Hello everyone! Today is an amazing day. Why? Because my poetry BFF’s book, Learning To Speak, went live! If you don’t know the amazing Kat Savage I need you to crawl out from under the rock you have been living under and get with the program. For your enjoyment I decided to interrogate Kat a bit. :)

Hi Kat, how are you?

Hi Jen! I’m doing alright. Truth be told, I’m filling out these interview questions at work….while I’m supposed to be working. It’s fine.

When did you write Learning To Speak?

I started writing pieces for my manuscript in early February 2015. The title was originally “Virago” but after completing the content, I changed it to better fit.

What is your book about? What will the readers take away from it?
The collection is laid out in the book in such a way that it should feel like a journey. A  mix of both happy and sad beginnings, then the middle is the pain and the recovery. The end should feel like “Yeah ok, this is getting better. I’m going to be fine.” And I hope the reader feels that. I know we all struggle with this kind of pain. I want them to relate to that journey. The title, “Learning to Speak” is exactly what it should feel like. We lose our voices sometimes, and we have to learn to speak again.


Who are some of your favorite authors?

I enjoy Fitzgerald, Poe, Bukowski, Hunter S. Thompson, David Sedaris, and Oscar Wilde. I also really enjoy EE Cummings, and have a ton of collections of poetry by people no one has ever heard of. I really enjoy finding the secret stuff.

Who are some of your favorite writers on Instagram?

Well you of course. Oh you mean besides you? I’ve been a big fan of Jarod Wabick’s work since I found him. I also really enjoy RX Bird, Jhonn Heller, Christina Kaylen Hart,  and Kyle Hamlet. Marisa Crane of course and CE Nelson, and I don’t know her name but her handle is @secret_poets_society and I started reading her recently and really like her. I could keep going but as you can see, the more I think about it, the more names I will keep adding.

What is the most important thing for you to accomplish in your writing?

I just want people to feel something. Whether they wanted to feel it or not, it’s more about what they NEED to feel. I’ve had a lot of people express to me how much they relate to my writing and it’s bittersweet for me. One the one hand, I am sad that they relate so much to my personal pain, which often lines most of what I write. On the other hand, I’m happy they see they’re not alone. I don’t want anyone to feel alone. That’s the thing really. We come from different backgrounds, practice different religions, and may even speak different languages, but we’ve all felt heartache. And it always feels the same. I find a little peace in that.

What are some future projects you have in the works?

Oh man. Most days I’m afraid I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. Right now for the month of November I’m writing and posting a 30 part series to honor my little sister who was murdered two years ago this month. It’s hard. And it may very well break me, but I need to do it. I also signed up for the NaNoWriMo challenge and have started writing my novel. It may be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I’m pleased with the foundation of it. I’m also slowly putting together a chapbook of my longer prose pieces. It’s concept is solid and crazy, but I’m not quite ready to reveal that yet. I’m shooting for it’s completion by the end of the first quarter in 2016. Of course, I’ve got a fully operational Etsy store as well and I’m always trying to get creative with what I list. I hope to get quite a few unique things listed for the upcoming holiday season. So yeah, I’m busy.

When are we going to meet?

Hahaha! Gosh I hope it’s soon. It makes me so sad it hasn’t happened yet. I tell you, life can be very in the way of life sometimes. Want to me at the top of the Empire State Building on New Year’s Eve? I’ll bring wine and we can exchange friendship necklaces.

Learning To Speak can be found here.