Featured Poet: Katharine Schulz

BIOGRAPHY

Katharine Schulz hails from the far outer crust of New York City, in a suburb called Pound Ridge. She spent 16 years of her life there and is now spending her remaining time before college in Cumberland, Maine. She was born to a lovely family whom she will ignore for the rest of this biography. Katharine’s love of poetry began in second grade, when her teacher called a poem she had written about a log cabin in the snow “fourth grade level poetry.” Apparently this was high enough praise to base all your self esteem on the reception of such compliments. Katharine proceeded to obsess over Walt Witman and Robert Frost in the later days of elementary school when all of her friends liked One Direction. Un-astoundingly, she went on to have niche interests such as music and movies. Nowadays she resides in the little sheltered cocoon of her bedroom, typing away furiously like those Shakespeare loving monkeys, with only the Saw film series and her favorite author Chuck Palahniuk to guide her.

INTERVIEW

confetti: Who or what inspired you to write?
Katharine Schulz (KS): As any of my closest friends will tell you, my mind operates at a steady 140 mph. Poetry is my chance to slow down and agonize over every word. It’s an excuse to actually think about what I want to say and how I want to say it before I just puke it out.

confetti: How would you characterize your writing style? 
(KS): Limited vocabulary mixed with underdeveloped emotions, a little bit embarrassing but truthful to a teenage poet.

confetti: Who is your favorite poet and why? 
(KS): Sharon Olds writes with such sincerity, such soggy truths that I can’t help but fall for the writing. Her collection “Stag’s Leap” was one of the first poetry books I read and really absorbed. Robert Frost will always hold a very special place in my heart however.

confetti: Favorite poem or style of poetry? 
(KS): As an unstoppable rambler, I love a good lyric poem. I am very fond of the surreal, the more a poem feels like a dream to read with words flowing in and off the page, the better.

confetti: What are you currently reading?
(KS): I’ve been more partial to non-fiction over the past few months, if you can believe it. I’m working my way through Rock Me on the Water by Ron Brownstein, a book about the year 1974 in California. I’ve also just recently picked up Jack Kerouac’s Maggie Cassidy, which will be my first of his books.

confetti: What are your three favorite books? 
(KS): The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, and Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney.

confetti: What are your three favorite movies?
(KS): Donnie Darko, Velvet Goldmine, and Fight Club. This is a toughie though. Since it’s October at the time of my writing this, Wes Craven’s Scream is my honorable mention.

confetti: What is your favorite song of all time?
(KS): “Suzanne” by Leonard Cohen.

confetti: What advice would you give to young writers?
(KS): As one myself, I want to encourage my peers not to be afraid of getting “too personal”. Poetry can (and should) be as personal as your very own reflection in the bathroom mirror. Also, don’t be afraid to get abstract. Someone will find some meaning in it somehow, especially if you find meaning in it.

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