popular opinions. It’s fascinating, not only in terms of science or culture, but also the human condition.

2. What is your favorite unexplained phenomenon (or, if explained, explained unsatisfactorily to you)?

Right now I’m really intrigued by Mexican and Latin folk legends, like chubacabras, la Llorona, and the lechuza.  A lechuza is a bruja (Spanish for witch) who is half human, half owl…or possibly a woman who turns into an owl. It’s super creepy, which probably why I love it.

3. “UFO Investigator” and “Bermuda” focus on what may wait above or below. Will we always be looking for lights in the sky and plunging the depths?

I think we always will. Human curiosity is infinite. This is why we’re always looking for new solutions. Whether it’s Pajama Jeans or exploring Mars — we’re not done with discovery and invention, and I think as long as humanity thrives, we never will be.

4. Can you share an urban legend we might not have heard before?

I think the lechuza is pretty fantastic. I’m also a fan of the Jersey Devil, which is sometimes affiliated with the legend of the Leeds baby. Supposedly Mother Leeds was such a vile woman that after her husband left her she cursed her own child. The child was born disfigured, and crept out at night to scare villagers. The Jersey Devil — which depending on who you ask is some kind of ghost or a beast with a horse face and hooves and giant bat wings — might be related to the Leeds Baby legend. And I think that’s the most interesting part, is how these legends interweave.

5. What is an origin story you might tell your children at bedtime?

Well, I don’t have children. I don’t know that I would tell my children origin stories, if I had them. I totally love picture books, though, and right now I’m obsessed with I WANT MY HAT BACK by Jon Klassen. It might be secretly slightly sinister.

6. As I understand it, you write young adult fiction alongside poetry. How do these two genres interrelate for you? Does one inform the other?

Yes, I do! I think any poet who also writes prose will find that their background in poetry informs their storytelling. And vice versa. As I’ve become more fluent in fiction, I’m finding that my verse is becoming more and more narrative. I also find that I’m a sparse writer — my novels usually max out around 50k — which is short even for YA. I think this comes from the conservation of language that a poet has. Each word is valuable, and you don’t want anything to get in the way of this value.