Laura Chester is the author of the new book Shovels & Chandeliers: A Collage of Poetry & Prose. Her other books include Riding Barranca. She lives in Alford, Massachusetts.
Q: Over how long a period did you write the pieces collected in Shovels & Chandeliers?
A: The prose and poetry in this new "Selected" book was done over the course of five decades. It is a collage of my best work taken from previously published books.
Q: The work is divided into four sections focused on Water, Earth, Fire, and Air--how did that come about?
A: I was originally going to divide the manuscript into three sections of prose-poetry, poetry, and fiction, but my editor at Combray suggested that perhaps I could collage the different forms together.
Once I spread everything out and tried to put them into sections, I could see that Water Ways was primarily about my early childhood and life on Oconomowoc Lake in Wisconsin. Earth Bound had to do with my mothering years in Berkeley, and Fired Up focused on a time between marriages when I had many passionate affairs.
Open Air was influenced by my time on the Arizona/Mexican border
-- big sky ranch land, where I often rode out alone and delved into dark humor in regards to racial prejudices.
Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: I discovered the title Shovels & Chandeliers in a published interview with the New York artist Trevor Winkfield. Shovels relates to my work as a writer, digging down, unearthing, finding treasure, and Chandeliers relates to my past privileges, described at length in the poem "Proud & Ashamed."
Q: The collection includes both prose and poetry—can you say more about the order in which the pieces appeared in the book?
A: The chronological order of my writing pretty much fell into these four sections of my life.
During each phase, I always continued to write prose as well as poetry, and was lucky enough to have my work published by many fine small presses, while also editing five anthologies. Those collections also included both prose & poetry.
I think of the different gaits of a horse-- walk, trot, canter, and gallop. Why would I want to ride or drive, for that matter, in only one gear? Whatever I had to say at that moment in time found its right attire.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Well, I have just completed a new website with the help of a wonderful designer, Kristen Weber : ilibribookdesign, and she helped space out my various works, visuals and reviews in an exceptional manner. I hope your readers will go and explore all that is offered at: www.laurachester.com
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: In the last couple of years, I have become an obsessive collage artist. I have already had five shows and I'm on an endless hunt for new odd and vintage material. A sampling of my collages is available on the "Look Book" of my website.
In the coming months I will be doing numerous readings from my new book, possibly recording an audio version, and trying not to get too stuck on myself. Usually I am happiest working alone in the country with my dogs, horses, and Siberian forest cat. PR may force me to saddle up and ride a little further out into the world.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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