Lucky 13 Interview With Raegen Pietrucha

1 – Can you start by telling us a little about your current book?

Head of a Gorgon is a narrative in poems that reimagines the myth of Medusa, transporting this ancient tale of sexual violence into contemporary times and examining it through a survivor-centric, feminist lens. And somewhere along the way, I decided that, craftwise, I wanted the book to have a little bit of everything I could think of at the time, and so it does: It’s poetry, but it’s got a narrative arc that makes it quite like a novel in verse, except shorter. It’s got free verse and formal poems. It’s got dialogue, monologue, and soliloquy. It’s got clear words and erasures. It adheres to grammatical rules in some places and abandons them in others. It even has a couple concrete/shape-inspired poems interspersed among the others. But always, I did strive toward some method to the madness; there is a logic accompanying all these choices — even if, ultimately, the logic is only known and apparent to me (though hopefully, that won’t be the case).

2 – Are you a plotter or a panster?

I’m pure panster for sure. This project took so many twists and turns along the way in the decade-plus I worked on it, I can’t even imagine how infuriated I would’ve been had I wasted a bunch of time planning everything out, only to not follow that path. Plus, a lot of the joy I derive from writing is discovering what I’m trying to understand about interiorities — my own and others’ — and that, for me, requires this unanticipated, unplanned exploration.

3 – Savoury or sweet?

The first word I learned how to spell was “candy” because that’s how my parents tried to talk about it in front of me without cluing me in to the fact that they were debating whether or not to give me some. Does this answer the question?

4 – Three books to a desert Island. Go!

Averno by Louise Gluck. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Orlando by Virginia Woolf. But you know this question is totally unfair, right?

5 – Star Wars or Star Trek?

How dare you try to make me choose between Luke and Jean-Luc! Really, though, there’s wisdom and entertainment in both.

6 – If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

If I believe this Buddhist monk I once chatted with on a plane that personal suffering is the reason for all the ills of this world, I would wish to have the superpower of ending suffering. Because I imagine if that could be done, then everything would fall into place afterwards, and we could direct our attention and energy toward figuring out all that other, more fun stuff like flying and mind-reading and becoming temporarily invisible.

7 – Music or Silence when writing?

Cannot. Have. Any. Words. Coming. Into. Ears. While. Words. Forming. Inside. Head.

8 – If you could live anywhere in the world, and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose?

I’m looking for the place where there’s very rarely any snow, if ever, and never any natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornados, etc.). Please inform me immediately when you hear of such a place.

9 - Your favourite karaoke song?

I will not completely divulge this information publicly, but let’s say it may be a certain goofy, fun, NSFW song by The Divinyls.

10 – One piece of advice to an aspiring writer?

I would say to make sure, at least every once in a while, to check in with yourself as to your why: Why are you aspiring, writer? If the aspiration brings you some type of fulfillment, embrace that for as long as it lasts. And if it doesn’t last a lifetime, don’t force it and don’t sweat it; it may come back, it may not, but you still at some point did a thing that brought you satisfaction. There are other things in life that can and will do the same. And if aspects of this particular aspiration detract from your fulfillment, it’s OK to walk away from those too. For some, the mere act of creation is the joyful thing; you don’t have to do anything beyond that if that’s the case — “find your voice,” publish books, teach, any of it. Others may feel a need to share, perhaps on the page and/or in the classroom; that’s OK too. There’s no one way to be a writer. Just be the writer you want to be, however that will and must change shape along the way as you change shape along the way.

11 – You win £1 million, but you must give half to charity. Which charity do you choose, and what do you do with the rest of the money?

Honestly, if this ever happened, I’d start a charity so I could ensure that the money was actually being used the way it was intended. As much as I’d like to believe that existing orgs are immune to scandals and corruption, I know better, but I also know I can trust myself to do the due diligence and the right thing. And my charity would likely be one that supports survivors of sexual violence because that’s an issue that deeply resonates with me (see question 1). The rest of the money would go toward investments that would generate more funding for my charity and other projects. Not the most imaginative or fun answer, I know, but a very practical and logical one.

12 – Horror films, yes or no? If so, any favourites?

Yes, but the best ones are ones I either can’t ever watch again or can only watch rarely and during the daytime, or else I won’t be able to sleep for, like, a week. On that level are The Exorcist, The Shining, The Ring, and Us.

13 - What are you currently working on?

This interview. And other book promotions. And a memoir. And myself.