Meet Shawna Gallagher - dipity Community Spotlight Q&A Interview no. 11
learn more about poet and author Shawna Gallagher's work through dipity's global interview monthly spotlight feature
Introduction
Shawna Gallagher (S. Marie Gallagher) is a published poet, essayist, novella/short story author, and amateur journalist. She loves political revolutions, science, philosophy, music, history, and literature. Gallagher intends to double major in Writing and English from 2024 to 2028.
Jim Morrison’s Bacchanal
Blood of the grape, be with me on my journey to overthrow order and revel inconstructive deconstruction: The FBI’s punishment. Stacks of old papers in the file cabinet dungeon Project MK Ultra, UFOs, and Nancy Spungen The Pentagon Papers and murderous lunging, Lunging for the sacred and tearing the body asunder to let the spirit out Rainbows shine out of prisms. Neurotic cataclysmic visions If the light is lost, then the darkness cannot exist. How could it ruin the perfect and resist When there’s no opponent, no angels to assist? Galavant to Paris and rot in a bathtub Go searching for a momma bear’s cub Spaghetti dinner in a black hole No one can hear the cries of a demon in a vacuum— Expanding into forever and nothing in the Last Frontier
Q: What is the backstory of this poem?
The backstory of this poem starts with my parasocial relationship with Jim Morrison, the counterculture rock frontman of the late 60s and early 70s. The first two lines refer to Morrison's alcohol addiction and dramatize the release of the Pentagon Papers. Although the Papers were representative of the Defense Department, I chose the FBI because of their investigative jurisdiction, which relates to Nancy Spungen, the hunt for UFOs, the metaphorical searching of a momma bear’s cub, and the probe into black holes. Furthermore, the poem's themes are uncertainty, darkness, psychedelic/Dionysian impulses, ‘The Call of the Void’, and the vast/chaotic nature of the universe. I repeated the word “lunging” to juxtapose the definition of the word with how life thrusts us into disorder at birth.
The purpose of this poem is to encapsulate the vibe of the underbelly of the 60s and 70s. It mentions Morrison, Sid Vicious’s tragic girlfriend, the government’s controversies, and Stephen Hawking’s findings on black holes. The first two lines of the second stanza highlight the hippies’ urge to silence the chaotic singularity of life and its demanding conditions. Finally, it presents that every being, event, and condition is interconnected and woven into one web. The idea of interconnectedness is essential to me as a Blackfoot poet.
Q: What was your most recent publication?
My most recent publication was Magnolias in the Garden of Eden (2023), a poetry collection about delusion, fantasy, and the destructive power of emotions. I include biblical allegories, soft and dark imagery, and melodrama to create a swirl of frilly discontent that can masquerade as fact. The collection is based on my experience with delusion and disassociation. Some of the poems were based on my aesthetic interests and fantasies. Additionally, I dramatize all my poems to amplify the mood and satisfy my appetite for extremity.
Q: Where can others find more of your work?
My poetry collection can be found here: Magnolias in the Garden of Eden [2023] - Amazon
Occasionally, I narrate my poems on an eclectic YouTube channel:
https://youtube.com/@shawnasheartshapedbox.
Q: What else do you do outside of the writing or poetry community? OR What else are you working on or excited about in the future? Any fun hobbies?
Outside of the poetry community, I have business assignments and creative projects to tend to. I’m currently working on starting Kickstarter campaigns to support a diverse stream of income that I’d like to implement in my first year of college—I’m on a gap year, including an eccentric magazine, an EP, an expanded version of my Depop shop, upgrades to my YouTube channels, and two new literary projects. First, I’m working on publishing a deluxe version of Magnolias in the Garden of Eden. I hope to self-publish it through Barnes and Noble instead of Amazon KDP and make an audiobook, given that I raise the funds.
Next, I want to publish a hybrid novel/poetry collection about the cautionary tale of a depressed, self-centered “indie” college student on her mystical path to success as a model. She witnesses the horrifying pressures of her colleagues and contemporaries and falls into unhinged egomania. Finally, my hobbies include spirituality/meditation, magazine and book collecting, singing, taking walks, researching, and designing fashion moodboards.
Q: When did you begin writing? OR What or who sparked and inspired your writing journey?
I began writing in first grade. My first stories were picture books. As a second-grade student, I sold my prototype books to my peers for a quarter each. A few years later, I wrote a YA murder mystery novella, which I would label a precocious activity for a fifth grader. I’m still precocious, as I was born in 2005. I have a long life ahead of me, and I’ve already published a poetry collection.
My biggest inspiration for writing was my beloved great-grandmother, Alicia Oldham. She was a poet, artist, and loving but frail matriarch. Alicia entered ArtPrize, a regional art competition, but never won. I wanted to write stories and songs to impress her and, later, pay my love for writing forward to the next generation—in her memory. Experimentation was the name of the game early in my childhood; I wrote childish metal songs, musical improvisations, which I performed in Alicia’s cane, and miniature books about student experiences and time travel. She indeed established my passion for writing early on!
Q: What advice would you give aspiring poets, authors, or fellow writers in the community?
I advise aspiring authors, poets, and writers to write with courage, pursue success relentlessly, and experiment. When I started writing poems, I wrote basic, sing-songy folly. However, I was courageous enough to share it, and my Creative Writing teacher praised my work and encouraged me. Recently, I’ve been pursuing success no matter the cost, and it is steamrolling through my troubles and comparatively accelerating my career. Experimentation with biblical, mythological, ethical, fantastical, and emotional elements has made my poetry more meaningful, layered, and cohesive. These three tips have been my compass for my writing journey.
