This is a slightly edited gchat interview with the poet/writer Mira Gonzalez. It took place over the course of ~60 minutes in January 2014.
Prologue
MNS: let’s start this thing!
Mira: ok wait!
Mira: I don’t think im incoherently stoned enough
Mira: I should probably get more incoherently stoned
MNS: let me know when you’re incoherent enough to be asked 1st question
Mira: sweet
Mira: until then lemme give you some updates about what im consuming
Mira: so the weed im smoking is called ‘blue dream’
Mira: and im drinking $2 trader joes brand wine
Mira: and I took a shot of expensive seeming gin from a green bottle
MNS: when was last time u consumed ‘food’?
Mira: ummmm I ate some pistachios at like 3am last night
Mira: and a lot of coffee today, black coffee
Mira: its 5:49pm where I am, by the way
MNS: its 01:50am here
MNS: why do u consider coffee ‘food’?
Mira: that’s a good question that I don’t know the answer to… coffee is very obviously not food… its beverage
Mira: ready 4 interview
Part 1: Good Start, but…
MNS: what made you decide to do this interview stoned/drunk?
Mira: hm… I think… interviews are usually something I really dread doing
Mira: ill let interview questions sit in my gmail inbox until the v last minute
Mira: but doing it fast like this when im mostly unaware of my surrounding seems… easy or fun or something
Mira: it seems interesting what a hard time im having expressing myself in writing rn
MNS: you mean, physically or mentally?
Mira: I guess both
Mira: or like, mentally
Mira: like I have less inhibitions or insecurities or something
MNS: are u afraid of sharing too much or do u like that being stoned might open up that possibility?
Mira: I like it, I think
Mira: there isn’t much that I don’t feel comfortable sharing generally
Mira: I think being stoned might open up that possibility more though, or something
Mira: unless I cant express myself in words anymore bc im too stoned and now I sound like a rambling maniac
MNS: I get u. u reach a stage where u know what u want to say but it won’t come out right
Mira: lol yes
Mira: im working through it though
Mira: wine tastes good
MNS: its funny that I just said about not knowing what to say and now I’ve gone blank lol
Mira: lol I’ve been smoking more weed periodically throughout the interview fyi
MNS: literally cannot think of question that seems interesting to anyone
MNS: even someone getting stoned
Mira: lolol
Mira: this is a nightmare
Mira: unending interview that has no actual questions
Mira: woe is me
Part 2: The Recovery, or ‘a portrait of the poet as a young female born with hair on her back’
MNS: ok proper question coming up, get ready
Mira: I was born ready
Mira: I was born with hair on my back, according to my mother
MNS: ‘a portrait of the poet as a young female born with hair on her back’ lol
Mira: laughed
MNS: ok, question – am I interviewing Mira, the young woman, or Mira, the young poet, or is there a difference?
Mira: I think, I have a hard time self-identifying as a ‘poet’ despite being a person who… writes poetry… I don’t know why… maybe I feel like mild aversion to the word or something
Mira: I kind of hate poetry
Mira: im a young woman who writes poetry, I think…
MNS: do u want to like being a ‘poet’ or would that feel like against the point of being a poet?
Mira: ummm the point of being a ‘poet’ is to write poetry, I would guess, so maybe being a poet isn’t so bad
Mira: maybe I just feel aversion to like… tying myself to poetry
Mira: I want to like… be open to other kinds of writing. Does that make sense?
MNS: yeah, I can understand that. I wrote fiction first but got bored and so started writing poetry. I can’t write fiction and poetry simultaneously. Is that something u do?
Mira: simultaneously?
Mira: I imagined like one hand on one laptop writing poetry and the other hand on another writing fiction
Mira: id like to be able to do that
MNS: lol. I mean like I cant write a story, then poem, then story, etc. I have to concentrate on one medium at a time
Mira: oh I see
Mira: I think I do that actually
Mira: ill like, finish a story, then immediately start a poem
MNS: I think that’s good
MNS: are u writing anything lately?
Mira: yeah rn im trying to finish up my next column for hobart
Mira: aside from that im working on a book
Mira: slowly
Part 3: Connectivity
MNS: the advice column is interesting. What did u initially think about being asked to do it?
MNS: is the book a novel or…?
Mira: I thought it seemed fun. I had my ask.fm account already, which was fun. It’s a similar thing.
Mira: the book is… not poetry. Short stories or a novel
MNS: your ask.fm account is a bit different lol
Mira: lol yeah
Mira: but its like similar experience I guess
Mira: both are like, answering anonymous unfiltered questions
MNS: do u think that is something that writers are more aware of? I mean about the sense of how people filter their experiences and interactions etc
Mira: I feel very aware of that. I cant speak for other writers
Mira: I think of a lot of my experiences in terms of how well or how poorly I could write about them… so that’s… a filter… maybe
MNS: do u ever write about things that u know/sense is a poor representation of whatever reality inspired it?
Mira: do I ever make stories not true to reality if it makes the story better?
Mira: yes, I have done that before
MNS: I also meant it in the sense that, if you have poor recollection of an experience, but u still have it, would u write about it?
MNS: is the confusion any less worthy that a clear vision of an experience?
Mira: oh I see
Mira: if I thought it would make into an interesting story I still would yeah. even if I was confused about it
Mira: but if I was so confused about it that I couldn’t make it into something I would want to read then I wouldn’t
MNS: do u write for u or others? Do u write things that u know others will be interested in, even if its not something u really care about?
Mira: both, I think
Mira: I only write about things I care about
Mira: but if I know im writing for a specific publication ill like think about the audience for that… like I cant help it
MNS: think this is common for other writers too
Epilogue
MNS: how stoned/drunk are u now?
Mira: very both
Mira: a lot
Mira: feel like napping for 24 hrs
MNS: we can stop this interview whenever. Can always resume another time (I almost typed another wine lol)
Mira: lol
Mira: im drinking so much wine
Mira: ok ok
Mira: im gonna shower
Mira: lets continue this interview next time im drunk and stoned
Thanks to Mira for the interview.
Mira Gonzalez [b. 1992] is from Los Angeles, California.
She is the author of the collection ‘i will never be beautiful enough to make us beautiful together‘
thebohemyth.com 