Meet Kelsey, featured writer

Ms. Kelsey Phillis was fortunate enough to be our first submission.  She sent us an e-mail on a whim after discovering us on Twitter, not really sure of what to expect.  She definitely didn’t expect to be the very first to submit.  She definitely didn’t expect to have not just one of her poems accepted, but all three.  And she definitely didn’t expect to be one of our featured writers.  But that’s why we’re doing this.  Based on the three pieces she submitted, she is a very talented writer who definitely deserves the recognition and should be exceptionally proud of herself.

Kelsey is twenty years old and will be starting studies towards a degree in psychology after spending time at community college; she also intends to minor in creative writing.  This is, of course, an interesting combination, but has strong goals with it as Kelsey intends to open her own counseling practice utilizing creative expression to achieve good mental health.  I fully support her in this and wish her the best.  Being creative can unlock so much.  I have always been an advocate of using writing to rid oneself of inner demons and have encouraged many to pick up a pen and paper.  Although, Kelsey admits to preferring to do her writing with a typewriter, which, let’s face it, is pretty badass.

I have not yet decided which of her three poems will appear in the first issue, but look forward to one of the following: “239”, which is about Kelsey’s relationship with her mother; “What You Ate For Breakfast- Word Thief”, which was inspired by coffee house eavesdropping; or “She Found Herself Short”, a poem based on a list of ten words.  Each poem is different in its own sense and all three are exceptional.

Kelsey’s interesting fact is that she “believe[s] eyebrows say more about a person than anything else.”  I like this.  Generally a person says eyes or smile, but not Kelsey.  I actually wouldn’t disagree with her.  As a student of psychology, she is trained to look at a person’s body language and eyebrow movement and placement can say so much about what a person is feeling or thinking.

This will be Kelsey’s first time being published, though she has only made three prior submissions in her short career as a poet.

1.       How did you get started in writing? In other words, what inspired you? One day you weren’t a writer and the next, you were—what changed?

I began to think of myself as a “writer” around my senior year of high school.  We were given an assignment that challenged the way that I had always thought of writing: that it was something to be graded and then promptly buried under my other assignments. Writing that essay made me realize that writing was something I could do for myself. No one else had to like it, it didn’t have to be perfect, and that was freeing.

Last semester I enrolled in a poetry course at my local community college. Had I known the intensity of the curriculum before I signed up, I probably wouldn’t have done so at all.  I had never really written much poetry before, and I definitely had never shared it with anyone.  We were forced to write at least two poems a week, share one aloud with the class, and listen defenselessly as our peers critiqued.  I started the semester with a stomach full of knots, but at some point that I can’t define, I became a poet.

2.       What do you like to write? Any particular genres, themes, topics, etc?

I am in love with poetry.  Poetry doesn’t confine or restrict if you don’t want it to. I like experimenting with different forms and strange rules that I make for myself. I turn off my filter when I write, and usually, what comes out shocks me. I get a bit confrontational in my writing.  Poetry is for channeling my frustration, anger, apathy- the things that I can’t say out loud- sometimes the things that I don’t know I’m thinking.

3.       What is your favourite colour?

Purple has been and will always be my favorite color. Any shade.

4.       What would you say inspires you the most? Is your writing fueled purely by emotion, topical in nature, or are you just trying to tell a story?

Writing for me is about release.  I write best at night, when my head is full of every silly thing that I’ve been thinking about all day.  I write to untangle those thoughts and to remove them from my head for the time being. I also carry a tiny notebook in my bag- sometimes I’ll think of something and feel clever and write it down.  It’s nice to refer to when I don’t have a lot of inspiration. I usually have no true goal for my poems- the times that I have a clear idea of what I want are the times that I usually end up writing poorly. 

5.       Who are some of your favourite writers? What do you like about them? How have they influenced your writing?

I love Sylia Plath. She is essential to any poetry enthusiast.  Her poems are a part of her. When I read her work, I feel like she is telling me a secret.  I like when writers bring you in to their world. Reading her work definitely makes me think about the kind of emotion I put into my own.  I want my readers to feel something.  I don’t want them to get lost in abstraction or pretty structures, I want them to feel.

Allen Ginsberg is another.  We have him to thank for keeping freedom of speech alive.  Ginsberg reminds me that there is absolutely nothing off limits when it comes to writing.  Sometimes, when I feel myself editing what I haven’t even written yet, I listen to Ginsberg perform. He is the anti-filter.

6.       If you could only listen to one album and only one album for the rest of eternity, which album would it be and why?

Rabbits on the Run by Vanessa Carlton.  There is not a track that I am not completely in love with.  Her lyrics are stunning and the sound is original. If you haven’t listened to anything since One Thousand Miles, do yourself a favor check out her latest work.

7.       If you could force your worst enemy to listen to one album and only one album for the rest of eternity, which album would it be and why?

Anything by Nickelback, for so many reasons.

8.       Other than writing, what would you say are some of your favourite hobbies and pastimes?

I was given a ukulele about a year ago, and I play it pretty religiously.  It is impossible to be upset while playing a ukulele, I’m sure of it. I am an avid antiquer/thrifter- I work at a local antique mall and snatch up all the deals. I also enjoy painting with watercolors and other crafty ventures.

9.       What is the biggest and best journey you have ever taken in your life? You may interpret this question however you wish.

Two years ago, I decided, begrudgingly, to do the “responsible” thing and save my money by going to community college.  I was completely sure that it would be a waste of time and, unlike most people I knew, was dreading the idea of college.  The truth was, I didn’t know anything about myself or what I wanted to do, and I hadn’t looked in to any other options.  My time at Illinois Central College ended up being exactly what I needed.  I discovered psychology, got a job at the writing center there, and met truly incredible, diverse, and interesting people.  It gave me a chance to get serious about my own education and to decide what would be next for me.  I am transferring to Bradley University in the fall, which means that my time at ICC has come to a close.  I never imagined having any bittersweet feelings about leaving my community college, but I’m experiencing them now, even as I write this.  I don’t regret doing the responsible thing at all.