You might be familiar with Althea Davis’s poem, “Kinder Than Man,” which has made its fair share of rounds online.
The Columbus, Ohio native published her first book in 2023. “Poems for the Weeping Kind” is described as “unflinchingly self-reflective,” meditating on topics ranging from God and love to generational trauma.
Davis’s Instagram account (where I first contacted her) regularly rolls out new writing. I spoke to her about lessons she’s learned as her career takes off — and the emotions that written work can both draw from and inspire.
EJ: Do you have a certain time of day or place where you like to write? Tell me about the last place you wrote a poem.
Althea: I would say I’m pretty sporadic about when I write! The timing definitely leans more towards evening, but it’s more like a sudden urge than a planned schedule. The last place I wrote a poem was actually in my car! Weirdly enough, I’ve written a lot of poems in it. There is something about driving that really clears my mind in a way, and makes background thoughts and ideas come to the forefront of my mind.
EJ: What typically sparks your creative process?
Althea: I mostly write about memories, so I would say a lot of my poetry is largely inspired by reminiscing on the past. So usually I’ll think of a memory, and then a line, and then a poem based off of that line. Oftentimes a line will repeat over and over again in my head, for hours or sometimes days, until the rest of the poem suddenly tumbles out of me. A lot of times I’ll tell my Dad that, “I have a poem brewing in me.”
EJ: How long have you been writing (poetry or otherwise)?
Althea: I’ve been writing ever since I was a little kid! My parents taught me and my twin how to read at a younger age than most, and really pushed us to read and write our whole lives. I used to always stay after school with my English teachers and read them poems, and enter into library poetry reading contests, and really ran to any opportunity I could find that allowed me to write and share my writing.
EJ: “Poems for the Weeping Kind” has been out for a little over a year now, described on Goodreads as “the culmination of a lifelong dream.” What has it felt like to have your ambitions as an author realized?
Althea: I’ve spent such a large portion of my life writing that it feels like an integral part of me, but I never really imagined actually publishing my work, or even really posting it on social media. Most of the time it doesn’t even feel real that I have a book published, or have had the privilege of having so many people see my writing. It almost feels like someone else’s accomplishments. But when I think about being a young girl, who was so unsure of herself and her skill, and see where I am now (though I obviously still have a lot more room to grow!) I feel immensely grateful and proud, in a way I have never felt before.
EJ: Given so much of your writing brings to life the concepts and feelings surrounding events — without actually narrating the happenings themselves — how do you manage to balance a concrete narrative with the expression of loftier, more abstract feelings?
Althea: A lot of my writing is not only bringing to life concepts and feelings surrounding events, but based on very personal private memories. So, to an extent, I try to use those loftier more abstract feelings and keep my writing more flowery and loose, so that the narrative is more vague and able to be relatable for a broader audience. When I write about grief or love it may be surrounding one specific person in my life, but I try to write it so it could be anyone and everyone.
EJ: “Kinder Than Man” gained attention for being emotionally evocative with regard to the very real cruelty shown toward animals perceived as vermin or disposable. When and how did you conceive of this poem?
Althea: “Kinder Than Man” was one of the poems I actually came up with in my car. I was driving down a dark highway and saw the body of a deer on the road. It had been not only hit by a car, but just totally eviscerated. I had always really connected with animals who had been killed on roads, “roadkill”, because I grew up feeling very small and out of place. Like at any moment my life could disappear under the weight of someone else’s. As soon as I saw the deer I thought of the first line, “please let the deer on the highway get some sort of heaven.” But, at the time, it wasn’t a line of a poem, it was a genuine thought, almost a true prayer. That thought stayed in my head the rest of the night, and the next day I wrote the poem.
EJ: What separates the tone-setting and prose-writing processes demanded in narrative writing as opposed to poetry?
Althea: I think, at least for me, writing poetry allows a lot more wiggle room for abstract ideas while in narrative writing you’re usually seeking a more set outcome. I think while it’s not quite a difference between emotion and logic, it is close to that, though the two types of writing do cross over.
EJ: Is there anyone in your life or career who helped you develop your poetic voice? If so, how and when?
Althea: I have a lot of people to thank for the development of my poetic voice. The biggest people would be my parents, who continue to be a constant support. My Dad is actually the first person to see every one of my poems, and he often edits them. He helped me find structure in my writing, and has pushed me to have a more decisive style. I was always really close with my English teachers, and there were a few who really went out of their way to uplift me and give me access to tools and opportunities I may not have had without them. And of course there are so many wonderful poets I feel constantly inspired by, to name a few, Wendy Cope, Richard Siken, Mary Oliver, Emily Dickinson, and Andrea Gibson.
EJ: What’s one thing you wish you knew about writing poetry — or about yourself as an author — earlier on in your career?
Althea: As a younger writer, I felt like I had to write a certain way in order for my writing to be “right.” I spent a long time avoiding certain topics or feelings or prose, because I wanted my writing to be seen as approachable. Poetry was something I did for an audience, not for myself. I wish I had learned the freedom and release that writing can bring a lot sooner than I did.
EJ: Across all your work, what do you hope readers take away from your writing?
Althea: Across all my work, I hope that the thing readers take from my writing is hope.
EJ: Is there anything else you’d like to add that I haven’t touched upon? This is your chance to mention or speak to anything else you think is important.
Althea: I’d really like to thank everyone who has supported my work and me, in any shape or form, and I’d like to thank you for the time and patience and questions you’ve given me! I’d also like to tell anyone with any sort of passion that they don’t know what to do with, or don’t know what will become of it, to just keep pursuing it. It’s worth it, I promise.
Pretty Good Pieces’s Q&A section sits down with people in creative industries to discuss the inspirations, workflow, and significance behind their art. These interviews are published monthly alongside the magazine and conducted by editor-in-chief EJ Haas.
