Interview by Karina Jutzi
KJ: So let’s first talk about the Magic Square you use in your book. What is a Magic Square?
SM: Magic Squares consist of an arrangement of numbers in the form of a square so that every row and column plus the diagonals all add up to the same number. The book was written in syllabics based on the Magical Square of Venus.
KJ: I did notice that.
SM: This was inspired by Cornelias Agrippa who’s really famous for his Magical Squares based on the planets. He was an astronomer and an alchemist and a theologian and he used them in all manner of his occult practice. I’m no expert on any of this, but it’s something I’m starting to plunge into because it’s so weird and so fascinating. So wild.
KJ: That’s fun.
SM: I don’t think you really need to know anything about Magical Squares though to understand the poems. When I first stumbled upon the Magic Square for Venus I thought immediately that maybe I could write a poem that used these numbers as the basis of a poetic form to honor and connect with my bees. At this point I was just beginning beekeeping and I was just obsessed with my bees. And what could be more Venucian than honey and the queen bee?
KJ: So true.
SM: I found this to be both cosmic and very challenging. I decided to write in syllabics which was both liberating and restraining. When I write, I tend to overwrite like crazy. Using this form allowed me to tighten my process and leave more things unsaid and mysterious.
KJ: I bet that was difficult.
SM: Oh my god, yes. At first I thought I would do one book for each planet, but I think once was enough!
KJ: You had the numbers on each page corresponding with the Magic Square. There was clearly a plan in place.
SM: Yes, and right down to the very end I was on zoom with my editor thumping the table counting every syllable. She wanted the syllabics to be perfect, and so did I.
KJ: It sounds like a really grand writing exercise.
SM: Yes, it really was an experiment. And I’m very experimental. I went through a phase of writing one word poems. I printed them up on business card stocks. I was part of an international community of poets writing stand alone one-word poems. We called them “pwoermds,” which folded together the words “poem” and “word. It was wild! And it got me back to my writing!
KJ: So you like to play.
SM: I do, but also there was a time when I couldn’t write. I was stuck. I thought I had no poems left in me. Then the one word poems broke everything open and got me writing again. Experimenting with form liberates me and helps me break through creative blocks. Even if it comes to nothing, it’s often the thing that leads me to my next poem.
KJ: Let’s talk about the bees. I love it that you call the bees your teachers.
SM: They are my teachers. What happened was I finally found a place where I could keep bees in the city (I live in Boston). I now have ten hives. But before I got my hands on bees I was already inspired by bees and writing about them. But once I actually started working with them I realized everything I thought I knew was wrong.
KJ: Really? That surprises me.
SM: Yes, they are much weirder and much more lovely and much more interesting than I could have imagined. I was so grateful for the experience. It taught me so much and led me so much more deeply into the poems. So I took those old poems and put them in my “compost folder.”
KJ: I’ll have to start doing that with my old poems.
SM: A failed poem might have a few lines in it that are really lovely.
KJ: I found it interesting that the color black appeared a lot because I don’t associate that color with bees or honey.
SM: Right, absolutely not! You think the hive will just open and it will be filled with gold. But there is so much color in a hive, and the colors never cease to amaze me. The pollen collected by the bees can range drastically from the flower source.
KJ: Any advice for budding poets or beekeepers?
SM: Community is the answer. It can be a little intimidating at first, but find a community of beekeepers. They are all over. Michael Bush books are helpful too. Community for writers is the key as well: get out, go to readings, meet people. Be brave!
About the interviewer: Karina Jutzi is a playwright, poet, and essayist. Her plays have been produced across the country, and her drama Where All Good Rabbits Go, was published through Original Works Publishing and was named the Best of Equity theater in 2018. She recently moved to Vermont to start a family farm.