An interview with Isabella Wang

Isabella Wang's debut poetry chapbook is forthcoming with Baseline Press in 2019. At 18, she is a two-time finalist and the youngest writer shortlisted for The New Quarterly’s Edna Staebler Essay Contest. Her poetry has appeared in Room Magazine, The /tEmz/ Review, Train Journal, Canthius, Plenitude, and Looseleaf Magazine, and she holds a Pushcart Prize nomination for poetry. Her essays are published in carte blanche, Invisible Blog, and The New Quarterly. She is studying English and World Literature at SFU, and serving as the Youth Advocate for the Federation of B.C. Writers. As well, she is working with Books on the Radio, co-ordinating the bi-monthly Dead Poets Reading Series, and interning at Room Magazine.

How did you begin writing, and what keeps you going?

My grade three teacher encouraged us to write stories that she would then help us bind into booklets, and we would decorate the covers with our bios on the back. There is something about that hands-on process, that connection, which drew me to writing at an early age. It’s somewhat nostalgic for me. Even to this day, when I write, I’m always writing towards a feeling.

I haven’t always been writing, though. I struggled with immensely, with English being my second language. There would be long periods of time where I would straight out refuse to write anything at all, even hand in assignments for school, because I was so frustrated and well, ashamed too. I’ve tried many things however— piano, ballet, art, painting, ceramics— but in the end, it all traced back to writing again.

As for what keeps me going: COMMUNITY, COMMUNITY, hands down, COMMUNITY. We all go through hard times, and when we do, it’s the community— our friends, mentors, our collective voices that keep us grounded. It’s what anchors us. Go to events, engage with other writers, read their work and read widely, and reach out. I have friends across Vancouver, Toronto, and Waterloo, and I don’t know where I’d be without them.

You are currently a student at Simon Fraser University. Are you finding any difference in how you approach writing now that you’re in university?

I am loving university. Most of the time, I can barely keep my head afloat with four courses, four part-time jobs and volunteering gigs, but it’s all work that I enjoy doing and I wouldn’t have it any other way around.

I’m about to declare a double major in English and World Lit, and a minor in First Nations studies. That’s a lot of academic writing and reading. I am pursuing creative writing on the side— free lance work and readings take up around 20 hours of my week, and my part-time job at Room Magazine is another 20 hours. Combine everything, and I’m doing over 70 hours of writing per week. So, I’ve grown to appreciate this balance between academic and creative writing. Otherwise, I’d burn out way too quickly. That said, I definitely see the two as interconnected. University has introduced me to lots of ideas that have influenced my creative work. Likewise, with creative writing, I’ve become accustomed to this constant process of planning, drafting, revising, revising, revising, crying, and revising, which has been helpful when approaching academic papers for the first time. Often, they allow for a creative approach, and I also find that the situating of the self in an argument— your position, your stance, why this work matters to you—is very much like creative nonfiction.

It’s a nice environment, and I’m writing for the English department blog about my experiences as a first year English student. My professors have been extremely supportive and receptive. I have this one prof, Steve Collis, who’s so awesome (he has a poem published in Train Journal too). He let me take a creative approach to the assignments — I started a lyric, creative non-fiction essay in his class, as well as a 120-paged long poem and a series of prose poems concerning the waterways and our global ecosystem and they’ve carried into creative projects I’ll be working on for the next while. That’s been one of my favourite university experiences so far. I also have another prof who brings her corgi in every Tuesday. So I’d go to office hours to pet her dog and we’d talk about writing.

What poets have influenced the ways in which you write?

Oh no! Too many! It won’t be fair to name some and leave others out, with the limited space that I have. However, I’m sure they all know. If I’ve gone up to you before and screamed I LOVE YOU in your face and told you how much I love your work, well then, that’s pretty clear, isn’t it?

How important has mentorship been to your work? Is there anyone who specifically assisted your development as a writer?

We all need guidance, for someone to show us the way while being mindful of our work. This is especially true for young and emerging writers who are just starting out in their field. From experience, I can say that a little nudge in the right direction goes a long way.

I have so many mentors:

My high school teachers, for one. They’ve taught me so much, beyond the courses themselves, about life, and how to be a good person. More importantly, they always made time for me, the melt downs, tears, and panic attacks, and there had been lots of those. They are my heroes.

In terms of creative writing, it all started with the poetry workshops I took with mentors, Evelyn Lau, Fiona Tinwei Lam, and Rob Taylor back in September, 2017, which led to my first reading event in December, and that’s when I started attending more events and connecting to local writers.

I’m also lucky to have worked with some incredible editors, in particular, Susan Scott from The New Quarterly and Jen Ferguson from carte blanche. Both have been so supportive, so compassionate, and generous with their words and feedback. I’ve also had the pleasure of working with The/tEmz/Review Plenitude, and Room Magazine and again, I’m grateful for they do an incredible job at supporting their writers.

Lastly, my friends. Every single one of them, and the list keeps growing.

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently editing my first poetry chapbook, which is coming out with Baseline Press this fall. I’m also working towards my first collection of poetry and a book of creative nonfiction essays, though I’ve kept this to myself and never told anyone before. I’m taking my time — you can’t rush art, ever. However, it’s a plausible goal to have in mind, so that I’m always subconsciously thinking about writing and that process. They both touch on similar themes that occupy me, that overlap and intertwine throughout individual poems and each essay. However, I have a clearer sense of the content and certain issues that I want address with the essays, whereas with poetry, I’m mostly writing towards a feeling.

As for individual works, I’m about to revise an old poem that I’ve stored away for over a year now. I’m getting two essays ready for publication, and I’m in the early stages of drafting three new essays, where I’m both excited and terrified to enter another, more recent chapter of my life that I’ve been holding off with writing.

Can you name a poet you think should be receiving more attention?

Angela Wright. She jokes about not being a big deal, but she is to me. I think she’s the coolest person ever and the most amazing friend. I will keep on telling her how much I love her poetry, and if I do it enough, it will eventually sink in for her.