An Interview with Kathleen Spivack
Kathleen Spivack is the author of twelve books of poetry and prose, from Doubleday, Graywolf, Knopf, and others. Among them are A History of Yearning, With Robert Lowell and His Circle: Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Elizabeth Bishop, Stanley Kunitz & Others, and her poetry book, Homage, published last fall.
Homage: Winner (First Prize, Poetry) of the North Street Book Prize 2025
Read more about the award-winning work here!
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
My father, Peter Drucker, and his father, my grandfather. I always knew I was going to be a writer, and when I came to Boston on a fellowship to study with Robert Lowell, it clinched my determination.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
Teaching writing and psychological counseling. I lived on a 30-foot sailboat with my husband and sailed all over the world, teaching along the way. I was a guest lecturer on the S.S. Rotterdam, teaching travel writing and having all kinds of adventures.
What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?
Conceiving it, putting it together. Once I had the title, I had the basic idea. Each of my books has had its own theme.
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
“The Way We Were”
What creative projects are you currently working on?
A full collection of prose and poetry called The Alphabet of Lost Letters.
What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?
The Elephants of Thula Thula
What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?
To me, each poem has its specific imagery relating to the character of the poem; they are from my long and more recent experiences, deeply personal. I hope that readers will interpret my poems in their own way, but also bring something new to their experience. The imagery spins the story, tells its own tale.
For instance, in “Madame Joelle Blot,” she shows her abilities as a teacher and a person who extends hospitality to teach as the “best French teacher in France.” I hope the readers will grasp the meanings and submeanings. I want my poetry to be fairly clear. I write alone but enjoy the company of other writers.
What would you tell other writers who want to publish?
I would say keep working at it. Publication doesn’t happen right away, and there are different types of publishers that may have an interest in your work. Not everyone is going to love your work, nor right away. Publication for me is a completion. I have had the same poems rejected and accepted by different publishers, going through all kinds of rejections at different times in my career. I suppose the words are “Never give up.”
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