Francis H Powell author of Flight of Destiny and other stories
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      • Interview with Trevor Millum
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      • Interview with Toby Campion US
      • Interview with Hadley James Hoyles
      • Interview with Leela Soma
      • Interview with Bernard Young
      • Interview with Coral Rumble
      • Interview with Sue Hardy -Dawson
      • Interview with Dom Conlon
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      • Interview with Monique Tell
      • Interview with Stewart Taylor
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      • Interview with Professor Elemental
      • Interview with Marcus Christopherson
      • Interview with Stephanie Davidson
      • Interview with Brook Fischer
      • Interview with Rita Rana
      • Interview with Rhian Edwards
      • Interview with Josh Louis Lingg
      • Interview with Nina Zivancevic
      • Interview with Armand Ruhlman
      • Interview with Christine De Luca
      • Interview with Hélène Argo
      • Interview with Giselle Marks
      • Interview with Thomas Stockley
      • Interview with Giselle Marks
      • Interview with January L'Angelle
      • Interview with Martin Figura
      • Interview with Dennis Copelan
      • Interview with Laura Zuwa
      • Interview with Iam Thandi
      • Interview with Gail Meath
      • Interview with Alun Robert
      • Scottish Poets
      • Jonnie Dalton
      • Welsh writers
      • Okorie Harrison
      • interview with Meo
      • interview with Mark Blickley
      • interview with Christopher T. Dabrowski
  • Francis H Powell interviews with other authors
    • Interview with J. C. Michael
    • interview with Gavin Hill
    • Interview with Morris E Graham
    • Interview with Wally Runnels
    • interview with John Nicholl
    • interview with Rob Same
    • interview with Elizabeth Oberbrunner
    • Interview with Michael Wilkins
    • Interview with Karina Kantas
    • Interview with Justin Bienvenue
    • interview with James Hershey Jr
    • Interview with Brian Parker
    • interview with Roma Gray
    • interview with Rebecca Reid
    • interview with Samual Friedman
    • interview with Cynthia Vespia
    • Mark Anthony Tierno
    • Spotlight >
      • Spotlight Tiffany Appen
      • Spotlight on LaToya Wilson
    • interview with Jean Lowe Carlson
  • download interview questions for authors
  • Book Reviews
  • Tiffany Alpen, Kindred (The Birthrite Series, #2)
  • Together Behind Four Walls
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 AN INTERVIEW WITH  Andrena Zawinski



Tell everybody a little about yourself 

I have been a long time teacher of writing, most recently at Laney Community College in Oakland, CA where I enjoyed most teaching courses in poetry and creative writing. Because language matters, I also taught first year composition courses on the theme of language and prejudice. Primarily a poet, I write Flash Fiction steeped in memoir. I am an avid shutterbug, loving imagery in poetry, prose, and photographs.

Was your creativity affected in anyway during the lockdown? Did being lockdown make you feel inspired or deflated?

Writing is such a solitary art until it finds an audience in person or print, so the lockdown has neither inspired  nor discouraged me along my path through creativity. I do miss giving public readings since I am not a fan of the Hollywood Squares version of poetry through zooming. When I am not writing, I am revising and submitting work for publication.

What was the main thinking behind your poem submitted to Together Behind Four Walls ?

“Emptied” is a catalogue piece inspired by the "View from My Window" Facebook group page that distributed images during the pandemic’s shelter-in-place from all over the world. It is a poem of the ironic unity during separation.

Do you have any favourite poems, from all the poems you have written?

My favorite poem always seems to be my most recent poem, something in flux.

Do you ever think of poems before going to sleep or just after waking up?

Poems, especially their revision, sometimes wake me up from sleep at dawn’s first light and take me stumbling to the coffee pot and  keyboard.

Do you hand write poems or go directly on to your computer?

Many of my poems have started as scribbles on napkin backs while others fly from the keys, so it is a combination of both. I have never been a journal keeper and only print poems out when I think they are finished or nearly finished. To paraphrase what Valéry has said about art, I do believe it’s never finished, merely abandoned.

