A native of Pennsylvania, Lara Dolphin is an attorney, nurse, wife and mom of four amazing kids. Her first chapbook, In Search Of The Wondrous Whole, was published by Alien Buddha Press. Her most recent chapbook, Chronicle Of Lost Moments, is available from Dancing Girl Press.
You can read her poem, Two Characters in Search of the Past: A Memory Poem in our July 2023 issue.
Would you like to tell us a little bit more about your poem? For instance, how or why you wrote it, or perhaps provide some extra context?
After I graduated from college, my mother’s father, who was born in Sicily, took me to visit Italy for a month. We toured throughout the country and stayed with many kind and generous relatives and friends. In this poem, I revisit the last two weeks of our trip in which we traveled to the small towns of my Nonno’s childhood. I modeled this poem after Pirandello’s “Six Characters in Search of an Author” because of the confusing and surreal way things sometimes seem when traveling in a foreign country.
Do you have a collection of poetry or even a single poem that acts as a touchstone?
For many years, I drew daily inspiration from the poems featured on The Writer’s Almanac. I will occasionally visit the online archive for inspiration. Over the years, I discovered many poems on The Writer’s Almanac that are hidden gems such as “Barter” by Sarah Teasdale or “The Months” by Linda Pastan.
How do you revise your work?
I begin by compiling words or phrases around a central theme or idea, gradually forming lines or stanzas. Next, I let the poem rest for a day or two. When I revisit it with fresh eyes, I add, subtract and rearrange until I’m satisfied. Then, I stop tinkering and move onto something else.
What are you working on now?
I am working on polishing and submitting the draft of my third poetry chapbook, At Last A Valley. I am also excited to be working on a fresh batch of poems.
Are there other art forms that inspire or inform your poetry?
I love musical theater. I think that the impact of an eleven o’clock number is the type of showstopping effect that I strive for in my poetry. It is that take-your-breath-away feeling that Emily Dickison described when she wrote, “If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.”
What are you reading or watching or listening to lately that intrigues or inspires you?
As a teenager, my Italian grandmother connected me with a penpal in Italy. During our years of correspondence, my friend sent me copies of books that she liked. One of those was Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities. That work captured my imagination and still looms large over my writerly life. I recently discovered and am currently reading Imagine a City: A Pilot’s Journey Across the Urban World by Mark Vanhoenacker, which is fascinating in its own right and also draws inspiration from Calvino.
Have you ever received advice (or has there been something you’ve learned on your own) about writing or revising poems that has made you a better poet? What was it?
Some good advice that I’ve received is of the A.I.S. (Ass In Seat) variety: perspiration and dedication breed inspiration i.e. showing up is more than half the battle. Also, I have found that the least helpful advice is the old chestnut, “Write what you know.” I find it limiting to write what you know. I think that a poet should embrace the unknown, explore, learn and imagine.
Do you belong to a writer’s group? If not, where do you find poetry community and feedback?
I belong to several Facebook groups that support poets and writers. Some of my favorite FB groups include Verse-Virtual, Poetry Super Highway and Lothlorien Poetry Journal.