Halloween, with its unique blend of mystery, fear, folklore, and celebration, serves as a powerful muse for many artists. For poet LindaAnn LoSchiavo, this holiday holds a special place in her heart and deeply influences her work. In this interview, LindaAnn shares how the atmosphere of Halloween inspires her poetry and explores the rich tapestry of emotions, symbols, and traditions associated with this haunting holiday.
LindaAnn: As a late October Scorpio, I’ve always felt Samhain was “my holiday.” The seasonal atmosphere of October 31st inspires poetry through its unique blend of mystery, fear, folklore, and celebration. My Halloween verses in “Messengers of the Macabre: Halloween Poems” (Audience Askew, Oct. 2022) and in “Always Haunted: Halloween Poems” (Wild-Ink Publishing, Oct. 2024) draw inspiration from the intrinsic spirit of misrule and the supernatural.
Let me elaborate further:
- Transience and Transformation: The holiday’s focus on the thin boundary between life and death evokes themes of change, impermanence, and ghosts.
- Gothic Imagery: Elements like haunted houses and menacing landscapes create a rich backdrop for exploring fear and the unknown.
- Fear and Darkness: Halloween’s exploration of primal fears and the macabre provides a canvas for delving into psychological and existential themes.
- Playfulness and Folklore: Costumes and traditions offer a whimsical lens for reinterpreting folklore and exploring dualities.
- Cultural Reflections: The holiday’s ancient roots prompt reflections on cultural beliefs about death and the hereafter.
In all these ways, All Hallows’ Eve, with its fertile blend of the terrifying paired with playful spookiness, has cultivated a bountiful harvest of formal verse at my writing desk.
Q: Can you describe a favorite Halloween scene or image that has found its way into your poetry? What makes it compelling to you as a poet?
LindaAnn: When my Uncle Larry was still alive, whenever our family gathered (Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc.), he would discuss his real-life adventures in a poltergeist-infested house on President Street in Brooklyn, NY where he held his poker games. My mother and her sisters—Uncle Larry’s siblings—who also remembered the neighborhood gossip about this haunted house, would chime in, too. These stories were captivating, nurturing a natural acceptance of ghosts and the delicate boundary between the two realms.
Q: Halloween can evoke a range of emotions, from spooky to nostalgic. How do you use these emotions in your poetry? Are there specific feelings you try to convey?
LindaAnn: In “Always Haunted: Halloween Poems,” many pieces convey a profound respect for the dead, emphasizing the importance of rectifying wrongs and honoring the memory of the deceased. These include “Erasure at Nightfall,” a poem based on the 1985 murder of Gail Katz by her surgeon-husband Robert Bierenbaum; two poems about vengeful poltergeists in New Castle, Pennsylvania and in Brooklyn, NY; a poem about Lizzie Siddal Rossetti being exhumed so her husband could get his poems back; a poem about finding a human bone in Washington Square Park; and, lastly, the brutal unsolved murders in “The Halloween Homicides, October 31, 1981,” a cold case that begs to be re-investigated. Injustice is the main theme of this collection.
Q: Are there any symbols or motifs commonly associated with Halloween that you find yourself incorporating into your work? What do these symbols mean to you?
LindaAnn: In “Always Haunted: Halloween Poems,” six section headings announce the six main tropes I have explored here: Samhain, Bewitchment, Graveyard, Day of the Dead, Haunting, and A Lighter Shade—the book’s playful final section. More than half the poems were inspired by real people and events, juxtaposing the macabre with the everyday.
Q: Halloween has a rich tapestry of traditions and rituals. Do any of these traditions inspire poems or themes in your writing? How do you approach incorporating tradition into your poetry?
LindaAnn: Two poems explore the Mexican folklore figure Santa Muerte, while another takes inspiration from Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Predominantly, however, this collection charts its own course, deeply rooted in New York's crimes and cultural history.
Q: How does the spirit of Halloween impact your creativity as a poet? Do you find yourself more inspired during this time of year?
LindaAnn: October, my birth month, fills me with inspiration, igniting a creative flame that I carry with me throughout the rest of the year.
Q: Halloween often plays with themes of darkness and light, shadows and illumination. How do these contrasts influence your poetry?
LindaAnn: As mentioned, in this collection, "darkness" involves injustice, while "illumination" represents the rectification of those wrongs—or an attempt to do so.
Q: Costumes are a big part of Halloween. Do you ever write poems from the perspective of a character in costume? How does dressing up influence your poetic voice?
LindaAnn: My poem “Halloween Window Painting” is focused on characters wearing costumes, trick-or-treaters who become menacing. However, all of my persona poems (i.e., my dramatic monologues) feature me “dressed up” as another person.
