Thu Sep 19 08:55:13 UTC 2024: ## “The Girl Who Became a Rabbit” Explores Transformation Through Poetic Prose: Interview with Emilie Menzel
**New York, NY** – Emilie Menzel’s debut poetry collection, “The Girl Who Became a Rabbit,” is a captivating exploration of metamorphosis, both physical and emotional. Menzel, who draws inspiration from her background in music and animal behavior, crafts a lyrical prose that resists traditional form, inviting readers to engage with the text on a deeply personal level.
In a recent interview with poet Diana Khoi Nguyen, Menzel delves into the heart of her collection, exploring the themes of transformation and the importance of observation.
“The Girl Who Became a Rabbit” uses a “fabled rendition” of personal experience, Menzel explains, where memories are “folded, or one corner pulled wide.” This concept of folding and unfolding is central to the collection’s structure and thematic exploration.
Menzel draws inspiration from the Chinese folktale of Chang’e, the Lady of the Moon, whose transformation into a lunar being is both a source of ecstasy and a consequence of necessity. This duality, Menzel argues, highlights how transformation can be both an act of rupture and a path to self-discovery.
The collection’s title suggests a clear transformation, but Menzel emphasizes that the metamorphosis is intentionally less tidy. The reader is invited to envision a spectrum of transformations, exploring the “promise of movement between forms,” not just a singular destination.
Menzel’s background in animal behavior influences her approach to observation. She learned to view the world through a naturalist lens, emphasizing empathy and careful attention to detail. The collection itself embodies this approach, with its focus on animal forms and behaviors, ultimately emphasizing the importance of observing and understanding both human and non-human experiences.
The interview also touches upon the recurring motif of repetition in the collection. Menzel explains that her repeated attempts to draw a rabbit, despite never achieving mastery, led to an acceptance of messiness and a deeper understanding of the process of creation. This, she says, mirrors the process of writing poetry, where repeated attempts and the acceptance of imperfection ultimately lead to something new and unexpected.
“The Girl Who Became a Rabbit” is not simply a narrative but a journey into the heart of transformation. It is a poetic exploration of the body, its limitations, and its possibilities for change.
**”The Girl Who Became a Rabbit” is available now from Hub City Press. **
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