If anything, this insistence on wanting to know the truth compelled me to start writing about the lie of representation and how singing shouldn’t be held accountable to the rules of journalism. I was surprised that so many people wanted to know if it was “true”-whatever that means-instead of letting it evoke emotion. I’m reminded that I’ve made something and I’m “responsible” for it in some way.

How has its success shaped the way you approach your work? It’s not that painting influenced my writing, it’s that it became the subject matter of my writing.Ĭrush has come to be revered as a kind of cult classic among readers. A bird and a painting of a bird are different, just as an event and the story of an event are different. In War of the Foxes, I wanted to show the difficulties of representation.

How has your painting influenced your writing? This collection includes many poems that center on painting or utilize painterly language. Instead of asking, “Why won’t he love me back?” I started saying, “Don’t kill my friends.” After Crush was published, it occurred to me that I might never love again-an awful thought, but it was possible-and if I didn’t love again, would I have anything left to say about myself or the world? It turns out, I did. My process hasn’t changed, but my concerns are different. How has your writing process changed since then? This is your first collection since 2005’s Crush. We asked Siken a few questions about his writing process, the focus of his new collection, the role of poetry and more. It has been 10 years since the publication of his first collection, and his sophomore collection, War of the Foxes, is beautifully wrought and well worth the wait. Richard Siken has received high praise from fellow poets such as Louise Glück, as well as critics at the New York Times, and has won numerous awards, including the Pushcart Prize and the Yale Series of Younger Poets Competition.

Richard siken crush poem