Do you ever give up on poems you have started?

I have many files where I keep poems:  Published, Forthcoming, Unpublished, WIP (work in progress), Seeds (that might blossom).  I have rarely given up on a poem, and when I have it’s usually something written because someone grabbed my arm and said “you should write a poem about that.” Like having someone say "there’s a nice person; marry them." It just doesn’t work that way. On a more practical note of craft, however,  it is sometimes for me  a matter of finding the right form for a piece that doesn’t seem to be working, whether in European or Asian styles.

Do your poems ever have strong messages?

Many of my poems speak for those who do not or cannot raise their voices. Among other things, I am seen as an activist poet, working class poet, and a feminist poet.


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  • Home page
  • Anthology for coronavirus
  • Francis H Powell interviewed
  • Images of Flight of Destiny
  • Contact
  • meet the poets of Together Behind Four Walls
    • Andrew Tyler >
      • Interview with Seadeta Osmani
      • Interview with Harry Weiss-Jones.
      • interview with Cynthia Vespia
      • Interview with Josiane Vincent
      • Interview with Laura Mucha
      • Interview with Chris White
      • Interview with Carmina Masoliver
      • Interview with Crysse Morrison
      • Interview with Alan Durant
      • Interview with B the Poet
      • Interview with Arti RAI
      • Interview with Neal Zetter
      • Interview with Andrena Zawinski
      • Interview with Trevor Millum
      • Interview with Alison Brackenbury
      • Interview with Toby Campion US
      • Interview with Hadley James Hoyles
      • Interview with Leela Soma
      • Interview with Bernard Young
      • Interview with Coral Rumble
      • Interview with Sue Hardy -Dawson
      • Interview with Dom Conlon
      • Interview with D.L. Lang
      • Interview with AF Harrold
      • Interview with Monique Tell
      • Interview with Stewart Taylor
      • Interview with Cliff Forshaw
      • Interview with Professor Elemental
      • Interview with Marcus Christopherson
      • Interview with Stephanie Davidson
      • Interview with Brook Fischer
      • Interview with Rita Rana
      • Interview with Rhian Edwards
      • Interview with Josh Louis Lingg
      • Interview with Nina Zivancevic
      • Interview with Armand Ruhlman
      • Interview with Christine De Luca
      • Interview with Hélène Argo
      • Interview with Giselle Marks
      • Interview with Thomas Stockley
      • Interview with Giselle Marks
      • Interview with January L'Angelle
      • Interview with Martin Figura
      • Interview with Dennis Copelan
      • Interview with Laura Zuwa
      • Interview with Iam Thandi
      • Interview with Gail Meath
      • Interview with Alun Robert
      • Scottish Poets
      • Jonnie Dalton
      • Welsh writers
      • Okorie Harrison
      • interview with Meo
      • interview with Mark Blickley
      • interview with Christopher T. Dabrowski
  • Francis H Powell interviews with other authors
    • Interview with J. C. Michael
    • interview with Gavin Hill
    • Interview with Morris E Graham
    • Interview with Wally Runnels
    • interview with John Nicholl
    • interview with Rob Same
    • interview with Elizabeth Oberbrunner
    • Interview with Michael Wilkins
    • Interview with Karina Kantas
    • Interview with Justin Bienvenue
    • interview with James Hershey Jr
    • Interview with Brian Parker
    • interview with Roma Gray
    • interview with Rebecca Reid
    • interview with Samual Friedman
    • interview with Cynthia Vespia
    • Mark Anthony Tierno
    • Spotlight >
      • Spotlight Tiffany Appen
      • Spotlight on LaToya Wilson
    • interview with Jean Lowe Carlson
  • download interview questions for authors
  • Book Reviews
  • Tiffany Alpen, Kindred (The Birthrite Series, #2)
  • Together Behind Four Walls