Q & A with Alexis Mitchell
POET PHOTOGRAPHER ARTIST
43302: What inspired you to start writing? What was your main influence at the beginning?
Alexis: I started writing my sophomore year in High School. My English teacher, Mr. Sample, assigned us a poetry assignment. I found I enjoyed it immensely. And Mr. Sample thought it was very good.
I’d write for a time and then put the pen away for a time, but in 2010, I picked it back up in earnest. My first marriage was ending and I was in the midst of a lot of change in my life. I needed to talk about it, and poetry gave me that outlet.
One of my main influences was Maya Angelou. She was the first poet I heard live, at President Clinton’s inauguration. The way she held the nation rapt with her words amazed me. Her work is musical and raw and honest. I wanted to have 1/1000 of her skill.
43302: In your book, I Speak Hick, you write poetry, prose, haibun, and tanka. How did you learn these different forms of writing and which do you most enjoy?
Alexis: I research a lot of forms. I do enjoy writing in forms. I go to shadowpoetry.com. This site has so many forms of poetry that a poet can study. I like to find things that can challenge my creative skill.
My favorite form of poetry is actually the Pantoum. It’s a repetitive poem, and it’s a fun way to bend a sentence to various meanings in order to convey the story I want to tell.
(editor’s note: FIRST NIGHT is an example of a Pantoum.)
FIRST NIGHTby Alexis Rueal
You try not to think about tomorrow.
You try not to think about sewer rats in your rest stop bedroom.
Try to block out the fluorescent glow of street lamp midnight.
So you think about your mother.
You try not to think about sewer rats in your rest stop bedroom.
Your husband, asleep as you remember your shitty choices.
So you think about your mother,
count the ways you will never tell her she was right.
Your husband, asleep as you remember your shitty choices –
remember telling your Mom he loved you most of all.
Count the ways you will never tell her she was right;
beg God forgive you painting her a bitch with your tongue.
Remember telling your Mom he loved you most of all
when you were a cocky 20, owning six trash bags and pride?
beg God forgive you painting her a bitch with your tongue.
Turn the car off so you can conserve what gas you have left.
When you were a cocky 20, owning six trash bags and pride,
you didn’t know he would lead to a Ford Escort home.
Turn the car off so you can conserve what gas you have left.
It’s the only way you’ll see the dawn.
You didn’t know he would lead to a Ford Escort home.
Try to block out the fluorescent glow of street lamp midnight.
It’s the only way you’ll see the dawn
you try not to think about tomorrow.
43302: How did you come to be in Marion? Did you live there long? What did you do here?
Alexis: We moved to Marion in 1989. Actually, it was our second time living in Marion. I was in 6th grade and enrolled at the former Taft Middle School. That was the first time I was able to actually make friends as my family moved around a lot when I was younger. I lived between Marion and Morrow counties from 1989 until 2011 when I finally moved to Columbus. I went to Harding High School and attended OSU Marion. The only time I didn’t live in Marion was a five-year stint between 2001-2006 when my now ex and I lived in Morrow County.
43302: You’re very connected to the land of your ancestors where you were born. As a migrated Appalachian, I can relate well to this feeling, as I’m sure many can. What place does this connection have in your life?
Alexis: I was born there. My family has lived there for generations. It’s still in my voice, in every “y’all.” I love the city, don’t get me wrong, but those foothills and that rolling land is so very calming in a busy world. The older I get, the more I appreciate it and miss it.
43302: Your poems are very personal. What’s it like for you to share yourself so openly?
Alexis: I am a firm believer in being honest in my work. Poetry, well, art in general, is a way to put my emotions, the secret parts of me out into the world. And, in trying to be open and honest, I hope that I can help others be able to open up, and not feel the need to hide themselves away. It’s okay to feel, it’s okay to have these cracks in our veneer. It’s okay that our lives haven’t been and aren’t perfect.
43302: I found your poem, “This Space” to be both powerful and empowering. It reminds me of Lucille Clifton’s “Homage to My Hips” because it carries the same sense of celebration and defiance. Another favorite is your “See This Body”. The metaphors are brilliant. Who were these poems written for and what is it you would like the reader to hear?
Alexis: Those are two poems I really loved writing. These poems were written for me. I’ve fought almost my entire life with feeling like I don’t belong, that I don’t deserve to take up space, that I’m not pretty enough or thin enough, and so on. That’s a lie. These poems remind me that the things I have told myself are lies, my brain being tricksy with me. And, as I use these to remind myself of my worth and my strength, I would hope that other readers who aren’t cis-gendered males can feel the same when they read them.
43302: You also create other forms of artwork. Would you talk a little about those?
Alexis: Well, I’m on a writing hiatus. My brain isn’t putting things into words, right now. I’m delving more into visual arts: painting, photography, graphic design. I’m working on a painting series, right now, that is female/non-cis male centric. These paintings feel like a continuation of my poetic work, exploring the weaknesses and strength carried inside.
FAN DANCER
Copyright owned by Alexis Mitchell
43302: Where can people see and/or purchase your work?
Alexis: My work can be found on Instagram @alexis_mitchell_designs and on my website alexismitchelldesigns.com
Madonna of the 21st Century
Copyright owned by Alexis Mitchell
Artist Biography
Alexis Mitchell is 43 and doesn't care that you know. She is a soon-to-be graduate from Columbus State Community College with a degree in Digital Design and Graphics, which pairs nicely with her BA in English from Ohio State University. Alexis is a poet, graphic designer, painter and photographer... which means sleep is a rare and precious commodity. She loves her nephews to bits, and lives for her friendships. She lives with her wonderful husband, Jaison, two apathetic cats, and one needy goldendoodle in Columbus, Ohio.