Interview with Aurora Orchard

Khayrun Gure: What authors did you dislike at first but grew into?

Aurora Orchard: When I first started on my writing journey, I was not a fan at all of poetry, so a lot of the authors that I disliked were prominent poets. Writers like Sylvia Plath, E. E. Cummings, and Pablo Neruda are a few of the poets whose work I didn't like until I actually began to understand poetry and how it worked. From there, I saw poetry in a whole different light and began to seek it out to read it, beginning with the above-mentioned authors.

KG: Where did your idea come from? What was your inspiration when writing your novel?

AO: The inspiration behind my collection of poetry was largely nature and pairing its beauty with darker themes like death and heartbreak. My first poem is about a couple dying in the snow and shows how the beauty of a light snowfall can coexist with the grimness of corpses in a field. My second poem focuses on a strong storm and paints a picture of just how frightening yet stunning nature can be. My third poem compares the human experience to that of a butterfly, demonstrating the similarities and differences between them.

KG: Why do you think it is important to write in this genre?

AO: I feel like there is not a large variety of poetic representation out there. Poetry seems to be misunderstood because it can tend to be daunting; it follows rules and forms that prose doesn’t need to adhere to, so it throws people off. Learning about poetry in grade school, is done in a very specific way, which often does not highlight certain forms like free verse and confessional poetry. These types are a lot easier to read and comprehend than forms like sonnets or villanelles. I wanted to introduce people to the genre by writing poetry that doesn’t look so intimidating.

KG: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel?

AO: The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi. It's a children’s science fiction and fantasy novel. I've recommended this book to others, but because it’s intended for kids, it doesn’t seem as appealing to older readers. The plot is unique and intriguing, the characters feel realistic and enjoyable, and the book is complete with very detailed illustrations. It has good themes about family and perseverance that any reader could benefit from. Plus, this is the first book of a trilogy, which means there will be more content available after the first.

KG: What would you say is your strength as a writer?

AO: My strength as a writer is that I’m good at describing thoughts, feelings, and emotions. I'm able to strongly visualize things, which helps me be more descriptive in my writing and helps other people understand what’s going on more easily. My first poem features two characters experiencing a certain level of cold that readers will probably never personally deal with. I used descriptive language and metaphors to help the reader better visualize the scene and the extreme cold in their heads.

KG: Did you have any issues in the writing process? How did you address it?

AO: My main issue with the process was deciding exactly what I wanted to submit to the anthology. I wanted to make sure that what I wrote best represented me and was good enough to be a part of this project. I attempted to write a fiction piece, but it wasn’t turning out the way I would have liked it to. I wanted to submit something that I not only enjoyed doing but that also pushed me as a writer. I decided to choose a poetry collection because it demonstrated my growth as a writer throughout the duration of the program.