Meet Amanda Conover | Poetry Editor, Production Editor, and Poet

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda Conover and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
For me, I think it all comes down to my motivation or root reason for doing something and how badly I want it. When considering whether to keep going or put my energy elsewhere, I always try to re-evaluate my reason for doing whatever I am doing in the first place. I think about why I chose to embark on the journey I am on and whether or not I would regret it later if I stopped now. There were numerous times when getting my Master’s degree when I thought about dropping out. It’s very difficult to work a 9-5 while getting a graduate degree, but I knew that the sacrifices I was making would be worth it because getting this degree was my dream. I didn’t want to do it for the professional benefits or potential increase in salary, I just loved writing and wanted to become a better poet. My motivation was personal and I knew I needed to get this degree at some point in my life to be truly fulfilled and avoid asking myself what would’ve or could’ve been. Still, I don’t like to think of giving up as a bad thing necessarily. Sometimes, it can be worth it to put your energy in a different place, and it really depends on what you want and what decisions you can live with. If you’re in a situation where you can’t stop thinking about what your life could look like on a different path, maybe it’s appropriate to “give up” and transition to the life you want.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I just recently completed my Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, with a focus on Poetry, from Arcadia University. The program I completed is low-residency so I worked full-time in addition to studying over the past two years, and I am really proud of myself for not only getting through some of the busiest days of my life but also achieving more than I thought possible. My thesis is a collection of poems that I hope to publish in the near future, and explores existentialism, spirituality, and a search for meaning within the infinite possibilities of the earthly experience.

I got here through a lot of trial and error. I let myself have fun with poetry and experiment with different forms, themes, ideas, strategies, etc. I never want to lose the joy and meaning I find in poems, so I let myself write bad poems whenever I am putting too much pressure on the outcome. Professionally, I work in scholarly publishing as a production editor, so I try to separate my work from my writing to allow myself to have adequate energy for poetry. I don’t think I could work in a writing-heavy role and still feel energized to write poems after work.

Over the years, I’ve learned to trust my heart and intuition when it comes to writing. It can be easy to try to force a poem to go in a certain direction or only write about topics that make sense for a working collection, but ultimately the poem will take you where it wants. Forcing it to go somewhere else always ends in a weaker poem in my experience. Now I sit down when I feel especially strong feelings and let whatever needs to be said come out in the poem. When I was first building up my manuscript, I had a vague idea of the concept, central themes, and flow. Instead of trying to make the initial skeleton of an idea work, I kept writing what I felt called to write, and my manuscript eventually blossomed into something complex and logical. Letting go and trusting is one of the hardest but most important parts of writing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This question came at a perfect time because just a few weeks ago, my partner’s best friend flew in from Germany and we both took him around our city. The Raleigh/Durham/Cary area has really beautiful parks so I would start there. Dorthea Dix Park has the most serene hammocks to read, write, and relax in. I also think Duke Gardens, on Duke University’s campus, and the Downtown Cary Park are must-sees. I am vegan, so in terms of food, I would hit up the best vegan spots in town–Element Gastropub, Pure Vegan Cafe, and the Dirty V all have amazing vegan Southern food. Udipi Cafe has great authentic South Indian food in the area and Thaiphoon Bistro has amazing Thai curries. Other potential places that are fun are the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA), the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and the North Carolina Flea Market.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Elon University is where I first fell in love with poetry and decided to become a Creative Writing major. My professors there, Tita Ramirez, Drew Perry, Cassie Kircher, and Kevin Boyle really fostered my love for writing and showed me the possibility to pursue creative writing professionally. Without them, I don’t know if I would have gone on to get an MFA or began publishing poems. My MFA professors and cohort have also been instrumental in my success–Dr. Michelle Reale, Professor Genevieve Betts, Carol Smith, Dameien Sykes-Bidwell, and Phillip Andrew Lisi. Lastly, I owe much of my success to my family, friends, and partner. My mother, sister, and stepfather have supported my creative endeavors since the beginning, and my partner Suriya Ram Mohan relentlessly believed in my work when even I didn’t. I deeply appreciate everyone who has ever read my poems in workshop groups or at social events.

Website: https://www.amandaconover.com

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