Seelai Karzai was one of our 2024 Digital Residents. As a part of this program, we do Q&As with our residents to feature them, their work, and their words. See our Q&A with Seelai below, and explore more Spotlights here.
TSW: What is a question you’re asking yourself these days, and what’s a question you or your work is asking of your reader?
Seelai Karzai: The questions that I return to again and again: What am I scared of seeing in my poetry? What am I avoiding and why? Some of the questions that my work asks of both my readers and myself: What are the legacies of displacement, from our DNA to our historical and personal memories? Is it possible to exist (all parts of yourself) in this or another world? Of course, another world is always possible. Are we willing to work towards another world? What are we willing to do to bring another world into being? How can we wrap our heads around loss when it is an ongoing process? How can we find joy in the aftermath of or during survival?
TSW: Who do you bring into the room with you when you write, and/or, who do you consider your work to be in conversation with? Who are you writing for?
SK: I bring my younger selves and my community members into the room(s) I create. I bring my ideal audience of kind and generous readers, although some unkind and critical thorns bring a seat at the table sometimes. The archives that I dig into are ancient.
TSW: What is something that someone said — a fellow resident, a past mentor, perhaps something from one of the bonus sessions — that helped change the way you see your writing or work?
SK: In our first session, Centering Questions, one of my fellow residents asked, “What does over-relying on grief prevent me from doing?” This question has stuck with me throughout the residency. I can see how much grief clouds my creative judgment and process. Magnifying grief prevents me from observing with clarity. I am learning to let go and carve brighter spaces and time for joy.
