The poems “Chinese Teapots,” “Rituals (II),” and “Lessons” by Jordan Mounteer appeared in Issue 13 and can be read here.
Tell us a little about this set.
I’ve spent most of adolescence traveling or in the bush, and as I think my poetry tends to reflect this, especially where themes of wilderness, loneliness, and rites of intiation are concerned. All of my poems tend to be written out of a sense of place, and it’s precisely place that seems to orient me, both in my writing and in general.
What was the most difficult part of these poems?
Rewriting and editing and tweaking is always the hardest – and most time consuming – part of writing any poem. Which is ironic, considering I’m the farthest thing from a perfectionist in all other elements of my life.
Recommend a book for us which was published within the last decade.
I’m a bit of a graphic novel enthusiast, so King City by Brandon Graham and Tan Popo by Camilla d’Errico are some great choices by local authors. For poetry though Prologue to the Age of Consequence by Garth Martens, Twoism by Ali Blythe, and The Quiet by Anne-Marie Turza are some personal favorites. This is what happens when someone asks me to recommend one book.
If you could have a drink with any living author, who would it be? Why?
That would be entirely contingent on what sort of drink you’re talking about. I suppose Ursula K. LeGuin would be high on the list simply because of their contribution to feminist science fiction, but it would be fun to chat with Eden Robinson as well and get her impression about where First Nations literature is heading (or should head). Also, naturally, Gary Snyder – so I could practice my Japanese and mushrooms.
What are you working on now? What’s next?
Currently working on a novel (he said with extreme optimism). My first poetry manuscript was slated to be published with Sono Nis press last September, unfortunately there was a tragic fire that ended up consuming all my books so I’m also hopefully looking forward to seeing a book launch this year as well.
Our thanks to Jordan for taking the time to answer a few questions and share his work. Read his poems “Chinese Teapots,” “Rituals (II),” and “Lessons” here: https://www.sequestrum.org/poetry-by-jordan-mounteer.
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Jordan Mounteer has been published in numerous Canadian and American publications including Grian, Prairie Schooner, Arc, The Malahat Review, The Antigonish Review, existere, and subTerrain. Mounteer has won or been shortlisted for the CBC Poetry Prize, The Malahat Review Open Season Award, The Montreal International Poetry Prize, PRISM international’s Poetry Prize, and the Adirondack Review’s 46’er Prize. His debut manuscript liminal is forthcoming with Sono Nis Press.