Poet, Stacey Manos, joined us for a live twitter interview on April 23, 2022. It was an engaging conversation that gave me some insights into Stacey’s poetry and process. Below us a transcript of our conversation! Enjoy!

@tangledlockslit	Today we are interviewing @staceymanos whose poem, The Saints Have Eyes, was published in our Spring Issue. @staceymanos_ Your piece moved us so much. Emotions were raw and the language was transcendent. We saw themes of sexism, strength, and feminism. Would love to hear if you wrote with the intent to present these themes or did they develop while composing this poem.   4:03 PM · Apr 23, 2022·
@staceymanos_	Thank you so much for recognizing those themes in this piece! To be honest, it just fell out of me and onto the page. I definitely wanted to write something about a woman’s place in religion, her place in god, her place within her own self-loathing— but it turned into more.
@tangledlockslit	It worked!   Some writers are inspired by real-life and others are completely fiction. In my own writing, I’d say there’s a little bit of fiction in my personal essays and a little bit of reality in my fiction. How about you?
@staceymanos_	There’s always a seed of my life in every piece I write— an image, a conversation, etc. but I use fiction to enhance that seed and create the final work. ❤
@tangledlockslit	This line blew me away: “We would carve ourselves into the foundation of a building That teaches our children that love is magnanimous” Did it emerge during revision or was it in your earlier drafts?
@staceymanos_	Thank you! It emerged in revision actually— I usually don’t revise all that much but this was a last minute addition to tie it together with the church motif!
@tangledlockslit	I love the process of revision and the way these connections emerge.   Would love to hear about you as a writer. What is your earliest memory of writing?
@staceymanos_	I remember winning a writing contest in first grade for a short story I wrote about my best friend and I going into a jungle to save all the animals (lol) I’ve loved nothing more than writing since then!
@tangledlockslit	What a cute origin story for your journey as a writer! 🙂   Who are your favorite writers?
@staceymanos_	My favorite poet of all time is the late great Maya Angelou, everything she touched was gold. Currently— loving Andrea Gibson, Olivia Gatwood, & Rudy Francisco. 😍
@tangledlockslit	Now I know why your work resonated so much with me!   We would love to hear about your current #WIP.
@staceymanos_	Ah I love that! 😍 Right now, I’m submitting my first full length collection to publishers! It’s really exciting to play with the order of my poems to tell a complete story, wish me luck!
@tangledlockslit	Can’t wait to see your collection. Please keep us posted! Could you share with the #WritingCommunity, what was the best #writingtip you ever got?
@staceymanos_	“The universal is in the specific” Writers are often scared of making their writing too unrelatable but the more specific, the more people can find themselves in the words!
@tangledlockslit	Wow! Love that! Thank you! It will stick with me while I am working on my own writing. How can readers keep up with you and read more of your writing.
@staceymanos_	Of course! Following my Instagram @skmpoetry would mean so much to me, all my latest works and updates go there! 💜
@tangledlockslit	I know I am a follower. 🙂   Stacey, thank you for joining me today and sharing more about yourself and your writing.   To read Stacey’s beautiful poem, please click here.
@staceymanos_	Thank you so much for this incredible opportunity, I am so honored and humbled by this experience! Couldn’t ask for a better home for the saints have eyes ❤️
@tangledlockslit	Thank you! 🙂