"Riptide'"
explore the process and scope of chronic illness through everyday accounts, as
well as traumatic episodes. This chapbook is divided into two sections. It
begins with the poetry, and then moves into an essay form for the author’s
statement of poetics. "Riptide" utilizes the extended metaphor of
being unable to escape the clutches of a rip current, along with water imagery,
to frame the narrative moments of the text. The reader undergoes a "pull
from safety," while the speaker exists within the space of simply being
and experiencing. Cauller achieves a gritty, raw, and real perspective on the
cycle of illness and the inescapability of its grasp.
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Below is an interview with Author, Renée E. Cauller:
Jasmine: How does
the sequencing of the poems reflect the speaker’s understanding/non-understanding
of their condition? Do you see the speaker swimming back through the current,
or remaining adrift indefinitely?
RC: I definitely see the speaker swimming through
the current and healing. Perhaps not in this piece though. Getting out of the
riptide could be a whole other project in itself. The process of healing is a
long one and I wanted to share the moments stuck in the current. I believe that
the only way out of an issue/problem/illness or whatever is through,
experiencing and feeling every moment – being present. I am still going through
this, personally, and thought that it was important to remain in that space for
the poem and not to conjecture unnaturally out of there. The last line ends on
a positive/hopeful note – which could answer your question.
The sequencing is not linear in time.
However, I do think it holds meaning. If I put a dense/heavy block of text, I
like to give the reader a reprieve with a lighter poem after. There is
definitely a trajectory to my piece. It is the process of working through these
things. It is the cycle of progression and regression.
Kara: If you
had no illness, you do you think that would affect your writing? Do you think
that the medical aspect provides you with a positive influence for your
writing?
RC: I
chose to center the topic on illness for this piece. It is something that
inspired me. It was something I needed to get out/express. Anything I’m working
through emotionally or personally is something that fuels my writing. I don’t
think a lot of the people in my life, including even my family, really don’t know
what it is like to deal with these things on a day-to-day basis. Perhaps that
is something that I needed to get out there – the darker moments of it all that
weigh me down. I choose to center around illness in the piece. However, other
pieces that I have written have nothing to do with this and include other
interests and research topics. For example, I have written a chapbook titled
“Dendrite” that explores development, neuroscience, astronomy, and psychology.
I wouldn’t say that illness provides a “positive influence” for my writing. At
times, it is quite negative due to the medicine making me quite foggy and not
clear headed – which is not the ideal mindset to be writing in. However, it did
give me inspiration to fuel this project.
Jason: Your
poetry is personal. To what degree, if any, do you limit how much of your
personal experiences and feeling you are willing to share through your poetry?
RC: I don’t really limit myself. My poetry has
always been personal to some degree. Once I started submitting my work for
contests, getting published in literary journals, and attending readings –
having to read my work in front of people really shattered that potential fear
of not wanting to fully reveal myself. I think some of the best work can come
from emotionally charged things, and I wouldn’t want to put boundaries on that.
I guess the only limit I would impose would be in the editing part of the
process – cutting out text that doesn’t function effectively.
Chamara: In your
poetics, you call poetry “feeling” saying that the “truth leaks through,” as
inescapable process. Do you think it is always possible to convey that feeling
and truth to your audience? Do you write with your audience in mind? Do you
expect people to be able to feel, relate, or understand through your poetry?
RC: I would love for my audience to be able to relate
in someway. At the very least, I want my work to invoke feeling/emotion. I
cannot predetermine or assure that my readers will get the same truth that I am
getting from the piece. Writing is cathartic to me – and perhaps I let it out
on the reader, so they may not get what I am getting from the work. But if I
can invoke some type of feeling, I am satisfied. However, anyone can interpret
my work however they naturally do. I don’t think there is ever one way to
interpret a text – even if the writer’s intention was specific. I don’t really
write with a specific audience in mind.
Brittany: Why do you
believe found language impacts individuals to the extent that it does? How can
one “lose” language? What exactly do you think the difference in impact is if
the reader is aware that the language is found, from where, and under what
circumstances, versus leaving it unmarked?
RC: In
this draft, I actually edited out the found language. For such a personal
piece, it wasn’t functioning in the right vein with the rest of the work. There
got to a point in writing when it didn’t really fit anymore. Found language is
tricky because it may have more of an impact on the reader if they know where
it is from. If it is unmarked, the writer almost claims the language as his or
her own – which can be problematic. I think found language can be quite
powerful if used in certain ways, but for this piece it ended up not adding
much.
Verisha: How do
you plan on creating a pull from safety within your work besides the obvious
medical concerns?
RC: By disorienting the reader and keeping them
on their toes. Switching up the heavy blocks of texts, with light, flowing,
minimalistic text. Reality is constantly shifting for the speaker, the medical
and the sense of hope in tandem. The pull from safety you’re referring to is
the extended metaphor of the riptide. But using water/ocean imagery as well as the
form I mentioned, I keep the metaphor constant throughout the piece.
Brian: Do you
see a relationship between chronic illness and poetic form in your work? How
would you describe it?
RC:
The sections of my poems that are heavy blocks of text set up a direct
relationship between form and illness. These blocks are rushed and everything
is presented all at once - overlapping and intertwining. It is overwhelming and
intense. Then there is a slight reprieve: a lighter poem, in content as well as
in form. This is similar to illness and the process of getting sick and getting
better/progression and regression.
