helen vitoria, poet and founding editor of thrush poetry journal, lets plain wrap get to know her better. this is the forty-first installment of plain wrap’s interview series in which plain wrap interviews all its facebook friends. thank you, helen vitoria.
1. Tell us about yourself?
1. My Name is Helen Vitoria. I was born in Greece. I’ve lived most of my life in NYC, now I live on three wooded acres in a small town in Pennsylvania. I write poetry and have been lucky to have my work published in journals I love and admire. I have two chapbooks at Gold Wake Press: Random Cartography Notes and The Sights & Sounds of Arctic Birds. A chapbook at Red Ochre Press: BLACKWATER- A PNEAUMATIC DISTURBANCE. My first full length poetry collection, Corn Exchange, is forthcoming from Scrambler Books later this winter. I am the founding Editor and Editor in Chief for THRUSH Poetry Journal.
Currently I am working on a novel(la) in verse: Amsterdam, and I am pursuing a long time desire of writing a children’s book, which I have already begun. Soon I will be looking for a great illustrator to collaborate with me.
I teach a free poetry workshop in my community once a month at the public library and I hope to begin teaching poetry in correctional facilities to inmates in my home state.
I keep a blog here: http://helenvitoria-lexis.blogspot.com/
2. Have you read any good books lately?
2. Yes!! I read mostly poetry books, some fiction. Way too many to name all here. To name just a few: The Romantic Dogs by Roberto Bolaño, Rookery by Traci Brimhall, Instructions for Killing the Jackal by Erica Wright, The History of Violets by Marosa di Giorgio, Cadaver Dogs by Rebecca Loudon and FREIGHT by Mel Bosworth. I read a great deal, all the time, I carry at least five books in my purse at any given time. Basically, I am a dork.
3. Why did you leave your last job?
3. I got laid off, and that was ok, I hated it. I was a secretary for a large nonprofit humanitarian organization. Working there helped realize that there is no such thing as nonprofit. Someone always profits when people blindly donate money or volunteer their time, and it is rarely those in need, but rather the organization as a whole. Sad but true.
4. What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year?
4. Read more.
5. Tell us about the most fun you have had in life?
5. Waking up in a field of cows in the South of France. Getting there was the fun part.
helenvitoria-lexis.blogspot.com
