An Interview with Wendy Van Camp

Poet Laureate Emerita Wendy Van Camp is a dynamic voice in speculative poetry, blending cutting-edge technology, astronomy, and daydreams into her work. Her talent has earned her nominations for the Elgin, Pushcart Prize, Rhysling, and Dwarf Stars Awards. Wendy’s poems, stories, and articles grace journals worldwide such as Star*Line, Scifaikuest, Worlds of IF, and San Diego Poetry Annual. She also contributes to Indy Author Magazine. Wendy is the editor of Eccentric Orbits: a science fiction poetry anthology. As a member of SFWA, SFPA, and IBPA and co-chair of the SFWA Poetry Committee, Wendy is a passionate advocate for the speculative community. Her debut poetry collection, The Planets, was nominated for the Elgin Award.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I don’t remember what made me start writing. However, I was a storyteller even as a small child. I wrote my first “novel”…more a novelette…as a four-year-old, all scrawled on wide-ruled loose paper in a child’s hand. It was a fantasy novel about mermaids with a feminist twist. I still have it tucked in my file cabinet, but the book is properly trunked as is the novel I wrote as a sixteen-year-old. My family never encouraged me to write. In fact, I wrote my second book on a broken typewriter where I typed with my left hand only and pushed the carrier return with my right. My parents never offered to fix the machine and complained when I left it on the dining room table. I was often mocked for my love of words as a child.

I continued writing without publishing beyond a single short story in a student-run journal as a freshman in college. This was about the time I got hooked on filmmaking and switched to television and film production. I would not return to writing until my early forties, where I attempted to “win” at NaNoWriMo for many years without success. In the end, it was the purchase of a digital typewriter called an AlphaSmart Neo that helped me finish my drafts at NaNoWriMo and finally finish a book.

The AlphaSmart allowed me to join the write-ins and learn many writing tips to propel me to success. The book I finished is The Curate’s Brother, a fanfiction based on Jane Austen’s Persuasion. I remain an ardent Austen fan and hope to write three more books in this series one day. Meanwhile, my debut novel continues to sell briskly at all my book tables alongside my debut poetry collection, The Planets.

I do have a poetry mentor of sorts. Wendy Rathborn is a writer of LGBTQ romance novels and a speculative poet. We were both artists at various venues in the Southern California area and she was the first one to encourage me to explore poetry, and in particular, speculative poetry. I was resistant to the idea at first, but I appreciated her encouragement and advice.

One day, I was dropping off my art at a local science fiction convention art show. I wanted to stay for a networking event later that evening, but I had a few hours to kill. I sat down in the hot sun in a small courtyard. Beside me was a sign stating “Scifaiku Workshop,” and the class would start in around ten minutes. There was cold water in the room and air conditioning, and that, more than the workshop, is what drew me inside.

In the room were around eight people, so I poured myself some water and took a chair. Soon, a woman walked to the front of the room and introduced herself as the instructor. She looked directly at me and informed me I would be her only student and this was a class on writing science fiction-themed haiku poetry. I asked her who all the other people in the room were, and she told me they were all editors of national poetry journals who had come to see her teach. Would I mind?

I admit I wanted to bolt for the door. It was a surreal situation. I hadn’t written a poem since high school and that was at least twenty years ago. Yet, I also had sympathy. Clearly this was a test of sorts for this woman in front of people who were important to her. I literally had nothing else to do before my networking event. Why not?

I took her class and wrote my very first scifaiku poem. It is called “Endless Night.” At the end of the writing time, my instructor told me to stand up and read my poem to the class. What class? I was the only student! However, I stood. Read the short poem. Sat down.

As the instructor gave me a critique on the poem, one of the journal editors seated near me leaned over and whispered into my ear, “I loved your poem. I want to publish it. I’ll pay you.” And that moment is when I became a speculative poet.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I was a producer/director of television in the Hollywood area for almost twenty years. Most of my work was corporate-based, but I also directed toy commercials as a freelancer for Mattel. I produced two half-hour series that aired all over California. One was “Musician Discoveries,” which was a band showcase program featuring live-to-tape music and an interview. The second series was “Coffeehouse Poetry,” which I shot on location at various coffeehouses, but only did around ten episodes. I also produced and directed a film. Most of the time, I worked as a municipal director, shooting city council meetings and various community events. It was not exciting work, but it paid the bills. I learned a great deal about organizing events and working with talent during this time.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

When I create poetry books, I always start with a title and theme before I write the poetry to go into the book. I’ve been a fan of the NASA space program for most of my life, and when I started writing scifaiku and haiku-style astropoetry, the majority of my work was about my favorite planets of the solar system. So calling my book The Planets was a no-brainer. I liked the connection to the famous symphony “The Planets” by Gustav Holtz, which also uses the planets of the solar system as its theme musically. Often, my book will also come up in searches alongside this symphony. Once I had the title, I decided on how I would format the book. Each chapter would feature a certain number of poems and I also created a chapter head illustration of each planet of the solar system via Artist PITT pens and Mixed Media Paper. All my sketches were in black and white to save on printing costs. At that point, I set up a schedule to write with my notebook and fountain pen at a local coffeehouse and finished the poetry for the book in around two months’ time. I formatted the book, created the back cover, but purchased a front cover from a budding artist. I have recently updated the book with current back matter and a new back cover featuring my latest headshot and bio.

What part of publishing your book made it feel real for the first time?

The Planets is my second published book, but my debut poetry collection. The moment it all became “real” to me is when I read a selection of the poems at my home open mic in Anaheim, CA, not long after I first published the book. Our inaugural Anaheim Poet Laureate was present and our head librarian. After my reading, both reached out to me to encourage me to apply to be Anaheim’s next poet laureate. Later, I understand my book was the main reason the selection committee wanted me for the role. While taking on the role would be a long process, that reading was the moment I truly felt I was a real poet. Later, the book would be nominated for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poets Association’s Elgin Award for Best Speculative Poetry Book of the Year. It was nominated in the years 2020 and 2021.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

The soundtrack of my book would have to be “The Planets” by Gustav Holtz. I love classical music and feel a connection with this piece of music. While my work was more inspired by following NASA’s probe exploration of the solar system, I can’t help but wonder if this symphony also played a part of inspiration subconsciously.

What creative projects are you currently working on?

My current projects are myriad. As a contracted writer, I contribute to Indie Author Magazine, and I write for several speculative journals as needed. I am working on a scifaiku sequel to The Planets, which I am tentatively calling “Time and Space.” I speak at writing conferences and at science fiction conventions as a presenter or panelist. As an active organizer, I’m part of a team coordinating a local poetry festival and booking readings for my speculative poetry troupe “The Starlit Scribes.” I am a writing coach and mentor for writers and poets via Indigoskye Press. My free monthly newsletter with audio voiceover is on Substack. It features a personal ramble, a writing tips essay, and my poem of the month. You can find links to these sites via my Instagram link tree. My handle there is @nowastedink.

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