We recently connected with Katie Manning and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

All of my projects have been meaningful, but I do think I’ll give the Most Meaningful Project title to my chapbook 28,065 Nights (River Glass Books, 2020). The title refers to the number of nights my Granny was alive, and these poems that I wrote to/about her after her death explore how stories keep us alive, and by “us” I mean those who’ve passed away and those of us who are left in grief without them. I was very close to my Granny, and creating this collection felt like a tribute to her and a gift to my kids, who will be able to know her (and perhaps know me better) through these vulnerable poems. I think it was also a gift to myself.

Katie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a poet, professor, and editor. I started creating poems when I was 4 years old (my Granny wrote them down for me), and I wrote them throughout my youth, but in college I took a fantastic poetry class with Kay Harkins and realized that I could pursue poetry more fully—working on writing daily, getting it published, etc. I decided to go to grad programs that had a creative writing emphasis so I could continue to hone my craft while also gaining the knowledge and skills I’d need to teach at the college level. I feel so fortunate that I’m now able to write and publish poetry, work as a writing professor, and edit a journal (Whale Road Review) that I founded myself.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn the oft-repeated lesson that writers need to write every day. This is such a misconception. Writers need to work on their writing, and many do it daily, but many don’t do it each day, and that’s okay! They’re still writers. We often think of writing as drafting something new, but the writing process is so much bigger than that. Reading, researching, observing the world, having experiences, drafting, revising, editing, submitting for publication… all of these are part of writing, and writers need times of rest too!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I think my main goal for all of my work—writing, teaching, and editing—is connection. I want to connect with people: readers, writers, students, contributors, and people across time and place who have made an impact on my work or whose life I might contribute to in some way. Doing all of this work makes me feel like I’m part of something larger than myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.katiemanningpoet.com
• Instagram: @katiemanningpoet
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katiemanningpoet
• Twitter: @iamkatmann
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PoetryKatie

Image Credits

Katie Manning, Jon Manning, Nicelle Davis