INTERVIEW WITH BARBRA NIGHTINGALE

​What is the name of the piece that you have in Grabbed?

"Redemption"

What was the inspiration for your piece? What compelled you to write it?

I decided to do a series on Fairy tales. I wanted to rewrite them from a feminist perspective. I think "Redemption" was the first of the series that eventually developed.

What compelled you to submit your work for this anthology? Was it a difficult decision? 

No, it was not difficult. It was one of the few that I have written that are about various kinds of abuse or uncomfortable situations. 
 
Why did you choose this particular form or genre for this piece?

I always write poetry, so this was no different than most of what I've written. 
 
Can you speak to the evolution of writing your piece? How long did it take you to write this piece, including revision? 

Probably a day. Most of my poems that work don't take more than a day (or night, actually, since I write at night). 
 
As a writer, do you feel obliged to share difficult experiences? Why?

I share whatever comes to my mind as a poem. Sometimes they are extremely difficult topics, and sometimes they are not. 

What do you feel the impact of the #MeToo movement has been on your work, if any? 

I really can't say the movement has impacted me one way or another. I've always been honest in my poems.
 
What would you say to another writer who has been uncomfortable or silent about their experience? How can they begin to share their experiences? 

I would say to write from your heart. Write what is true, feels true, and write what you know. And never be afraid of what people might say.
 
How can a publication such as Grabbed help to empower or heal readers?

I think it's important for people to know they are not alone, that others have had similar experiences, and seemed to have survived. It's important to feel INCLUDED, not excluded.

Barbra Nightingale’s newest book, Alphalexia, is with Finishing Line Press. She has eight other books, including Two Voices, One Past (Yellow Jacket Press, 2010), Geometry of Dreams (Word Tech, 2009). Over 200 of her poems appear in such journals as Rattle, The Florida Review, The Apalachee Review, Mississippi Review.com, Barrow Street, Calyx, Kalliope, Many Mountains Moving, Birmingham Review, Chattahoochee Review, The Kansas Quarterly and many others.  Her book, Singing in the Key of L won the 1999 NFSPS Stevens Poetry Prize. She is an emeritus professor from Broward College, and currently an associate editor with the South Florida Poetry Journal.

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