Interview with poet (and radio expert) Elizabeth Austen

Today I’m starting a new summer feature of interviews with poets on the blog! Today’s featured poet is Elizabeth Austen, who is not only a fine writer herself, but is a literary producer for Seattle’s local NPR network affiliate, KUOW. Here she talks about her new book AND gives tips on how poets can be better on the radio!

Elizabeth Austen is the author of the poetry collection Every Dress a Decision (Blue Begonia Press, 2010) and the chapbooks The Girl Who Goes Alone (Floating Bridge Press, 2010) and Where Currents Meet (one of four winners of the 2010 Toadlily Press chapbook award and part of the quartet Sightline). She produces poetry-related programming for KUOW 94.9 and makes her living as a communications specialist at Seattle Children’s Hospital, where she also offers retreats and journaling workshops for the staff.

Jeannine Hall Gailey: Elizabeth, you’re a professional interviewer for our local Seattle NPR station, KUOW, correct? What advice do you have for poets preparing for a radio interview?

Elizabeth Austen: Though I’m called a “literary producer,” I have the luxury of focusing exclusively on poetry for KUOW. I produce a weekly poetry segment, introducing a Pacific NW poet and his or her poem. I also do occasional interviews, and have had the pleasure of talking with poets including W.S. Merwin, Jane Hirshfield, Mark Doty, Eavan Boland and Chris Abani.

When preparing for a radio interview, I recommend listening to an example or two of your interviewer’s program, so that you’ll have a sense of what to expect in terms of tone and approach. Does this interviewer tend to ask more about craft and process, or about the backstory of the book or individual poems? Is the interviewer looking for anecdotes and stories? Does it seem like the interviewer has actually read the book?

I recommend that you spend some time thinking about what YOU want to say about your work. Very often, the person interviewing you will not have had time to read your book, and may or may not feel confident discussing poetry. What do you want to tell listeners about how you developed the collection, your personal connection to the subject matter, why and how you write, etc? Which poems will be a good introduction to the book, especially for someone who may not usually (or ever) read poetry? You’re essentially interviewer-proofing yourself. Hopefully you’ll get an interviewer who is genuinely interested in you and your book, but you can’t depend on that.

I’m a great believer in preparing for anything, and then letting go of the preparation during the interview so you can respond to what’s actually happening in the conversation. The preparation will be there for you—you can trust that and relax and enjoy talking about your work.

JHG: Any tips for reading poems on the air? Any differences you’d want poets to note between our usual “live” readings and one for radio or recording?

EA: Yes—keep it short. I was interviewed by Radio New Zealand in 2006, and despite my experience doing radio myself, I made the mistake of bringing long (more than one page) poems to the interview. The result was that they had to excerpt them—not ideal!

Make sure the poems you read are reasonably accessible, too–remember that radio listeners are almost surely multi-tasking.

Think about how you’ll introduce the poem—you might want to give a little more information than you would at a reading, where you (hopefully!) have your listeners’ undivided attention.

JHG: Your new book, Every Dress a Decision, just came out. How are you using audio to promote your book?

EA: I had the good fortune to be interviewed by Steve Scher on KUOW’s Weekday just as the book was launching (along with Billy Collins, which was fun and kind of surreal), so I have a link to that on my blog and I shared it on Facebook. Now that I’m through the first, intense round of readings, I can start thinking about ways to use audio to promote book—check back with me in six months!

JHG: How would you recommend that a local poet approach a local radio station for a feature (from your own experience…)

EA: Start with your local NPR-affiliate and community radio stations. The most important thing to do is to scour the station’s website to find out which (if any, let’s be frank) programs and producers cover poetry. Then listen to some examples of their poetry-related programming. (If you don’t do this homework first, you’re likely wasting your time and review copies.) Start with an email, introducing yourself as a local writer and describing your book. Include the press release and local reading dates, and inquire if you can send a review copy.

If you’re touring with your book, check the sites of the NPR affiliates in the cities where you’re reading. If they feature poetry, send an email with the dates that you’re in town and where you’ll be reading, your book’s press release, and an offer to send a review copy. If you’ve got any audio of yourself being interviewed or reading online, include a link.

The important thing is to remember that producers are looking for content that fits their programming needs. If you do a little work up front, you can write your email in such a way that you show how you are a good fit with their program. Make it easy for them by keeping your correspondence brief and professional—you know, the same way you’d approach the editor of a journal.

I’ve featured lots of poets on KUOW who approached me first via email, whose work I didn’t yet know. Now it’s time for me to take my own advice and write some queries! Good luck putting your work out there—radio is a terrific medium for connecting with new readers!