Women Writers of Color: January Gill O'Neil

Full name: January Gill O'Neil

Birth date: Feb 14

Location: Where I live now, North of Boston, MA

Website/blog: Poet Mom

Genre: poetry

WiP or most recently published work: Underlife (CavanKerry 2009)

Writing credits:The MOM Egg, Crab Creek Review, Ouroboros Review, Drunken Boat, Crab Orchard Review, Callaloo, Babel Fruit, Edible Phoenix, Literary Mama, Field, Seattle Review, Stuff Magazine, Can We Have Our Ball Back, Read Write Poem, and Cave Canem anthologies II and IV. New Poetry Editor of the online culture magazine Bread and Circus. In December 2009, January was awarded a Barbara Deming Memorial Fund Artist Grant. You can find her in the January/February 2010 Inspiration issue of Poets & Writers magazine profiled as one of their 12 debut poets.

How frequently do you update your site? At least 5 days a week, sometimes more.

Is your site designed for reader interaction? Yes.

Post of note, something in particular you want readers to check out:
A video clip from the Underlife book launch party. I'm reading the poem "Discipline"
Poetry Marketing 101

100 words or less how would you describe your work?
I tend to look at ordinary objects--a cup of tea, my child eating a crayon, crab cakes--and try to find meaning in the everyday. I lean toward narratives but I'm open to trying something based on rhythm or repetition, both are techniques that can provide interesting results.

100 words on less please share your thoughts on:
the Writing Life
The writing life happens anytime I have a few minutes to myself, no kids around. Usually, after they go to bed, I pull out my note book and start jotting a few ideas from earlier in the day. Then, I expand upon those ideas and see what happens.

Writing and activism
I feel all poetry is political. Doesn't matter if we're speaking about some injustice or taking out the trash, we are making a statement about the way things are and how to improve our lives on a daily basis.

Thanks January for allowing us to promote and support your work.