This month FN interviews a regular contributor to Pause for Paws. Elly Nobbs is a poet from Canada. In 2013 she won the Doire Press International Poetry Chapbook Competition. Her poems have found homes in various anthologies and journals.

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FN: How is writing about animals different from writing about other things, if there is any difference at all.

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Elly: Perhaps there’s not much difference. Whatever the subject, I try to use my imagination, experiences and senses to find interesting ways to describe something or someone. Whatever the subject – non-human, human, landscape, inanimate objects – my knowledge will be limited, imperfect. Poetry allows for this mystery.

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FN: Do you remember your first animal poem? What got you to write this first one?

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Elly: Over 15 years ago, I took an online poetry course from Bill Greenwell. He is an excellent teacher and I learned a lot from him. It was a group course and I am still friends with several of the people I met. Over the years I have taken many other online courses, strengthened my connections with "poetry pals" and become part of writing communities. To answer your question, I remember the first assignment in Bill's course was to choose a painting and write a poem in response. I chose Henri Rousseau’s “The Sleeping Gypsy” because I liked the lion! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sleeping_Gypsy

The poem is "somewhere" in my files but I'm not sure where. I don't remember the poem itself, but I do remember the excitement and pleasure of sharing my beginner's effort with Bill and the group.

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FN: How does growing up on a farm impact your poetry? Would you describe yourself as a nature poet?

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It certainly has. For my collection The Invisible Girl I included some poems about growing up on a farm. The farm provided story material directly from my own experiences with animals – for example a herd of dairy cows and my unsuccessful time with a pony. Always having dogs and cats around when I was young certainly made me determined to have my own non-human friends when I left the family farm. And I did. My dog Penny is the unnamed character addressed in “Companion”, a poem included in my book. I loved her dearly.

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Growing up in a rural landscape certainly continues to influence my poems. I am very interested in and enjoy the non-human world of animals and plants. I write haiku as a way to observe and be part of the natural word – rural and urban. And I visit wild and distant places through reading and online, as an armchair traveler.

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FN: I would like to ask a question on your poem "At the Playground" which appears in Issue 4. I like this poem a lot. Its language looks simple but shows great skills in handling big topics. It is an excellent poem. In the poem, you identify yourself (I assume the speaker refers to you) with the crow, a wild thing with a relatively long lifespan who puts family’s well-being before herself. Do Canadians generally like this species?

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Elly: Thanks. I’m glad you liked “At the Playground”. Over the last 20 years or so, I have paid much attention to crows and their families – both where I worked (until retiring 4 years ago) and at home. We live close to the Charlottetown park that is the setting for that poem. For over a hundred years, great numbers of crows have gathered at dusk during the fall and winter and spend the night on the park’s trees. In the last decade more people in my city have become interested in crows. However, some people aren’t keen on their droppings or the noise! https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/charlottetown-residents-accepting-pesky-crows-as-part-of-our-culture/article_d5b4d57e-2de6-5c6e-8976-a5e03dcc41ee.html

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FN: "Keepsakes" is about your cat Bali. Is this your first poem about him since he passed away? How does it feel to write about a loved one who is no longer with you?

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Elly: Bali died several years ago. Yes, I think it is my first poem about him. When you and I first met at a Poetry School course, and became friends, I remember us sharing stories and photos of Bali and Handsome (your cat at the time). I don’t have companion animals now, which leaves quite a hole in my life. I miss them. Writing a poem is one way to remember these individuals and acknowledge their importance to me.

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FN: What advice would you give to those who are interested to write their first animal poem?

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Elly: Observe an animal closely, using all your senses. Interact if possible, for example with a cat or dog. Observe your own responses and feelings. Birds are also wonderful subjects. So are insects and spiders. (If you can, start with a live animal in real-time – but use whatever resources you have – books, TV, online.) Consider the animal’s environment. Imagine how it might feel to be that animal. What is your relationship with the animal? Try haiku or other short-form poetry.  See where the writing takes you. Have fun with it.

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FN: Tell us if there is a project you are working on currently.  

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Elly: A few months ago, I began writing poems inspired by The Mammals of Prince Edward Island, a recently published guide. In many cases, I have no or very little direct experience with many of these creatures – which adds an extra challenge. So far I have poems on bats, coyotes, right whales and snowshoe hares. I’m learning a lot (which is one of my objectives!) The guide book is just a starting point and I’m not restricting myself to the “facts”. I hope to sketch each mammal that I write a poem about. Perhaps I’ll eventually make a PDF book. All this may take awhile. The post about bats is on my blog.[https://ellyfromearth.wordpress.com/]

https://atlanticbooks.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Excerpt_Mammals-of-PEI-1.pdf

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FN: What do you want to say to all your companion animals?

Elly: To the animals I’ve lived with and known –– Thank you for your company and for what you've taught me.