Q: What are you currently reading? OR What book(s) would you recommend to others right now?
I recently DNFed Donna Tartt's The Secret History because of its slow pacing. The premise was interesting, but the execution was disappointing, and the story was dragged out. I’m currently reading Daisy Jones & The Six (2019) by Taylor Jenkins Reid and Cleopatra and Frankenstein (2022) by Coco Mellors. I’m a Fleetwood Mac fan, so of course, I’m drawn to a book about a confident, glamorous singer from the 70s. To touch on Coco Mellors’s book, I like the writing style, even if some may call it purple prose. I enjoy purple prose. I think the story is a bit vulgar, but I can be, too, to be fair. My favorite book is The Great Gatsby (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald—it’s a classic!
Q: What was the last movie or TV show you watched or recommend others see in the community?
The last movie I watched was Midsommar (2019), and the last TV show I watched was The White Lotus (2021). Midsommar’s cinematography is beautiful. I love the premise of a Scandinavian cult. The setting is alluring as well. I find The White Lotus hilarious. The battles showcasing privilege, excess, financial worries and social commentary are done phenomenally. I’ve heard that not a lot happens in the show, but it was very entertaining from my perspective.
Q: Which poets, artists, or writers inspire you?
My poetic inspirations are Lord Byron, Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Sylvia Plath, Sandra Cisneros, Karyna McGlynn, Langston Hughes, and Nikola Tesla. Tesla may not be a poet, but his style of speech gives me food for thought. I love the romantic style of poetry, wild and twisted lyrics, sexually liberating words, and poems reflecting on girlhood/womanhood. Jim Morrison’s songs may be shocking, but I think he is an accidental lyrical genius. Moreover, Sylvia Plath has some questionable lines but an undeniable talent that depression stifled.
Grimes - Oblivion
Q: If you were stuck on the moon with anyone or could pick your space flight partner who would it be ( it could be someone from the past or present time)?
If I were stuck on the moon with anyone and could pick my space flight partner, I would choose Nikola Tesla for technological help and company. I adore his work and his character. Tesla was a genius who was taken advantage of by Thomas Edison. I think it’s a massive injustice that Edison got so much recognition when he was a con man. Additionally, I would assist Tesla in plugging Elon Musk’s consciousness into a computer chip, which projects a hologram guru, to help me colonize the moon since he is set on establishing life on Mars. My thoughts on Elon Musk are conflicting. On the one hand, I find his Aspergers diagnosis relatable and his drive to succeed admirable. However, I believe he is somewhat childish and makes bad public relations decisions. There is no doubt that he is intelligent, though.
Q: What's one of your favorite poems in existence?'
My favorite poem is the musical piece “Ghost” by Jim Morrison. It feels dreamy. The song reminds me of music class at my Catholic school. Plus, the lyrics are spoken magically like a spell. The second stanza of the song is my favorite part. It oozes carefree and youthful energy.
Ghost
Awake
Shake dreams from your hair, my pretty child, my sweet one
Choose the day and choose the sign of your day the day's divinity
First thing you see
A vast radiant beach and cooled jeweled moon
Couples naked race down by its quiet side
And we laugh like soft, mad children
Smug in the wooly cotton brains of infancy
The music and voices are all around us
Choose they croon the Ancient Ones
The time has come again
Choose now, they croon
Beneath the moon
Beside an ancient lake
Enter again the sweet forest
Enter the hot dream
Come with us
Everything is broken up and dances
Indians scattered
On dawn's highway bleeding
Ghosts crowd the young child’s
Fragile eggshell mind
We have assembled inside
This ancient and insane theater
To propagate our lust for life
And flee the swarming wisdom of the streets
The barns have stormed
The windows kept
And only one of all the rest
To dance and save us
From the divine mockery of words,
Music inflames temperament
Ooh, great creator of being
Grant us one more hour
To perform our art
And perfect our lives
We need great golden copulations
When the true kings murderers
Are allowed to roam free
A thousand magicians arise in the land
Where are the feast we are promised?
One more thing
Thank you, oh lord
For the white blind light
Thank you, oh lord
For the white blind light
A city rises from the sea
I had a splitting headache
From which the future's made
~ Jim Morrison
Source: (https://genius.com/Jim-morrison-the-ghost-song-lyrics)
To Check Out More of Shawna Gallagher’s Work
Circle back to some of her work mentioned above in this Q&A and check out her YouTube channels in the future, visit and follow:
Instagram: @pandorasjewelrybox05
Depop Shop: https://depop.com/fleshvesse1
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@shawnasheartshapedbox and https://youtube.com/@BerlinPetals
Any other thoughts, comments, or shares after reading the interview?
[Interview Processed By VFORROW]
Thank you so much, Shawna Gallagher, for sharing and submitting to Dipity Lit Mag! ~ Jazz Marie Kaur (Vevna Forrow)
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Intriguing interview -- I foresee a long career ahead for Shawna. I find it hard to say this without sounding like my grandpa, but it's refreshing to read of someone so young being deeply interested in and aware of significant events and figures from the 60s and 70s. A varied and historical perspective is eternal fodder for creative pursuits. I love Shawna's advice for writers -- these are great tips for life and business as well. PS -- I also DNFed The Secret History.