Meet Lucy Wainger, an Emory sophomore whose poem was just selected for ‘The Best American Poetry’ Anthology!
Name: Lucy Wainger
Year: Sophomore
Major: Creative Writing
Hometown: New York, New York
Extracurricular Activities: Lullwater Review, Narratives of Resistance (w/ Feminists in Action)
Tameka: Can you describe yourself in five words?
Lucy: Easily fooled, hard to surprise.
T: What sparked your interest in poetry?
L: Nothing in particular, at least not that I remember. Spark is a lot less important than sustenance.
T: Can you tell us a little bit about your poem, “Scheherazade.”? How’d it feel to be selected for Best American Poetry?
L: One thing I like about my poem, and that I’m not sure is immediately obvious, is that it’s recursive – the end is supposed to lead right back to the beginning: “[you] always pause just moments before he/ comes […]” Upon noticing this, the other thing I like about my poem becomes quite obvious: it is a sex joke. Its being included in Best American Poetry felt good, though to be honest with you, actually writing the damn thing in the first place felt a lot better.
T: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
L: Hard to say given that I have absolutely no career plans whatsoever, but if I had to guess, teaching English in a New York City high school.
T: Any advice for aspiring writers?
L: Writing poems should feel better than getting them published.