Contributor Spotlight: Benny Sisson
Benny Sisson’s poems “Trans Woman Speaks in Cento” and “My Own Name Means Son” are part of Issue 81 of Bellingham Review. Subscribe or purchase a single issue through our Submittable page here.
What would you like to share with our readers about the work you contributed to Bellingham Review?
These poems come from an unpublished collection of poetry tentatively titled BELLY FAT. It is an exploration of a journey through learning a queer body, the etymology of the word “daughter” as it relates to being in a transgender body, and what I call “family silence.” In the past few years, I have learned new details about my childhood that were kept silent, and that contributed to trauma or fraught relationships within my family. It is about the challenges one faces when trying to come to understand one’s own body, queerness, and motivations, while also existing in families or communities that lie, abuse, and manipulate. Thus, BELLY FAT was born. These particular poems discuss the etymology of my name, “Benjamin,” and snapshots of memories that, upon reflection, display my queerness and highlight what memory can teach us once we all tell each other the truth. The “cento” uses words trans women have spoken to me, or others.
Tell us about your writing life.
I used to keep journals as a child, like we all have, and I wrote silly short stories or plays. I did not take writing seriously as a career, pathway, or even hobby until my sophomore year of college when, on a whim, I changed my major to Creative Writing. Now, after finishing college and an MFA, writing/books are all I know. I work in publishing as well, so that balance of reading the words of others coupled with carving out time for your own work is a beautiful yet challenging seesaw. When I sit down to write, prose or poetry, I tend to start with reading. It is inspiring to see what a few paragraphs of a novel, or a few poems can do to human brains. What keeps me writing? The nagging obligation to do it. The knowledge that it is almost always worth it.
Which non-writing aspect(s) of your life influence(s) your writing the most?
My day job in publishing, my (still evolving) yoga practice, YouTube videos, my friends (those who read my work, and those who don’t).
What writing advice has stayed with you?
You actually DO have to do it every day if you expect anything to come of it. You really do have to treat it like a job. Carve out the time and get it done. Just like you would a job. BUT be kind to yourself, and remember that every writer has a different process. Use the tools that work for you and screw the ones that don’t serve you, even if others swear by it.
What is your favorite book (or essay, poem, short story)?
Lucille Clifton’s The Book of Light, Richard Siken’s Crush, Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.
What are you reading right now?
Tiffany McDaniel’s Betty.
What project(s) are you working on now, or next?
I am still constantly editing a poetry manuscript and I also have a queer/trans YA project in the works!
Anything else our readers might want to know about you?
Bellingham Review is a special publication for me, because I grew up in western WA (Tacoma), and my high school best friends all went to Western, inciting many trips on I-5 North to this wonderful staff’s neck of the woods. Thanks so much to the team for including me.
Where can our readers connect with you online?
Twitter handle: @bettybazaar Instagram handle: @bennysreads
Benny Sisson is a trans poet and writer, who also works in publishing. She holds a BA from UArizona, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Adelphi University. Her work has been featured in Lunch Ticket, Foglifter Press, New Delta Review, and elsewhere. She is currently a Marketing Assistant for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Book and Media, and lives in her hometown of Tacoma, WA.
Featured Image: “Cygnus Loop Nebula” by NASA