“I am against taboos. I am against the should-nots. I am against the shoulds.” — Lisa Olstein
Lisa Olstein reminds me of the poet I’d like to be — honest, no secrets to keep. The first writer of the University of Massachusetts MFA for Poets and Writers’ Visiting Writers Series, Lisa Olstein is a poet and prose writer with many honors and awards, having published five poetry collections and two non-fiction works. She visited us at UMass to celebrate 60 years of the MFA program of which she has been a part of since her participation in the program in the early 2000s.
UMass students have the option to take the General Education course, English 146: Living Writers, in which they read works by the semester’s Visiting Writers, and are given the unique opportunity of getting to ask the writers questions about their work and listen to them speak. I attended this Q&A event before the night’s reading to hear more from Lisa Olstein.
Living Writers students read Olstein’s newest poetry collection Dream Apartment (2023) and showed up with prepared questions about not only the work itself but about Olstein’s life, dreams, inspirations, and writing process. Before even delving into her poetry, students were curious about Olstein’s life in Austin, Texas, where she moved in 2013 after previously living in New England. Olstein said of Austin, “Texas surprised me.” She spoke additionally on the difficulties of living in Austin in the wake of the politicization of reproductive healthcare access, discussing how abortion is illegal in her state. After working at Planned Parenthood in high school, Olstein clearly feels passionately about the importance of healthcare access for all. This led to the discussion of feminine autonomy in her work.
One student approached the mic with a question about the liberating nature of poetry, asking if Olstein found the act of writing poetry freeing in any way. Olstein referenced a section of her book that she named the grief poems, stating that writing these were not liberating as that would imply a sense of closure. Instead, she acknowledged feeling that engaging in these themes was helpful in the grieving process. Olstein talked about facing realizations in her poetry, however, that could in fact be seen as liberating.
Students were also particularly curious about the theme of dreams within Olstein’s work, the origins of the title Dream Apartment, and how the two intertwine. Olstein is fascinated by the idea of shared dream forms, offering up some examples of popular dreams like the one where our teeth fall out. Olstein says that “Dreams are real… They are part of our experience.” And this experience is shared in unexpected, unusual ways. The theme of dreams opened up some really interesting conversations between Olstein and the Living Writers students.
One student, before asking their question, tells Lisa Olstein that reading her poetry made them want to pick up a notebook and write poetry of their own. Olstein remarked that this is the highest compliment that a writer can receive, that their writing inspired someone, anyone, to pick up a pen. This question prompted a discussion of Olstein’s own inspirations, among which include Anne Carson, Adrienne Rich, and Alice Oswald, though Olstein insisted that she wanders to whatever pulls her in.
After concluding the student Q&A, Olstein prepared for the night’s reading. She showed up to the event, humbly accepting the introductory speaker’s praise. Olstein is a sweet, well-spoken individual, charmingly calling back to the student Q&A throughout the reading. She explains that Dream Apartment is a return to form after a while of prose-writing. Olstein’s honesty within her work as she reads many poems from the collection struck me as admirable. I closed my eyes and let Olstein’s poetry wash over me like fresh rain.
Her poems ask honest and refreshing questions. Her poem titled “Happy New Year” contains the simple yet striking question, “Is it selfish to wish for more than to survive?” Olstein’s writing is filled with remarks like this one, candid and sincere.
To conclude the Living Writers Q&A, Olstein answered a question involving secrets within her writing, insisting the lack of such. She explained how we are trained to think poems are withholding something from us. She instead sees her poetry as giving space to feel, using the metaphor of a gong’s echo. Her poems provide “room to let things resonate.” Olstein keeps no secrets, simply allows for reverberation.
The next UMass MFA Visiting Writers Series guest is Dorothea Lasky. Lasky will be on campus at the Old Chapel at 6pm on October 19th. Join us!
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