Poet Interview: August Hawley
August Hawley is a high school senior from Michigan who’s been writing poetry since around age 13. Most of his writing focuses on grief, recovery, and his experiences as a transgender person in the 21st century. He hopes to continue his writing through college and develop a career in the publishing industry. August is also a staff writer for Sunday Mornings at the River.
When did you become a poet? How did you know it was the right medium for your stories?
I think, in some ways, I’ve always been a poet. I’ve always been asking questions I didn’t want the answer to, writing down everything I thought was interesting since I learned how to spell. But even now, as a novelist and a poet, it can be hard to know what the right medium is. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with writing the same story twice, though, as long as you learn something.
What inspires you to write?
Pretty much everything, but especially perspective. Sometimes I feel like I’ve already said every thought I’ve ever had and that I’ll never be able to write again, but usually putting myself in the shoes of someone else is the best way to solve that problem. I think anything can be a poem if you know how to translate it, so I guess it’s more a question of how to differentiate inspiration that you have time for and can really turn into something versus inspiration that’s fleeting and not as moldable.
Who are some of your literary or artistic crushes or influences?
When I was younger, I felt really drawn to and enamoured by spoken word, so some of my original inspirations were Sarah Kay, Neil Holborn, Olivia Gatwood, and Rudy Fransisco. I still love spoken word, but I read a lot more now, and some of my favourite poets are Ocean Vuong, Danez Smith, and Mary Oliver. I’m always looking for more, though, and honestly, Sunday Mornings at the River has definitely introduced me to some of my favourite collections.
What does "good poetry" mean to you?
I think good poetry should either make the reader feel something, accomplish a goal the writer had in mind, or bring some sort of relief to the person reading or writing it. I don’t think there’s really any specific qualifications other than it means something to the person who makes it or the person who reads it.
What are you currently reading?
Right now I’m reading ‘Godshots Wanted: Apply Within’ by Emily Perkovich (poetry published by Sunday Mornings at the River), Normal People by Sally Rooney, and rereading ‘Our Homesick Songs’ by Emma Hopper. I’m usually always reading one physical book, one e-book, and rereading something at school that I don’t mind being interrupted from.
What are you working on next/what was your last project?
I’m working on my second collection of poetry right now, and it’s definitely the most difficult project I’ve ever taken on because I don’t want to regret any of it. I’m also writing a novel about grief and ghosts and stuff, because what else would I be writing about?
Tag three of your favourite IG poets we should read: @whothefuckisdowns, @annlillyjose, and @lobotomyfrog are some of my favourites, but I could probably make a list a mile long.
What are some common themes you see in your own work?
Definitely grief and trauma, both things I used to think I was really good at dealing with until I realized there’s a difference between coping and pretending something never happened. Also ghosts. I really like ghosts.
Do you feel that sharing your poetry is a vulnerable process?
Definitely. There are honestly some things I wrote and posted/published when I was younger that I wish I could pull from people’s memories because at times I just wasn’t very vague and not everyone needs to know so much about me (especially people I know in real life).
How many unfinished or unpublished books do you have?
I have one published poetry collection that I never really acknowledge any more and around 9 unpublished novels if you include the one I’m working on now.
What/who influenced you to become a poet?
Definitely my mom. She’s always been my biggest cheerleader when it came to my writing. She taught me how to write and read, and she knew before I did that poetry would be my best outlet for the rest of my life. I also have a couple of teachers who were really important in my growth.
Do family and "real life" friends read your work?
Some of them! My mom isn’t really on social media, so she only reads what I show her, but pretty much all of my friends read and share my poetry, which I’ve always been really thankful for, especially since I’m almost definitely the only poet they actually read.
What is your writing process like?
Very sporadic. Sometimes I write a poem in the middle of the night and then have to go back and completely rewrite it because the idea is so muddled, and other times a poem comes out exactly how I pictured it from the beginning. But usually, when I get a “normal” writing session in, I write the poem and the point changes around halfway through, and then I have to go back and fix the beginning.
How do you research for your poems?
I don’t have to do that very often, usually, it goes the other way around! I’ll have a weird question or come across a strange topic online, and then write a poem based on it. I have a poem based on a mathematical paradox that was brought up in a book I read, a poem about stars (which I actually did do some pretty intensive research for, about a star’s centre of gravity and whatnot, just so I could use it as a metaphor), a poem about David and Goliath after my history teacher stated that Michaelangelo’s David was the most biblically inaccurate representation ever, one about opportunity cost (an economic theory), and my personal favourite is one that’s based on the controversy in the Christian community of whether or not you can baptize yourself, which no one really has the answer to. As I said, I find inspiration in everything, so usually, it’s research that inspired a poem and not the other way around.