an interview with Chris Hutchinson

Clarise Foster: Congratulations on your first published collection, Unfamiliar Weather, hot off the press from The Muses’ Company. One’s first book is certainly an important pinnacle in the career of a poet, and usually it is the book that takes the longest to create. How long did it take you to complete the draft of the original manuscript you submitted for publication? What was the process that led to publication? Did you send out queries first or complete copies of the manuscript to publishers you hoped would take your manuscript? Was The Muses’ Company your first choice, and, if not, how many publishers did you submit to before it was accepted for publication?

Chris Hutchinson: I think it was about four years ago when I decided to print up all my poems and arrange them into something, which I then began to call “the manuscript.” Over time I wound up writing an almost entirely new manuscript—slowly replacing older poems with newer ones and obsessively rejigging the order. I kept calling it finished, mistakenly. I did send out a few early queries, and then I just started sending out the whole thing. There was some interest from certain publishers, one who deliberated for over a year before finally saying ”maybe”—at which point I withdrew that particular submission.

Frankly, I found the entire process very painful—causing me severe mental anguish, not to mention emotional distress! As Sylvia Plath says, “Nothing stinks like a pile of unpublished writing.” But when I got in contact with Catherine Hunter, poetry editor for The Muses’ Company, the whole thing finally fell into place. She was very enthusiastic. I immediately set about reading all her poetry in order to get a better idea of whom I would be dealing with. And happily I found a kindred spirit glimmering in her work and a similar sensibility. So for me, finding someone like Catherine—someone with similar aesthetic tastes and commitments—was the fortuitous event I’d been waiting and hoping for.

CV2: What were your expectations of the publishing process? What surprises or disappointments did you encounter in the experience?

CH: I know a few published writers and so I’ve vicariously experienced the publishing process through them. Most have had some difficulty along the way with issues like cover art and printing delays. But my experience was terrific. Everything went smoothly and happened on time. I’m very happy with the finished product.

CV2: Now that you have your first book under your belt, what are your expectations for yourself as a writer?

CH: To have a first book is a good feeling—a secure feeling, but already I’d like to risk that security and write my next collection as a challenge to everything I’ve done so far. Self-doubt, when used constructively, can be very useful, I think, especially when it comes to creativity. And I’ve always felt the need to shake things up, to reinvent myself.