If we can just hold you all for a little
bit longer for some questions, maybe,
if the poets want to join me up here.
Should we like to do a little dance?
We should have synchronized.
Thank you all so much for reading.
So tell us, what was it like working with BA Van Sise
to create those portraits that are out there that we've seen.
So for each of you just how did that process work,
and what was it like?
I just got a Facebook message.
It's like, hey, I'm doing this thing.
And then I was like, OK, when are you?
When are you in New York City?
I'm like, because I lived in New York City at the time.
And he's like, I'm coming next week.
Are you-- do you want to do this?
And I'm like OK, whatever.
And then he didn't tell me anything.
It's like, he's like you don't have to.
I'm like, what should I bring?
What should I do?
Like nothing, just bring yourself.
And then he takes me to Coney Island and on the way
there he's just telling me all the stories
about previous portraits and how weird some of them
or some of the poets had been or someone like his ideas,
and how the poets had reacted.
So I know a lot.
Because mine was one of the last ones.
I think mine was like the third to the last or some
shit like that.
And then we go to Coney Island and he takes me to--
he tells me to take my shoes off.
And then we just walk, and then he busts out this mirror,
and that's it.
And it lasted like 10 minutes.
Very fast.
So.
Mine was more involved.
I'm like, that's simple.
So yeah, so you know he--
again, he contacted me.
And he actually did that--
he had like no idea.
He had no idea who I was.
But I think several poets, and I think he also
indicated in one of his--
I think his foreword?
One of the paragraphs that he wrote but the book
how he didn't want to be the sole person
to be choosing poets, so what he did was he
asked poets that he already photographed to name poets.
And I guess several of the poets named me as you know.
So he's like, hey, just send me a PDF of your book.
So basically it's a kind of random email
about this guy who's doing-- and I
knew that he was photographing poets.
But he has read nothing of my work, which is kind of funny.
But then literally like a day later,
he emailed me and he was very enthusiastic
and he loved the poems, blah blah blah.
And it all-- but from then on, we
were like back and forth about the concept of the book,
of the poem.
Yeah.
Well, it's more than one.
So we were back and forth, because
like my whole image of the poem, "Imago" was tropical, right?
So I-- in my mind, like it's going to be just
like tropical paradise.
I'm wearing just like Grace--
you know like, I don't know if you guys know Grace Jones
video for--
I think it's like Slave to the Rhythm.
And she was like, she's just wearing.
She's like propped up really high up,
and she's wearing this huge like Keith Haring skirt.
So I think of myself like, I'm going to be like a volcano,
right?
I'm going to be on top, and I have like this--
but it's very tropical, like all flowery and stuff like that.
And he said no, we're not going to do that.
Like I envision you in like white room,
and so he found this white room in New York City.
And he brought some of the props,
and we were already in agreement by then
so like I try it out like two different skirts.
One that I really love is actually
like one of those what they call, those hoop skirts.
And I was just like walking around like this.
I loved it.
But he wouldn't show me how the photo went with that one.
So basically our main not argument,
but our main discussion during that morning
was whether like I actually wanted to take my shirt off.
And I thought oh, it'd be sexier if I'm like shirtless.
You know?
And I'm getting to that point where my body's not
like it used to be.
So maybe this is the time that I can preserve this, right?
And like, no, no, like--
well, what if I were a tank top?
You know I brought a tank top.
And he said, no, no, I think the button down shirt is--
that's the way to go.
We'll go with that one.
So.
Oh.
Well, I don't know.
None of that happened in mine.
He pretty much just wrote me and said
I'm doing a book of portraits of poets, would you like to do it.
I said OK.
We went next door to where I was staying
in Williamsburg to a park, and he brought this coat rack
and put it on.
And basically he didn't tell me like what to wear or anything.
Just like said show up.
And then he said, here's what we're doing.
I'm like, OK.
What?
Fine.
You're the photographer, I'm just here.
And the only thing I remember really happening was that
my headless boyfriend's hand kept falling off,
because there are these-- it's this coat rack and a long coat,
and then he had these wooden hands that kept--
that he was trying to attach somehow inside,
and they kept falling off.
Every time I would hold the hand it would fall off.
So that was a little disconcerting
along with the headlessness.
But I've dated some weird people, so that wasn't like--
no.
It wasn't a deal breaker necessarily.
But anyway the picture was awesome, so Yeah.
[APPLAUSE]
Any other questions?
We were wanting to ask this question earlier
when we talk to you guys in class but,
what is the inspiration behind the cover
art on each of your guy's like poet collections?
For the last book, you mean?
Yeah.
So for your most recent book.
I mean, I think sometimes for poets
I think we sometimes don't have really any kind of say?
I mean, I did, but I didn't really know--
the only thing that I told my publisher
was that I didn't want it to be obvious.
Meaning I don't want a door, you know.
And of course like some of the treatments that they gave
me was of a door.
So I had to search myself.
For me, it's very important to work
with a Filipino or a Filipino American artist,
so both my covers are actually by a Filipino American artist.
My first book Imago actually I knew
that that image was going to be the cover of my book
even before my book was even done.
Because I'm such a big fan of Manuel Ocampo.
And I loved that print.
And so I knew of that work.
And so lo and behold, like what five or so years later,
I was able to actually use it.
So.
I'll just say that the first cover that they gave me
for Mortal Trash, it's true the sort of usually
the bigger the publisher the less
say you have about anything.
But they sent me this photo that was
this pristine, there's one drooping tulip,
and this one little petal falling, and I looked
and I was like, no.
No way.
That's just not-- did you read the book?
Or do you know who I am?
I mean, it was just like really kind of insanely
pretty and pristine.
And so I said, so of course I vented to my agent
which is what you do.
You're very nice to your editor and your publisher
and you like bitch to your friends and anybody
else who listens.
I was like, what the fuck are they doing?
I can't stand this one.
They're not going to make me take this cover.
Then I wrote back, like perhaps I
could see some other iterations of the cover?
And then they came up with the one they came up with, which
I thought was just brilliant.
So it worked out really well.
Yeah.
I'm not very visually--
so was like whatever, you handle it.
And they gave me--
like usually they asked me, what would you want?
I'm like, I don't know.
Which is just tell me, and then they
gave me like-- they narrowed it down to three,
and then the other two were shitty,
so this is like the best.
OK, well I want to thank my CCP colleagues UA Poetry Center,
their Dean, and our poets for being here.
We feel very lucky at the center to--
[APPLAUSE]
We feel very lucky at this center
to spend our days with your art and we
appreciate getting to listen to you tonight.
So be sure to check out their books,
and the new Children of Grass in the lobby on your way out.
Thank you.