Meet Karalee Garcia - dipity Community Spotlight Q&A Interview no. 10
learn more about poet Karalee Garcia's work through dipity's global interview monthly spotlight feature
Introduction
Karalee Garcia is a queer Filipinx American, Written Arts AFA student, and a librarian assistant at Everett Community College (EvCC). They live in Everett, WA, and are working on crafting their first poetry book. Her poetry has been printed in EvCC’s Art & Literature magazine, “Vibrations,” in 2021 & 2022, and in the Whispers of the World anthology edited by Shreya Mishra in 2023.
Revelation
In the dream
where I am an island,
forgive me,
I do not wish to sing.
I have teeth
in places
you’d never suspect.
Come. Kiss me.
An act of God, so sweet.
—There is no end to it.
I promise
to make you more alive
than you’ve ever been. You will
remember
the fire in the cave
of your skull,
it’s good for
the soul, after a night
of bare music. Steps must
be gentle, I don’t want
to leave a messy corpse,
I weep. It is not yet
daylight, where
the world ends,
everything
cut down. The hours pass:
quick, then slow,
tapping, so
we cannot hear the screams.
Corpse lit on a pyre.
Q: What is the backstory of this poem?
“Revelation” is a cento composed entirely of lines borrowed (in their original form with changes only made to capitalization and punctuation) in order of appearance from: Duplex by Jericho Brown; Deliverance by Jericho Brown; Siren by Amy Gerstler; Trojan by Jericho Brown; A Guide to the Stone Age by James Tate; Ordeal by Nina Cassian and translated by Michael Impey and Brian Swann; January II by Charles Wright; The Rabbits by Jericho Brown; My Grandmother’s Love Letters by Hart Crane; The House Slave by Rita Dove; The Tradition by Jericho Brown; Chrysanthemums by Spencer Reece; Meditations at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park by Jericho Brown.
I crafted this cento poem during my Poetry II class at Everett Community College in the fall quarter of 2021. I’d done collage art before as self expression for my queer identity as well as a brainstorming activity for National Novel Writing Month, but this class was the first time I’d learned of a collage poem or cento poem. I was fascinated by the concept and came to love the form as I worked on creating this piece. Since then, I’ve written two other cento poems and will likely continue to churn them out as inspiration strikes me. My cento “WAR” is published in Vibrations 2022 and “Inevitable” needs a few more tweaks before it’s submission ready.
Q: What was your most recent publication?
My poem, “Picture This,” was in the 25th entry in the anthology, Whispers of the World edited by Sherya Mishra in October 2023.
Q: Where can others find more of your work?
More of my work can be found below within EvCC publications linked below. [You can toggle/arrow through and you’ll stumble upon them].
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?
I’m a Written Arts AFA student and library assistant at Everett Community College where I work at the circulation desk, do shelving, process new books, and mend books that need repairs. I’m excited about my upcoming trip to Japan at the end of March and the Philippines in August. Some of my hobbies include drinking tea at cafes, wine at bars, going on pastry and foodie adventures, playing Pokemon Go, reading fanfic, exploring art museums and galleries, nature and parks/gardens, and loving on neighborhood and friends’ cats.
Q: When did you begin writing? OR What or who sparked and inspired your writing journey?
I began to write stories when I was eight as I was inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia and the original Star Wars trilogy. An older neighbor’s preteen was writing their own story. I remember thinking if they can, surely I can. I started crafting poetry at sixteen to express my emotions and took inspiration from the Psalms. It was more a hobby at that point than a career. It was while I was taking poetry classes at community college, that I decided I wanted to be a published poet. Submitting to Dipity is a part of that process.
Q: What advice would you give aspiring poets, authors, or fellow writers in the community?
Keep on pursuing your creative dreams and making them a reality, no matter the criticism or rejection you face. Make compromises, if you must, but don’t give up. Persistence, focus, and mindfulness are the way to success and success is for you yourself to define. Mine is happiness and I’m often happily reading, contemplating, and/or creating poetry. Tend your art, your passion gently and consistently. Find your niche and root deep, your voice to speak out, and what revitalizes you to keep going onward and upward. Sometimes the slow path is best, breathe, release, and take one step at a time.
Q: What are you currently reading? OR What book(s) would you recommend to others right now?
I would recommend Frida Kahlo at Home (2016) by Suzanne Barbezat since March is Women’s History Month. It relates her life from birth to death with photographs of people and places important to her and prints of her art. I’d only seen her self portraits before, but after reading this book, I came to appreciate her colorful yet morbid paintings, her mixed ethnicity, and her identity as a person of color and bisexual artist and woman. Frida’s life was a brief one because of her health issues, but also vibrant and full of passion. I aim to live as fulfilling a life as she did.
Q: What was the last movie or TV show you watched or recommend others see in the community?
The last movie I watched was Godzilla Minus One (GMO) and the last TV show I watched was either Loki season two or The Power. All three were good, although I was definitely more invested in the second. I’m a huge fan of MCU Loki and S2 was the grand finale. As for GMO, I love action movies and well-made Japanese ones! The updated CG for Godzilla and the heartwarming conclusion are what made it memorable. As for TP, the social and political implications were strong and thought-provoking. I got attached to certain characters and their choices weren’t always ideal. There was a lot that made me uncomfortable, but I believe that was the intent.
MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS - Savages
Q: Which poets, artists, or writers inspire you?
The poets I’m inspired by are Rupi Kaur, Jericho Brown, Kathleen Flenniken, Sylvia Plath, and Pablo Neruda. The artists are CLAMP, Frida Kahlo, Vincent van Gogh, Hayao Miyazaki, and GACKT. The writers are C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Sharon Shinn, blackkat, and esama.
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 was stuck on the moon, I’d want to experience such a fantastical adventure with my mom. She died when I was 21 and she was my best friend and one of the best people I’ve known. I miss navigating life with her. Also, the Apollo 11 moon landing occurred when she was four years old, so us being on the moon would be a full circle. The writer in me likes that symmetry.
Q: What's one of your favorite poems in existence?'
“what is stronger…” by Rupi Kaur
To Check Out More of Karalee Garcia’s Work
Circle back to some of her work mentioned above in this Q&A and you can search more online in the future as well!
Please Def Follow: @morphious_musings
on Instagram
Have you ever created a cento poem before? Any other thoughts, comments, or shares after reading the interview?
[Interview Processed By VFORROW]
Thank you so much, Karalee Garcia, for sharing and submitting to Dipity Lit Mag! ~ Jazz Marie Kaur (Vevna Forrow)
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