We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Raisa Tolchinsky a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Raisa, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned to write poetry by paying attention– so many drafts that no one saw but me, so many notebooks filled with feelings and scenes and moments I didn’t want to forget. I am still learning, and there’s no “arrival”– the act of writing means constantly being remade by the act itself.

I learned to write poetry by reading everything I could get my hands on, not just poetry but nonfiction and magazines and romance novels. All of these books taught me the art of the line, when to speak and when to stay silent, what I liked in a word or a sentence or a book, and what I didn’t.

I wouldn’t have wanted to speed up the learning process because I don’t think faster means better. It will and has and continues to take the time it will take.

My pride and my desire to be “good” sometimes got in the way of hearing really good feedback. Years later, I would realize someone was right. But all that resistance also taught me about what I wanted to protect in my words and in my voice.

The most essential skills for poetry, in my current practice, is careful listening and patience– letting the work unwind at the pace it needs to.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a poet who writes personalized poems on my Smith Corona typewriter. I recently went to Harvard Divinity School to study poetry as a form of chaplaincy; I believe poetry is an essential tool that should be available to all– in hospitals and banks and courtrooms and on the streets–not just in universities or in classrooms. Poetry teaches us how to listen and respond with care.

I’m grateful for the lineage and history of typewriter poetry, which is a practice that many remarkable poets are engaged with.

I’m also an author, and my first book “Glass Jaw” was the winner of the 2023 Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize, about the world of women’s boxing.

I earned my MFA in poetry at the University of Virginia, an MRPL from Harvard Divinity School, and a BA from Bowdoin College. In 2022–2023, I served as the Writer-in-Residence at Phillips Exeter Academy.

Currently, I am the Creative Writing Specialist at Harvard Divinity School.

Folks can reach out to me at www.raisatolchinsky.com if they’re interested in receiving a personalized poem. All poems are by donation.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve had to unlearn the idea that poetry was frivolous or unnecessary or “self-indulgent”– and somehow worth less than other skills. I’ve had to unlearn that writing about the self is solipsistic; instead, it is a gift that helps others see into themselves.

I’ve learned this with time, with the feedback of dear and respected teachers, with watching other writers move through the world with confidence and heart.

I hope to live my life in a way that is of service, and in a way that is deeply specific to me and what I can offer– and in that way, the questions of “good” or “bad” and “right” or “wrong” tend to minimize themselves.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I don’t have a huge audience on social media. I respect that path AND more and more, I think we’re starting to see creatives migrate to Substack and other places of connection. I’ve been writing to loved ones a lot lately in the form of real letters. Most people who request a poem from me find me from places besides Instagram– either word of mouth or a television special or something else. I find this to be really exciting! If you’re struggling with social media as the place to build an audience, there are many other places to find community and connection and business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.raisatolchinsky.com
• Instagram: @raisatolchinsky