In her interview, Safia Elhillo discusses the various ways she plays with prompts to make the blank page less scary and kickstart her writing. One is that she goes to her list of “Favorite Words.” If you don’t have such a list, start one– be expansive! What are words you like the sound, the mouthfeel, the surprising spelling of? What are words in other languages that enchant you, that have a je ne sais quoi about them? Next, in the same spirit, write a poem using one (or many) of those words— what do they have to say when you put them together? What do you?

.

Read more in this issue: Interview | Critical Essay | Poems