Amanda Chiado: Writing Poetry Recklessly

How did motherhood change your creative practice?

Motherhood itself a creative process! I felt like I was supposed to trade it in, ¾ a baby for a writing life. I was lost and exuberant. There is tremendous joy and grief that comes with motherhood. I never anticipated how deeply motherhood connects to creative practice. I did figure out strategies to channel it, but mostly I felt that I had lost myself in this new moment of my life. Now, I see that I was living the poem, and writing and making were not what they looked like before having children. The practice changed and I had to change too. My practice is more flexible now and stronger. My perception is sharper, and more tender and necessary than ever.

When do you feel most creative?

I feel most creative in my daydreaming, and nature. Also, I love ekphrastic work and so responding to others creativity is a wonderful place to feel inspired. There is a necessary internal permission and allowance a mother who creates must have. I adore the idea that a child needs parent with a loved life, and creativity for me is a loved life, that is where my best self exists.

What’s inspiring you outside of your own genre?

Film, art, fashion, nature, people, anything weird, comedy, theatre, and dance. If you can open to life, you can see the tenderness and recklessness of the world, and your part in it. I try to hold on to those small open spaces.

What’s your favorite super easy creative practice to do when you’re looking for fresh ideas?

I take any great line or a word that gives me a spark and use it to make my own fire.

If there was a movie version of your life, who would you like to play you and what story do you want her to tell?

Jennifer Lawrence could be a dynamic, beautiful and raw version of me. She is taller than me so that would be fun to see! I would want her to tell a funny story about heartbreak, poverty, secrets, family, addiction, creativity, prosperity, generosity, friendship, love, food, and how togetherness can make us whole.

What do you hope your kids will learn about creativity from you?

I hope they learn that creativity is everything. It is about making beautiful things, facing challenging, connecting, invoking magic, solving problems, and healing. Creativity has been a form of spirituality for me and connects me to my source. All the religions I have tried haven’t given me the connection to love that creativity has. I hope that they also see how creativity made me crazy and beautiful, and that there is some tradition in that.

“The gang is required to hum in the wake of my rebirth. The boy who sings has a presidential tie. Owl boy shakes his wrist of bells. They start. Before they slice my palms like tart pomegranates, I straighten my pigtails and bury my lips in the coffin of my teeth.”

Quote from the poem published in Gone Lawn, “You too, Will be Sacrificed”

What would you bring to a favorites party?

Grapefruit hand lotion, Pellegrino, mint gum, chicken tacos, hot Cheetos, lip-gloss, glitter body spray, scratch and sniff stickers, and a book of Madlibs.

If you had a million dollars to make the world a better place, how would you spend it?

So many hard questions! Besides ensuring the health and wellness of my family, I would gift this money to California Poets in the Schools because poetry has given me purpose, and this money could be used to inspire so many children to find their voices and know their value and potential in this life.

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Amanda Chiado is the mother of two children, Isabella, 15 and Gianluca, 10. She is the author of Vitiligod: The Ascension of Michael Jackson (Dancing Girl Press). Her work has most recently appeared in Rhino, The Pinch Journal, and The Offing. Her poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart & Best of the Net. She is the Director of Arts Education at the San Benito County Arts Council, is a California Poet in the Schools, and edits for Jersey Devil Press. www.amandachiado.com

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