There’s a Poem for That: Emily Austin + Gay Girl Prayers

All Lit Up: Can you tell us a bit about Gay Girl Prayers and how it came to be?

Emily Austin: I wrote GAY GIRL PRAYERS while I was writing my first novel, which is titled EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM WILL SOMEDAY BE DEAD. The novel is about an atheist lesbian woman who stumbles into a job at a Catholic church. I was raised Catholic. I was an altar server, I went to Catholic school, the whole shebang. I also studied Religion in university. It was my minor.

I was in my late twenties when I began writing EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM. Time had passed since I was an altar server, or a student, and I found myself revisiting the bible with a changed perspective. While writing my novel, I reflected a lot on the impact the church had on me as a little girl. I began writing the first draft of this poetry for myself as a sort of therapy exercise. I wrote it to ease my own feelings regarding religiously fuelled homophobia and sexism, among other things. I found that exercise sort of healing.

On a whim, I submitted that draft to the Canada Council for the Arts. I was surprised to be given a grant to work on it. Because of the support and encouragement of that grant, I pursued sharing it with others. I’m grateful to Brick Books and to River Halen (who was my very talented and effective editor) for helping me share this collection with others.

ALU: What are you most in the mood to read these days? Any poets you’re especially enjoying?

Emily Austin: I am a big fan of Diamond Sharp’s SUPER SAD BLACK GIRL. It’s a strong collection of poetry that deals with many topics including race and mental illness. I also loved PIG by Sam Sax, which uses pigs as a way to explore religion, queerness, violence and more. GRIEF SLUT by Evelyn Berry is another brilliant poetry book. It’s a queer portrait of a girl living through boyhood, among other things.

ALU: If you were to set your collection to a soundtrack, what song is at the top of the listing?

Emily Austin: “VBS” by Lucy Dacus. I love Lucy’s music—especially her lyrics. I’m particularly drawn to her songs that relate to religious trauma. Another song that might be on the soundtrack is “Holy” by Frightened Rabbit. That song reflects some similar sentiments to those expressed in these poems.

ALU: Can you discuss the significance of language and word choice in your collection. How did you land on which words to use?

Emily Austin: This collection reworks catholic prayers and biblical passages. I referred to the King James Bible to write it. I often borrowed language used there. For example, the phrasing “strange women” can be found throughout the KJB. I took that for my own meaning. I also took words like “transubstantiate” to express respect and love for trans people.

ALU: What sparked your initial love of poetry?

Emily Austin: My grandma was a big fan of Leonard Cohen.