PLU Open Mic Interviews: Claire Durand-Gasselin

Claire Durand-Gasselin featured at the Paris Lit Up Open Mic on 2 February 2023. She is the editor of the PLU blog: to send us your work, submissions@parislitup.com.

Who are you and who do you write for?

A few facts: I am French, and I lived in the US for 8 years, in both New York City and Monterey CA, until last June. I am a writer and a visual artist, I also do design work and teach French to Anglophones. I used to be the co-founder and artistic director of the bilingual indie press Mad Gleam Press, between 2016 and 2020, and I'm now part of Paris Lit Up (PLU). I'm currently planning on getting a degree in literary translation, which has been a dream of mine for a few years now, especially as a writer who uses both French and English.

On a deeper level, the only thing that I feel is actually constituent of who I am is my deep love for words, and the fact that I always felt the only way to live was the poetic way. I am not sure who I write for, I'd like to think I'm trying to write for everybody, but I probably write for sensitive people, who need to find a bit of sublime and sincerity in the mundane. And I think I actually write for myself first (as every writer probably does) as a way to make sense of my mind and capture feelings and moments that make life beautiful and weird, and profound, and unexpected. 

When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

I always wrote and wanted to keep on writing, but the idea of being a writer came to me when I was living in the US and had the chance to dive deep into poetry writing and be part of various poetry communities. 

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

I always think about that advice from my painting teacher at NYU, John Torreano. I think it applies to every creative field. He told the class that it is important to make the difference between the physical space and the social space of art. The physical space is the space in which the artist creates their work, and in which the spectator receives the work with their sensitivity. It's nothing else than that. It is the space of sensitivity, curiosity. The social space is everything else: galleries, critics, trends, market, communication; for writers it would be publishers, reviews, prizes, etc. The advice that he gave us was to always prioritize the physical space, to always remember that this is the space where we belong, and that it's good to have knowledge of the social space but that it's also normal to not feel at home there, especially when we feel a bit lost on how to manage a career in the arts.

How do you react to criticism of your work?

I really appreciate it when it feels constructive, this is why I love going to writing workshops and sharing my work with other writers to hear their takes on what works or not. But I always take it with a grain of salt, with time I learned how to figure out when I should follow an advice or not, what feels right.

What do you miss most about the pre-pandemic world?

Feeling that pandemics were just a science fiction trope. 

How has your work developed over the last 12 months?

There have been so many changes in my life in the past 12 months, and I feel writing has been the only real constant. I've continued working on my main body of work, Pieces of Hours, which is a sort of poetic journal that I've carried on for a few years now. But I've also started to explore a more themed approach to poetry, loosely inspired by my artistic practice and my interests in autonomous communities and witchcraft. 

What does the future look like to you? 

A gigantic question mark honestly, that unfortunately has a faint apocalyptic smell to it. But I hope it'll still be full of poetry and art, English and French, hours reading and writing at cafés and walking around in nature. And good food and good friends.

What importance has other people’s art had for you and your creative process?

I cannot stress enough how the 8 years I spent in the US taught me about the importance of finding a creative community to evolve in. I've been very lucky to be part of several, both in NYC and California, and each person in it has been an inspiration in a way or another. 

Some of my biggest inspirations have probably been my poet friends from Boukra Press, based in Monterey CA, with whom I continue to write through Zoom every month. They are true lovers of the craft, and know how to help me reach my voice in English. 

Have you looked at different ways of expressing yourself or taken on a new medium?

I've always done visual arts too, and I love to experiment with visual poetry of any kind. I work with found objects a lot, and I feel it relates to my poems, pieces of inspiration I find along the days. 

Tell us about someone’s work you admire.

I have a deep love for the poetry of Mary Oliver. I think she had such a singular way of approaching her relationship with nature, and that makes her nature poems far from cliché. She mastered the art of being simple but not simplistic, which is something I yearn for. There is a kind of bluntness mixed with sensitivity and deep sincerity, and she sees the capacity for astonishment as a refuge from despair. Recently, I have also discovered and delved into novels by Laura Kasischke, and I haven't been touched like this in a while. There is something about her style that is so raw and poetic, that explores femininity and the violence of the female experience in a sort of tetanizing way. 

Where can we find more of your work?

You can follow me on instagram @clairettedg.