Poet Mary Koncel’s most recent collection, “The Last Blonde,” offers intriguing prose poems that mix humor, whimsy, melancholy and a bit of the surreal. But some of the work also references an issue she’s very serious about. A former Smith College writing instructor, Koncel earned a master’s degree in Animals and Public Policy several years ago and now works with the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC), a national, non-profit advocacy organization for wild horses and burros.
“Animals, especially horses, have always had a huge presence in both my life and poetry,” says Koncel, who lives in Worthington. “But since joining AWHC, I’ve been introduced to a new images, vocabulary, and experiences, such as seeing bands of wild horses on the range. That’s all finding its way into my writing.”
Hampshire Life: Talk about the work you’re currently doing. What does it involve, and what are you trying to achieve?
Mary Koncel: After pulling together and publishing “The Last Blonde,” I have to start up again and figure out what’s next — a little intimidating. But I’ve been playing with what seems like the beginning of another series, this time poems based on the alphabet, such as “D is for Dead Armadillo.” Right now, the plan is just to keep writing and have fun.
H.L.: What do you draw inspiration from? Do you ever have any “Eureka!” moments?
M.K.: “The Last Blonde” was definitely the result of a “Eureka” moment. Several years ago, I read an article about some Scandinavian researchers who had determined blondes would be become extinct in 100-150 years because the blonde gene was dying out. Of course, being a blonde, it made me sad, but I was so intrigued by that possibility. It became the start for the book, with lots of poems written in the voice of the Last Blonde.
Then, a few months later, I read another article that the researchers had made a mistake and were retracting their findings — bad methodology or whatever!
H.L.: How do you know when your work is finished?
M.K.: I have a sense that a poem is somewhat finished when I can read it aloud to myself with a certain level of confidence — meaning that I can hear the cadence, feel the logic and narrative structure are working. I also bring to it my poetry group, the wonderful Chocovinas. They always have great suggestions that I usually bring back to the poem. By then, I can let the poem go until I see it published and think, “Oh, I should have …”
H.L.: Name two artists you admire or who have influenced your work. What about their art appeals to you?
M.K.: Russell Edson. His poems were my first introduction to prose poetry. I fell in love with the form and his work — the dark humor, the lyricism, the blurring of the boundaries between the real and the “surreal.” They were so liberating from the more staid, formal poetry I was reading at the time.
And Franz Marx. His paintings of horses are true celebrations of their beauty, intelligence, power, and emotional lives. I adore how he allows horses to just dominate his compositions — and those big, bold, vibrant colors.
H.L: If you weren’t an artist, what do you think you’d be?
M.K.: Lately, I’ve been thinking party planner or Unitarian minister.
H.L.: Dream dinner party: Who would you invite?
M.K.: Gilda Radner, Christopher Walken, Cat Stevens, Velma Johnston (aka Wild Horse Annie). It would be an informal gathering: pizza, beer/wine, and lots of desserts. Christopher would be in charge of picking up the pizza. Afterwards, we’d play Yahtzee and maybe Twister.
H.L.: What’s your go-to snack while you’re working?
M.K.: Diet Pepsi and some sort of chocolate — Peanut M&Ms and Bart’s Orange Dutch Chocolate ice cream are at the top of the list.
— Steve Pfarrer
If you’d like to suggest someone for the Art Maker column, contact Steve Pfarrer at spfarrer@gazettenet.com.