I’m writing a new poetry chapbook and it addresses what is happening in Ukraine from the perspective of a Lithuanian-American (as we watch news events unfold daily, the West and Russia’s once-somewhat-civil ties unravel).
I’m using the metaphor of lack of clarity (or vision, or even precision) via a mythological group of female Baltic snipers. I’m already deep into it, having begun it several months back in the spring. I found a potential cover by a phenomenal artist, Chelsea Brown (see her work below), from the West coast.
I’m waiting to hear from multiple trusted sources regarding feedback on this manuscript. My goal with it is to tap into some of my cultural past and utilize it as a place to begin writing poems from (now blatantly, whereas before this, subtly). I am inspired by having worked with Nikky Finney almost 14 years ago in a summer workshop. It’s time to tap into the Lithuanian voice inside me in such a way that it confronts my cultural duality—who was I before, hidden, who am I now that I see the Baltic nations once again potentially threatened by a former Soviet KGB “leader” determined to bring us back into the throes of another Cold War…
