My primary interest as of recently is the manner in which a “dream narrative” functions. The visions we have in dreams seem to reflect the surrealist nature of our minds, and also seem suited to the writing of the dream as a poem. I have been working on dream narratives for the past few months and plan to compile them as a collection. It is compelling that when documenting dreams, patterns and themes seem to emerge, night after night. I dream about problems with cars a lot, and being lost in foreign countries, and about problems with my children. In the waking state, we forget this surrealist momentum of the REM state, due to task, responsibility, and the general flow of a regular day. My point is, when writing poetry in the waking state, it is effective to put yourself in a place in your mind that functions as it would when dreaming. These are two separate worlds, and scintillating poetry arises from reconciling these two worlds. We often forget or “lose” our dreams when first thing in the morning, we are called immediately into the action of the day. However, to quote the poet Joe Weil, “writing poetry is like dreaming awake.”
-Emily Vogel
Author of First Words
Emily Vogel’s poetry, reviews, essays, and translations have most recently been published in Omniverse, The Paterson Literary Review, Lips, City Lit Rag, Luna Luna, Maggy, Lyre Lyre, The Comstock Review, The Broome Review, Tiferet, The San Pedro River Review, 2 Bridges Review, and PEN, among several others. She is the author of five chapbooks, and a full-length collection, The Philosopher’s Wife, published in 2011 by Chester River Press, a collaborative book of poetry, West of Home, with her husband Joe Weil (Blast Press), First Words (NYQ Books), and recently, Dante’s Unintended Flight (NYQ Books). She has work forthcoming in The Boston Review, Fiolet & Wing: An Anthology of Domestic Fabulism, and The North American Review. She teaches writing at SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College and is married to the poet, Joe Weil.
Emily contributed to Volume 303.4.
Illustrations by: Youheum Son. Youheum is an illustrator and designer based in New York. I grew up mainly in Seoul, South Korea and in the US. Since she was young, she has always been seeking ways to escape from the busy city life. She would often take a stroll to the nearby mountains in Seoul to go hiking and foraging. Her connection to nature stems from these early ages and has influenced my lifestyle and work. Being sustainable and living naturally is an important part of her life.