Exclusive Workshop for NC High School Students on May 22
Tina Mai, an award-winning poet and high school student from Los Angeles, California, has agreed to offer a special Zoom-based workshop for North Carolina high school students this coming Saturday, May 22, at 1 PM EDT. Sponsored by the North Carolina Poetry Society, this exclusive workshop will focus on the creative writing process and enable participants to discuss, peer-to-peer, techniques employed in writing poetry.
Tina Mai has received recognition from the Library of Congress, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the Poetry Society of the UK, Bow Seat, and the CSLA, among others. She is also the recipient of the Atlanta Review International Poetry Award and a Scholastic National Gold Medal in poetry. Her work stems from heritage and identity and is currently in translation; it can be found in several journals and her family’s group chat.
Tina agreed to respond to a series of questions proposed to her about her writing.
Do you have a philosophy that you follow in your writing? In living your life?
I’ve always valued the idea of being authentic and understanding the stories in your life, whether that’s your heritage or your own narrative. Growing comfortable with the things that shape you and translating that into words is a great way of being a documentarian and finding your voice.
What is your writing technique? Do you compose on a computer and/or write your poems on paper? If you compose your poems on paper, when do you move them over to the computer? Do you continue to revise after a poem has been published?
I mainly write on my laptop because I find that when I feel inspired to write, I have a lot of thoughts and ideas that just pour out, and it’s more efficient to jot it down by typing. I also find it easier to make revisions and share your work digitally, but that’s just my own preference 🙂 I typically don’t review a poem after it’s been published though, just because I find it more satisfying to set it aside and move on to a new piece.
Do you maintain a journal or diary? Is there a writing process that you would recommend?
I keep a journal for jotting down things I’ve come across that inspire me or that I admire, plus lines/phrases I might come up with out of the blue. It’s like keeping a little file of words or constructions that I can flip through when I’m feeling stuck or need a little creativity boost.
I also recommend this exercise that one of my English teachers call “free types”, which is essentially turning the text to white on your laptop so you can’t see what you’re typing, then doing 10 minutes of stream-of-consciousness, nonstop typing—it helps with writer’s block and practices writing without worrying about revisions or imperfections.
Do you always write lyrical poetry? Free verse? Do you ever write narrative poems or work in a more formal poetic structure? Have you written poems using rhyme and meter?
Going through my past poetry, I think I mainly work with lyrical and free verse styles; I’m a little intimidated of writing in formal structure because I’m drawn to the idea of poetry being limitless and having no rules, and I think I do my best writing when I don’t restrict myself to anything. Lately though, I’ve grown a newfound interest for narrative poetry, or just a genre mix of poetry and short story.
How do you get your poems critiqued? Do you belong to a poetry critique group or is there a mentor that you work with? Do you share your poems with certain family members?
I don’t really have a set group of people I go to—I think being a poet is really about sharing your voice with anyone, so on top of my parents and my grandparents (always love the support), I like going to my friends and English teachers. Sometimes, though, there’s poems that I write for myself, which mean just as much to me. Poetry can be more of a personal outlet and I don’t always pressure myself to share.
What do you typically read for enjoyment? Do you read poetry – classical or modern? Are there current or up-and-coming poets you would recommend? How about poetic genres? Any current poetic forms that have your interest?
One of my favorite things is coming across a new favorite piece of writing! I love reading poetry and short stories or a good genre blend of both, typically leaning more towards modern, but I’m open to anything. I would 100% recommend Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong and The Tradition by Jericho Brown as poetry collections, but I’ve also found some of the best writing by digging through literary magazines—you could find some hidden gems! Lately I’ve enjoyed “Cutglass” by Manasi Garg (Kenyon Review) and “Somewhere in Bombay, a Fog Descends” by Asha Thanki (The Arkansas International).
When did you start writing poetry? Do you write in other genres? Languages? As a poet from an immigrant family, do you find you have a story that must be told? Do you engage in other forms of creative expression?
I started writing when I was 8 years old or so, and it has been a long (but insightful) journey since then. I’ve probably gone through phases of writing in dozens of genres, from fantasy novels to flash fiction to nonfiction/personal memoir (poetry wasn’t the star of the show until I was much older). I grew up speaking 3 languages and have dabbled in translating some of my poetry into others, but writing in English feels the most natural. Growing up in an immigrant family, I value the diversity of perspective that I’ve been granted, and I feel that the least I can do for what my ancestors and parents have done for me is to tell their story through writing.