Angela Long completed a BA in Creative Writing at UBC in 2006. Publications in which her non-fiction, poetry, and fiction have appeared include: The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, Utne, The Sun Magazine, Poetry Ireland Review, Geez, Alimentum, Northword, Existere, PRECIPICe, Fugue, The Nashwaak Review, Carousel, The New Quarterly, Prairie Fire,Canadian Literature, The Antigonish Review, contemporary verse 2, Arc, Brittle Star, Event, and The Dalhousie Review. Her poem “Testament” won first place at the 2008 Surrey International Writing Conference. She has also won awards from Room, Other Voices, Accenti, and The Brownen Wallace Memorial Award. Her first collection of poems Observations from Off the Grid was released in April 2010 by Libros Libertad. She currently lives in a log cabin on Haida Gwaii.
Questions & Answers
Is there a specific moment that inspired you to pursue poetry?
When I was fourteen, my family moved to Germany. I was very lonely at first and wrote poetry to work out my thoughts.
How/where do you find inspiration today?
I seem to feel most inspired when there is something I feel strongly about that but don’t know why. Poetry helps me to figure out what’s going on.
What is your writing process?
I always start by mulling something over for awhile. Then I begin the poem—longhand—usually in a cafe.
What is your revision/editing process?
My revision process is lengthy. I type up the longhand version. Revise the hard copy. Type. Revise. This goes on for awhile. Then I let the poem sit for awhile and re-visit it yet again.
Did you write poetry in high school? If yes, how did you get started? If no, why not?
I wrote lots of poetry during my highschool years. I was very shy and poetry became a good friend.
Do you use any resources that a young poet would find useful (e.g. websites, text books, etc.)?
Sorry, just my own experiences. Although I do try to read other people’s poems and see what kinds of techniques they employ.
When you were high school aged, what would have been helpful/motivating to hear from a published poet?
Yes, definitely. I was always fascinated by the lives of writers and would have loved to have met one in person. Even reading interviews with famous writers is very inspiring. You don’t feel so alone. The struggles are similar.