Alicia Swain is the author of a newly published collection, Steel Slides and Yellow Walls. Her work has been featured in several online publications, including Vast Chasm and The Vehicle. Swain studied English at Penn State University and Eastern Illinois University. She can be found on her website, on Bluesky, and on Instagram.
About Steel Slides and Yellow Walls
In Steel Slides and Yellow Walls, Alicia Swain navigates the labyrinthine journey women undergo to form their identities. Through a feminist lens and distinctive voice, her collection veraciously portrays the trials that forge women into sagacious, resilient adults. From contemplation of how to balance mental health despite knowing what tribulations are sure to come, to the title poem’s exploration of how traumatic memories can continue to haunt in the most unexpected situations, Swain offers a look at the diverse experiences that mold women into the tenacious beings they are.
The interview
Why do you write in the genres that you do?
Poetry has always felt natural and necessary because it aligns with how I perceive and process the world. It’s easier to communicate my thoughts through a poem than it is to sit in front of a person and chat.
Other than poetry, I am working on two speculative fiction novels. I write in that genre because there is something magical and unexpected about breaking apart reality and exploring what could be.
Would you rather own a bookstore or run a library?
I would love to have a bookstore with a coffee shop in it. I have an entire business model in my head for a little membership program that would allow for a more library-style experience, inviting folks to read more and inspiring a greater sense of community. If I’m lucky, maybe one day I will be able to make that a reality.
Do you try to hit a certain page or word count with each writing session?
I need to start implementing something like this for editing my novel and for writing fiction, but I do try to commit myself to writing at least one poem a day. Most of them aren’t anything special, but they end up fueling a better idea on another day. I find this is the best way to avoid the sensation of writer’s block. I may not spend time on existing projects every day, but it at least ensures I write something.
Who would you most want to read your book, living or dead?
More than anything, I would love for Robin Becker to read my debut collection. Many writers and professors inspired me over the years, but Robin Becker shaped me as a writer more than any other. I took her course at Penn State, and the passion I had for poetry went from a spark to a bonfire. I will look up to her for the rest of my life.
Who is on your Mt. Rushmore of greatest/inspirational authors?
I would have to say Octavia Butler, Michelle Bowdler, Emma Donoghue, and Hillary Gravendyk. While I discover new authors that inspire and astound me regularly, these four stand out because their writing showed me what success truly means.
I didn’t just learn from the skill sets of each of these women. The inspiration stems from how they each could take subjects that so many people hide from and turn them into national, and even international, conversations. That’s the greatest thing you can do as a writer.
What is your favorite bookish possession?
My two favorite bookish items are my signed copy of A Walk in Victoria’s Secret by Kate Daniels and my recently acquired, signed copy of So Gay for You by Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey.
Kate Daniels came to Penn State to do a reading while I was in college, and I loved having the opportunity to hear her speak so soon after reading her work. The imagery and unexpected connections incorporated throughout her poems opened my eyes to new forms of poetry and stylistic choices.
The other book, well, I love The L Word, so I had no choice but to order a signed copy of the book when it came out. That show was one of the first I’d seen that addressed queerness so directly, and it was the first time I realized how commonplace it was, and still is, for bisexual people to often feel unwelcome within the queer community.
What is the most unique way that an idea for a piece of writing has come to you?
Most of my fiction work stems from dreams, and whenever I’ve tried to transform ideas from dreams into short stories, I get the same feedback: it always sounds like the first chapter of a book. My dreams give me these huge concepts that require novel-length development, and I don’t know how it’s possible for that to happen over the course of six or seven hours of sleep, but apparently, it is.
Are you a big reader? Do you own a large collection of books, or are you more of a borrower?
I feel like I lost my way with reading for pleasure for so long because of college, teaching, and taking grad courses. Now, I am finding myself with way more time to read, and it’s been great to explore genres I never used to read too often—namely nonfiction.
There is no way to truly grow as a writer if you don’t read, so I felt stunted, in a way, for years. I look forward to seeing what I can create moving forward with how much I am reading now in comparison. I sense my style as a fiction writer and poet will continue to grow and develop, perhaps even transform, over the next few years.
In terms of how I read, audiobooks get a lot of hate online for some reason, but I love borrowing audiobooks from the library. I also only borrow books for my Kindle. If I’m going to buy a book, I want it to be paper. Right now, I have a couple of bookshelves throughout the house, but whenever I can finally afford a more forever home, I want a full home library.
Have you ever gone away to work on a piece of writing? If not, where would you go if you could?
I haven’t been able to before, but I would love to go somewhere remote and mountainous to focus on writing for as long as possible. Within the United States, I picture renting a cabin in Big Sky, Montana. Outside the United States, I would say somewhere like Yamanakako in Japan. There is nothing more inspirational than snow-covered mountains, natural beauty, and crisp air.
What is an annoying thing that a non-writer has assumed about writers or the act of writing?
So often, writing is perceived as a little hobby or as a cute way to pass the time.
When someone paints and hangs their work in a gallery, their peers look at them as professionals. When someone crafts jewelry by hand and sells their work at markets, their peers look at them as professionals. When a writer publishes their work in literary magazines or with a small press, it’s seldom perceived as a meaningful accomplishment by non-writers.
There are indie writers with thirteen novels under their belt, and plenty of people still don’t look at them as professionals. I don’t understand why writing is often taken less seriously than other forms of art, but it’s very annoying that it is.
How do you measure the success of your writing career?
Being so early in my career as an author, this question is often at the forefront of my mind. When you’re a child, you view wealth and fame as the core measures of success; but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized the writers I respect and look up to are often not the household names or the author with two million followers on TikTok.
The most successful, accomplished writers, to me, are the ones whose words inspire change and tell the world what needs to be heard. Sometimes, these writers become bestsellers, and other times, they have a more niche audience. I will know that I’ve found success when the words I write spark meaningful conversations that change the narrative, be it about women, sexual assault, chronic illness, politics, or anything in between.
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