Lina Ramona Vitkauskas, a Lithuanian-Chicagoan poet and fiction writer, has published three chapbooks (short books which contain poems and/or short stories) and poetry books, some of which include Shooting Dead Films with Poets (a poetry book published in 2004), THE RANGE OF YOUR AMAZING NOTHING (her newest chapbook, published in 2009), and Failed Star Spawns Planet/Star (published in 2006). Lina has was also co-editor of the webzine, Milk Magazine (http://www.milkmag.org), which was composed of poetry, essays, visual art, short stories, and other works from artists all over the globe. Much of Vitkauskas’s work was inspired by surrealistic writing, which sparked her interest ever since she was a young girl. However, her enticing literature isn’t only based on surrealism. It serves as an inspiration for young writers because it’s relatable to people of all ages and genders. These are many of the reasons why I felt the urge to ask Lina Ramona Vitkauskas about her life, her success, her inspirations, and how she influences her readers.
What motivated you to become a writer? What motivates you to keep writing?
As a kid, I spent a lot of time in my room drawing and making storybooks. I read quite a bit and attempted to read some of my father’s astronomy and history books which were obviously way too complex for me at the time, but I still tried because I was fascinated and wanted to learn. I distinctly remember Asimov’s "Cosmos" on his nightstand and how I attempted to fathom the beauty of supernovas and the infinite size of the universe.
One story that I wrote in 4th grade was about a planet named Zebron. The inhabitants of Zebron were trying to steal the Earth’s food and water supply by toying with its gravitational pull, and most importantly, the main astrophysicist in the story was named Dr. Rinard. Of course, I referred to him as the “head scientist”. It was published in a publication put out by the school’s gifted program.
I continued to write stories, but I was also interested in plays. Throughout school, I performed in many plays and began thinking I would pursue playwriting. My senior year of high school, I completed my first play, however, I angstily decided it was horrible and set it on fire in my backyard. I started to write and read poetry after that. The first poet I ever read was Anne Sexton. Obviously, there were some marital themes that she touched upon that I could not fully understand, but her poems were so fragile and powerful at once. I was greatly affected by her lonely images and the clever juxtoposition of fairytale concepts and blunt/bleak reality.
In college, I pursued writing fiction, then poetry. I was introduced to Wallace Stevens, some New York School poets (O’Hara, Ashbery), some Beats (Ginsburg, Burroughs), some Russian poets, (primarily Akhmatova, Mandelstam, Mayakovsky, Tsvetaeva), and stumbled across the early Surrealists/Surrealists (Breton’s “Earthlight”, Rimbaud, Baudelaire, Apollonaire, to name a few).
After exporing the works of these writers and many others, I could not stop writing. I began expressing my thoughts by trying to write it they way they would—using some of their tactics and then inventing some of own. It was fun to experiment. I continue to read poetry and experimental writing as much as I can. Most times, my writing schedule is inconsistent. I wish I could write every day, but when I do (every few weeks or so) it really pours out of me. I feel I need to write. It truly is a part of who I am.
A lot of your writing represents very surrealistic styles. Why did you choose to focus on this type of style specifically?
Surrealism is just the discipline or style of writing that fascinates me most. I am not into theory or sterilizing poetry by analyzing it. I like the unknown—feeling something without knowing why necessarily. Dreams affect us this way and Surrealism is largely based on dreamwork. Much like images in dreams, words come to me randomly. I’d say I first hear them in my head and then they collide. Then images spring from those word combinations.
What other kinds of writing styles and themes appear most frequently within your poetry? What kind of significance do these styles and themes have?
There is social commentary throughout my poems (gender roles (female identity, sexuality), politics) and then there’s my Lithuanian heritage, which has made me recognize some interesting “subconscious” traits in my work. Ongoing oppression is a large component of Lithuanian history, and many of its oppressors rotated frequently—Poland, Sweden, Germany, Russia. This has led to the country itself and our people feeling fearful and uncertain to say the least. Yet, although this uneasiness existed in daily life, it is counterbalanced by a tremendous swell of nationalistic pride.
In this vein, my poems boldly / authoritatively declare vulnerability / uncertainty. Further, my poems are personal yet detached because I am Lithuanian-American: I believe straddling these two cultures allows me to be both omniscient and involved simultaneously.
My poems are a way to take both identities and languages out and put them on the examination table.
In addition, I enjoy words and language sounds. Knowing three languages (including some Spanish) makes creating language combinations fun and interesting. I never know when I write a poem where it will go.
How did you become involved with milk magazine? Why did you choose to be involved with this magazine?
Larry Sawyer was a poet I had met in Dayton, OH in 1999. Larry was the editor of Wright State University’s literary magazine, Nexus, and, during his tenure, had compiled 2 – 3 issues of work by influential members of the Beat, Black Mountain, and NY Schools of poetry, Larry envisioned doing a magazine much like Nexus when he graduated from college, so, from his own pocket, he created the first issue of milk magazine in print (the only print issue to date). I suggested he take it online due to costs. The Internet was pretty new and free and lots of people were starting e-zines. I designed and maintained the site, Larry made editorial decisions. By the second and third issues, I was heavily involved in the editorial process.
We created milk because Larry and I both had the same vision as writers: a unique outlet for international work (poetry, visual art, fiction). We both strongly felt we were creating something special in the literary community. We were one the first comprehensive online lit mags next to Exquisite Corpse, Web del Sol, Big Bridge, JACK, and others.
I continued to design, maintain, and stay very involved editorially until 2008.
How did being a co-editor of milk magazine contribute to your success (as well as the other works that you have written)?
I think it was a good stepping stone to meet other poets and writers in the community. Facebook and MySpace didn’t exist— no social networks did for that matter—so, when we started milk, everything was done via e-mail introductions, meeting people at readings, and just checking out other people’s magazines / sites. I think, in later years, as milk became more well-known among our peers, it helped to get my work in the door a little easier. Being an editor offers the responsibility of selecting work, yet, as a writer, you are still trying to get your work out there and published. Rejection is part of the process.
I recently read your poem, “The Most Girl Part of You”, and was very intrigued by it. What inspired you to write this poem and what message did you want to send to women and young women by writing it?
Fiction writer Amy Hempel wrote a story of that exact title. I first read it when I was 14 or 15. It was a very poignant story—about kids who lose parents, then have sex for the first time; their relationship and the narrative was quirky, endearing, and real. I thought of this story when writing the poem because I was comparing the innocence of the interaction between these characters and how that seemed somehow lost among my generation to some degree. The poem attempts to let girls know that “a most girl part of you” is often misinterpreted as the physical. It’s a call to girls to view and represent themselves as thinking individuals not as body parts.
What kind of impact do you hope that your writing will someday have on society?
That’s a huge question. I really am just thankful that people still read and are interested in poetry. My hope, much like any artist, is to intrigue people, arouse their thoughts and hearts.
What kinds of new projects are you currently working on and why?
I am currently writing two new chapbooks. One is more light-hearted than some of my other work, and one is a thematic collection surrounding “honey” (the word and the sweet, sticky stuff). I also have one manuscript under submission, which is a response to three films. I would love to complete a long-term goal: a spoken word CD.
For more information on Lina Ramona Vitkauskas as well as her literary work, visit her website, http://www.linaramona.com.
Anita Wota is a 2010 GirlSpeak editor.
