a conversation with vanessa maki
Q: Your upcoming chapbook, “another final girl” refers to the slasher movie trope of the last surviving girl. What influence does the slasher genre have on this collection, and on your writing in general?
A: This is a really great question! Throughout the chapbook are references of what commonly happens in slashers (running, trying to escape your killer ect). Not to mention the direct mentions of Michael (Myers). With my writing, more specifically poetry, I’m frequently using horror elements/dark subject matter.
Q: What’s always bothers me about the final girl trope is that it’s oversimplified and incomplete (as all tropes are!). The implication is that she might be a little stronger, more rugged, but she’ll get to resume her normal life, which obviously isn’t the case for anyone who undergoes trauma. In “erin reminds me that surviving is continual” I feel like you’re touching on this a little when you refer to surviving as a battle that never ends - that there’s no “finality” in being a final girl.
A: I highly dislike that oversimplification as well, it does no service to the reality of trauma. Some movies do better with the trope than others. For example SCRE4M proved how surviving is something that’s lifelong. That trauma isn’t something that be scraped under the rug.
Q: You released another chapbook earlier this year, “the chosen one” which was Buffy-themed - does another final girl feel like kind of a natural continuation of that, or an entirely separate undertaking?
A: It’s definitely an entirely separate undertaking and hopefully it registers that way for people.
Q: How long have you been writing poetry? For me, there was a several year gap between when I started taking poetry seriously and when I learned that the indie publishing world was even something that existed. Was it like that for you, or did it happen more seamlessly?
A: I’ve definitely been writing poetry since I was a teenager. Though my work is so much better now than it was then. As far as the publishing world, I relatively knew it existed but I didn’t entirely explore it until some point in 2017.
Q: You’ve both self-published chapbooks and released them through presses. What do you feel are the pros and cons of each?
A: From my experiences, self-publishing can be so tricky/tiresome. There’s so much work that goes into promotion and assembling the chapbooks by yourself. But, you have more control in regards to your work + how it’s put out there. So that’s a major pro for self-publishing. Meanwhile working with a press that wants to support marginalized voices, does well by their authors ect is a totally separate experience. With the chosen one I got lucky that Animal Heart Press is run well and they treat their authors properly. Unfortunately with decayed state (which I’ve now scrapped as the result of a shitty experience), that was my own personal experience with a poorly managed space, run by someone who pulled shady shit. So a con for publishing with a press is the possibility of a shitty experience/possibly having your chapbook be stripped of your vision.
Q: What’s your favorite Buffy season? Or episode?
A: One of my top favorite seasons is 6 !
Q: The last question of every interview is always “so what do you have coming up next?”, which I hate, both because it’s a cliche and because I’m anti-productivity cults, but you have mentioned on Twitter that you’re working on a horror novel - any hints on what kind of subject matter or themes we might see there?
A: The subject matter falls somewhat in line with Get Out, that’s the simplest way to describe it without giving too much away in these early stages.
vanessa maki is a queer writer, visual artist & blk feminist whose work has appeared or will appear in various places. She has self-published chapbooks & has several chapbooks forthcoming or out this year: the chosen one (Animal Heart Press), sweet like limes (Bone & Ink Press) & another final girl (Roaring Junior Press). you can read her poem “the dagger” which was published on giallo here. vanessa maki’s upcoming chapbook, another final girl, comes out on tuesday, may 5th. you can preorder it here. the following poems are from the chapbook.
bleed
between my legs, i bleed / in my dreams, i bleed / when i try to love, i bleed / one way or another /the final girl always bleeds / & we wipe the blood off our skin / we clean ourselves up / make ourselves smile picture fuckin’ perfect / so we can be poster girls for survival / the glimmering example for other girls / but the problem in that is / we’re already dead inside / pretending that we’re not / & it just shows / how no one is worrying / about the aftermath for the final girl / they just wonder how we get out alive
WWLSDWWLSD (what would laurie strode do?)
insomnia often has me by the throat
she shows no mercy
when she flips the script
between sleeping too much
or not sleeping enough.
& i’m struggling with myself
in the early hours of the morning
licking my self-inflicted wounds
& other wounds
wondering what the hell
i should do next.
how is it that trauma
can crawl on top of me at any time?
leaving its stink on my clothes & skin
what would Laurie Strode do?
probably drink til she can’t think anymore
keep herself locked up tight in her home
or shoot mannequins on her property.
she’d probably tell me
to stay away from everyone
lock myself in my room
to escape & hide from
my own personal Boogeyman
my own Michael Meyers