Read “rainbow sherbet” here and “Guitar Pickin’ Guardian Angel” here.
JOSH: Thanks for agreeing to do this interview.
GEORGIA: You’re welcome!
JOSH: My first question is: what first got you into writing?
GEORGIA: Oh man, honestly? I was 12 and obsessed with the Percy Jackson series, and when I finished the last book, I wasn’t ready to leave that world behind. So I started writing my own stories set at Camp Half-Blood. It was nothing crazy, just little adventures with new demigod characters. I’d stay up way too late on our family computer, completely losing track of time because I was so into building these storylines. What hooked me was realizing I could create that same feeling I got from reading. You know, when you’re absorbed and care about what happens next. My high school English teacher was this passionate guy who made me see that good writing wasn’t just about grammar rules, but about connecting with people and making them feel something. Now I’ve got a bunch of unfinished projects on my laptop, haha.
JOSH: I was a huge PJO fan as well, so I know the feeling. I have countless unfinished projects as well hahaha.
JOSH: Anyway, my next question is what kind of things are important for you to present in your own writing?
GEORGIA: I’m obsessed with writing characters who feel like actual people instead of just plot devices. I want readers to recognize that friend who’s always cracking jokes to avoid talking about their feelings, or that person who seems super confident but is overthinking everything. I’m drawn to those messy, complicated relationships where people care about each other but still manage to hurt each other anyway, because that’s just how real life works.
GEORGIA: I also try to sneak in characters who don’t usually get to be the hero of the story. Maybe it’s the anxious kid who solves problems by researching everything to death, or someone dealing with family drama that’s way more complex than “evil stepmother.” I want people to read my stuff and think, “oh wow, I’ve never seen someone like me be the main character before.”
JOSH: I love that. Not everyone feels this way, but representation can be really meaningful to young readers.
JOSH: Next I want to ask, what things do you least like seeing in the writing of others?
GEORGIA: My biggest pet peeve is when characters just exist to dump information or move the plot forward. For example, when someone shows up just to explain the magic system for three pages and then disappears forever.
GEORGIA: I also get annoyed by dialogue that sounds like no human has ever spoken those words out loud. You know when characters are like, “As you know, our kingdom has been at war for seven years because of the ancient prophecy…” and you’re just like, nobody talks like that! Real people interrupt each other and use slang and trail off mid-sentence. Oh, and when writers are so afraid of hurting their precious characters that nothing bad ever really sticks, like someone “dies” but gets magically resurrected three chapters later with zero consequences. It just makes me stop caring because I know the author will never actually follow through on anything meaningful.
JOSH: I completely agree. I try very hard to make my dialogue realistic.
JOSH: This is a bit of a different question, but I was curious about what made you choose to send your two poems to the Grotto?
GEORGIA: One part of me wanted to support you and wanted to add to the slushpile just so you’d have something to read through. The other part of me just wanted to push myself into actually sending something out to a place to see if it would get rejected or not. This is the first place I ever sent something to that wasn’t my school’s literary journal, and it gave me the confidence to keep doing it with other publications.
JOSH: Well thank you for that. I genuinely think both poems were good and if you hadn’t sent them to me, I have no doubts that other places would have accepted it as well.
JOSH: Ok, now to talk about your poems. “Guitar Pickin’ Guardian Angel” has several lines that stick with me every time I read it. I’m really curious about your background in poetry and if you have an specific poems/poets that have inspired you?
GEORGIA: I wouldn’t say I have much of a background in poetry. I used to write it for fun to see if I could find ridiculous words to rhyme together (before I knew about free verse).
GEORGIA: I do have a few that have inspired me, though! Even though everyone reads Emily Dickinson, there’s a reason she’s a classic. She could pack more meaning into eight lines than most people manage in pages. And Edgar Allan Poe influenced my narrative poetry style (prose poetry style?)
GEORGIA: What changed my perspective, though, was discovering contemporary spoken word through YouTube videos of poets like Sarah Kay and Shane Koyczan. Kay’s “If I Should Have a Daughter” completely blew my mind. That’s when I realized poetry didn’t have to be this intimidating, academically analyzed genre that had to be looked at a million times over. (i.e., the curtains were blue because she was sad, you know?)
JOSH: I was intimidated by poetry for a long time as well, feeling like I wasn’t “smart enough” to enjoy it. Once I realized it didn’t have to be so serious, it made it much more accessible to me.
JOSH: I’m also curious if you ever write prose, or if you prefer to stick to poetry?
GEORGIA: I do write prose! Just not as often as I write poetry.
JOSH: Cool, cool.
JOSH: Ok, back to the poems. “rainbow sherbet” tells a story through poetry, something I don’t often see in modern poetry. Did you have any concerns about presenting the story this way?
GEORGIA: I didn’t, funnily enough. I just wrote it in a way that felt right, and even though it doesn’t follow any kind of traditional poetry style, it never felt “wrong” in the way I presented it. Does that make sense?
JOSH: Yeah, I get that. I’ve done the same before too. Sometimes the writing itself feels like it knows what form it wants.
JOSH: Both poems reference family members of yours. For me, I often write about people when I have feelings that I think spoken words can not express. Is this the same for you, or does your motivation come from a different place?
GEORGIA: It is the same for me. I’m often inspired by real events that have happened to me, or real people that I know. I find it difficult to write about anything fictional, in regards to poetry.
JOSH: Ok, just a few more questions. Are there any things you would like to see more of in the literary world?
GEORGIA: I would love to see more plus size women representation in any kind of literary media. I think the only one I can remember is Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, and even then, I felt like it wasn’t accurately talked about or displayed enough.
JOSH: That’s fair. Just like we talked about earlier, representation is really meaningful to a lot of people. Hopefully we can both continue adding to that.
JOSH: Ok, almost done. As a developing writer, what are your biggest goals for the next five years?
GEORGIA: My biggest goal is just to finish something substantial and actually be proud of it. I’ve got all these half-finished novels and story collections sitting on my laptop, and I really want to push through that messy middle part where everything feels terrible and actually complete a full manuscript. I’m hoping to maybe get into some workshops in the next couple years, not necessarily MFA programs, but things like Bread Loaf or Tin House where I can get feedback from established writers and figure out what I’m actually doing wrong.
GEORGIA: I’m also really focused on finding my authentic voice instead of just mimicking authors I admire. Right now I feel like I’m still figuring out what stories only I can tell, based on my specific background and perspective.
JOSH: Good luck with that! And thank you, I appreciate your time. If there’s anything else you’d like to share, feel free to share here.
GEORGIA: I appreciate YOUR time! Thank you for interviewing me!!
JOSH: Ok, one last question. If you are able to eat it, what’s your favorite kind of ice cream/gelato?
GEORGIA: Moose Tracks!
JOSH: Thanks!
GEORGIA: Thank YOU!
Georgia Coomer is a senior at Lindenwood University pursuing an English degree with an emphasis in Creative Writing. Her poetry and prose have appeared in multiple publications, including The Albion Review. When she isn’t wrestling semi-colons into submission, she can be found playing the latest Persona game.
Bill Geblato's Lotto Gelato Grotto 