Q: Halloween is also a time for stories, both spooky and whimsical. How does storytelling influence your poetry? Are there narrative elements you incorporate into your poems?
LindaAnn: I have always been a narrative poet. Narrative poetry emphasizes a sequence of events, characters, and a storyline. The narrative poems in this collection include “A Sleepy Hollow Halloween,” “Secrets of the Spell,” “Spellcasting on Samhain,” “The Halloween Homicides, October 31, 1981,” “Don’t Monetize those Poltergeists,” “An Ideal Lost in Night-Mists,” and several others.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from your Halloween-themed poetry? How do you aim to connect with your audience through these pieces?
LindaAnn: Since my collection delves into the real-life horrors of crimes and injustices, I hope these poems impart valuable lessons to readers.
Q: How does the transition from autumn to winter during Halloween influence your poetry? Do you find yourself drawn to themes of change or transition?
LindaAnn: New York City's cold winters make staying indoors and writing especially inviting. Most of my narrative poems delve into themes of change and transition, reflecting the essence of storytelling through the lens of transformation.
Q: Halloween is often associated with the supernatural and paranormal. Do you explore themes of ghosts, witches, or other supernatural beings in your poetry? How do you approach these themes artistically?
LindaAnn: Yes, witch poems have their own section in “Always Haunted: Halloween Poems.” It’s called “Bewitchment.” Ghosts are prominently featured in all of my poetry books, where I strive to portray them as sympathetic human beings through my artistic approach.
Q: Many Halloween tales are set in haunted houses or eerie landscapes. Do you have a favorite "haunted" setting that appears in your poetry? What draws you to this particular setting?
LindaAnn: I frequently pass by the "haunted" address of 129 Spring Street, New York, NY, the setting for my abecedarian poem "Honeymoon Homicide." In 1799, a bride-to-be was tragically strangled there by her reluctant groom.
Q: Halloween has deep roots in folklore and mythology. Are there any myths or legends related to this holiday that inspire your poetry? How do you reinterpret or reimagine these stories in your work?
LindaAnn: Two of my poems delve into the Mexican folklore figure Santa Muerte, while another draws inspiration from Washington Irving's iconic "Headless Horseman" in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." However, the majority of these poems center on real people and events.
Q: From pumpkins and falling leaves to bonfires and moonlit nights, how does seasonal imagery inspire your poetic language and descriptions?
LindaAnn: In “Always Haunted: Halloween Poems,” readers will find pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, scarecrows, witches, trick or treaters, cemeteries, and more.
Q: Halloween often evokes nostalgic memories of childhood. Do you draw upon personal experiences or memories from Halloween celebrations in your poetry? How do these memories shape your writing?
LindaAnn: When my Uncle Larry was still alive, anytime the family gathered (Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc.), he would discuss his real-life adventures in a poltergeist-infested house on President Street in Brooklyn, NY where he held his poker games. His experiences inspired my poem “Poltergeists on President Street.”
Q: Halloween can be a time for facing fears and finding courage. How do you explore these themes in your poetry? Are there specific fears or challenges you address?
LindaAnn: Those who fear ghosts might discover a more nuanced and intriguing perspective on the afterlife through my poetry.
Q: Halloween isn't always about fear—it can also be playful and humorous. Do you incorporate humor or whimsy into your Halloween-themed poetry? How do you balance these elements with more serious themes?
LindaAnn: “Always Haunted: Halloween Poems” ends with a section called “A Lighter Shade”—filled with playful and amusing poems such as “Emily Post’s Etiquette Book for Ghosts” and others just as light-hearted.
LindaAnn: My poem “Poltergeists on President Street” features my Uncle Larry, entertaining the family on holidays by dramatically recounting his experiences with unruly spirits.
Q: Are there any upcoming projects or themes related to Halloween that you're excited to explore in your poetry? How do you see your work evolving in relation to this holiday?
LindaAnn: My work-in-progress, "Dark and Airy Spirits," is a collection that intricately weaves together themes of death, dying, cemeteries, mourning, the afterlife, and my personal experiences with ghosts. The British author Will Storr has read some of this manuscript and wrote this blurb: "LindaAnn LoSchiavo is the real deal. Her poems are elegant, profound, and touched by the presence of things unseen."
As LindaAnn continues to explore the depths of Halloween in her poetry, readers can look forward to a journey filled with mystery, emotion, and the supernatural. Her work not only captures the essence of this haunting holiday but also delves into the complexities of life, death, and everything in between.
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