I love poetry. It’s a form that has always called to me. However, I never thought of myself as a poet, even when I first started publishing. That title has always felt unapproachable and prestigious, so it’s always somewhat dizzying to see my poems in print. This year is no different: 2023 has started out as a year of poetry with a story about a witch and mermaids in Fantasy Magazine, a piece filled with feminist rage and Greek monsters in The Future Fire, and a deeply personal poem about my experiences with domestic violence in the second showcase of women’s poetry forthcoming in Under Her Eye by Black Spot Books.
There are more markets for speculative poetry than ever before, so writing poetry is something I plan to continue. It feeds my creative soul in a way that is distinctly different than my pursuits in fiction. Best of all, I’m nearing the completion of my first poetry collection, so I suppose it’s time to accept that I might be a poet after all.
Thank you for reading!
“Carina, Carina,” Under Her Eye: A Women in Horror Poetry Showcase, Black Spot Books. Forthcoming.
“Between Scylla and Charybdis,” The Future Fire. April 2023.
“The Mermaids of Magonia,” Fantasy Magazine. February 2023.
Carina Bissett 