A Horror World Conversation with Corrine De Winter
By Steven E. Wedel

I had never heard of Corrine De Winter until some years ago when I got a book of poetry in the mail from her. She'd sent it for consideration in the Bram Stoker Award voting. After reading the book, I felt like I knew her.

Reading prose sometimes is like getting to peel back an author's skin to look inside. But poetry? Poetry is like breaking open the poet's bones and examining the very marrow. Writing poetry is hard. Writing good poetry is VERY hard. Corrine does that, though. If you don't believe me, just try her newest release, VIRGIN OF THE APOCALYPSE.

Horror World: Corrine, thank you for taking the time to talk to us. Tell us a little bit about why you write.

Corrine De Winter: To express, to tell the truth, to enlighten others and myself, really. I think the best writing always makes a person more soulful, aware. I don't have a choice. It's in my blood-it's writing that makes me realize why I'm here.

HW: Why does your writing have such a dark flavor? What draws you to that?

CDW: I'm not sure exactly, but I remember always being attracted to dark

things, mystery. When I was a little girl I would do book reports on witchcraft, and paranormal things like ghosts and hauntings, psychic abilities, the supernatural. I looked forward to watching In Search Of on TV on Saturdays. I'd go out with my brother & sister into the woods and look for signs of Bigfoot- do pretend investigations. I think if you look deeper into things about life you realize that there's always a darkness underlying everything. Some of us choose to look the other way. That's why there's Hallmark cards.

HW: I find poetry much, much harder to write than prose. Is that the case for you?

CDW: Because I've been writing poetry and reading it for so long, I guess it's easier for me to write poetry, although it's much more succinct, and you sort of have to bring it down to the bones of the matter. After awhile, as a poet, you should have that rythm in your head- the one that lets you know what to leave in and take out, and what makes it "sing" and flow gracefully and not just lumber on. The same is true for prose, but in a less precise way.

HW: When did you begin writing?

CDW: Well, the first thing I can remember writing is a ghost story when I was about 9. I don't remember writing poems until middle school. And love letters- girls would come to me to write love letters for them to their boyfriends.

HW: Tell us about the first poem you remember writing. What was it about? Did it get published?

CDW: The ghost story I mentioned is the first thing I remember writing (it was called The Pink Lady) I think I'd seen "The Turn of the Screw" on TV and was fascinated. As for a first poem, I'm afraid it was a terrible love poem to a guy I had a crush on. I think I came across it a few years ago and I shuddered because it was so silly. No, it didn't get published. I didn't get published until I was about 16,and that poem was about a trip to the museum and seeing a painting of Jesus on the ground, wounded, with a man over him shouting, like a referee. Very dark and red painting. It was in The Writer.

HW: What is your writing and revision process like? Do you have to write and rewrite your poems several times to get them the way you want?

CDW: Usually, yes. Every now and then a poem comes to me whole and ready, almost as if it's coming from somewhere outside of me, being delivered to me.

You've probably had that happen to you in your writing..?

Rewriting can be good, but sometimes it's hard to tell when you should just scrap the whole thing. Maybe one line will remain & it goes into something else. It's good to let it sit for awhile, and return to it. I've written things that months or years later I've either been in awe of or disgusted.

HW: How important are the rules of poetics to you? You know, the ones high

school teachers make students learn.

CDW: I'm not totally convinced that the rules are a good idea to abide by. I think it's good to read structured poems at first, as it is to read any poetic work

just to get an idea how a poem may fit together more easily. But to follow the lead of academia has murdered many a brilliant idea. I appreciate Haiku and other forms of poetry, but I don't think we have to follow this format to write good poetry.

Just give up what's inside, tell me what you see and feel and make me feel it, too.

HW: When you're putting together a new volume of poetry, do you try to work around a theme, or do you just write what comes to you? How do you choose a title for your books?

CDW: I basically just write what comes to me. I don't try to put together like poems for the sake of a collection, although they often end up having a connection to each other. Because we are changing every day, a set of poems at one time in your life is going to be grasping similar things you are discovering at the time. Choosing the title is a bit harder. I go through the poems and see what keeps coming up, what seems to be the recurring idea or outcome, and then I choose that title.

HW: You've won a Bram Stoker Award, a Writer's Digest award and many, many others, and been nominated for lots more, including a Pushcart Prize, four times. What is the most fulfilling part of writing for you?

CDW: The act of telling the truth, of turning other people onto what's in their heart and possibly making them feel more human. When I write something I'm proud of, it's like magic to me- I think to myself "Wow, I have this ability to get inside someone from words." I want always to be able to offer this to others and to show them a place they may otherwise not have visited.

HW: After seven collections, how do you stay inspired?

CDW: Good question. There's always heartbreak. Tragedy. Strangeness. But, it is a struggle to always be inspired. Usually something in nature can wake me up- give me an idea.

Unfortunately something wicked always comes this way.

HW: Financially speaking, how rewarding is poetry?

CDW: Well, this made me laugh. I think I made maybe 75.00 or less last year from being a poet. Maybe I'm forgetting some payments, but I doubt it. If you're not Maya Angelou or another well known poet who makes appearances, don't think about making any money from this. Back in the days of Byron, poets were like rock stars. Now we're nearly invisible.

HW: What would you say to someone who wants to start publishing poetry?

CDW: Do it for yourself first and foremost. Realize that it's a nearly impossible venture and don't take rejection personally. If you're honest and perservere with submissions, publication will come.

HW: Your newest book, VIRGIN OF THE APOCALYPSE, made the preliminary Stoker

ballot. Pimp it to us.

CDW: Well, I'm not into "pimping" anything, but thanks for the chance. I think if you read my work you'll find something of yourself there that was missing.

I only ask that you give my words a chance to open you up- pull out what is essential and necessary to being human. What have you got to lose?

HW: What are you doing next?

CDW: Right now I'm drinking a beer and about to light a cigarette, and then I'll probably go upstairs and make some Trader Joe's food in my freezer, wait for my friend Patty to get here and have her do some dowsing (she's a phenomenal dowser!)

In terms of writing: Trying to record some readings with music (luckily I have a fantastic producer and musician, Chris Croteau, that is going to help me.) Working on a new book of poems "The Last of Your Honey", a comic book project (any artists out there?) making a website for my children's fund I've been doing for 10 years, and trying to get to Budapest. I'm inspired to visit because of Lisa Mannetti's new novel "The Gentling Box."

HW: Okay, I'm out of questions. What would you like to add that I forgot to ask about?

CDW: I'd just like to mention that if there are artists that want to work with me that would be great. I'm also looking for another writer to complete a series of letters with me where people are communicating between 2 worlds, one of them being Hell. You might've heard of it?

Thank you for the interview, Steven.

HW: Corrine, thank you again for your time. Best of luck on the Stoker Award and all your other endeavors.

CDW: Thank you!!! Good luck to you as well.

Missed an Interview? Check out the Interview Archives