Write On! interviews poet Demi Anter
Demi Anter is an Austrian-American writer, performer and facilitator. After completing her BA with distinction in visual arts and literature at UC Santa Barbara, Demi moved to Berlin in 2016 to study filmmaking and eventually a Master’s in acting from Rose Bruford College in London. Demi has toured extensively as a poet, including appearances at Glastonbury, Electric Picnic, Poetry Ireland, the Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh Fringe, Bristol Old Vic, and more. Her work has been published by The Times (UK), Magma, CHEERIO, and Banshee, among others.
In 2022, she published her debut poetry collection Small Machine (Write Bloody UK), which was shortlisted for the 2022 Poetry Book Awards. People’s Poetry Podcast has called her “The Ray Davies Of Spoken Word” for her confessional and accessible performance style. Demi regularly conducts workshops in creative writing for organisations including the National Theatre and London’s Irish Cultural Centre.
WO: How would you describe your writing to someone new to it?
DA: For years I worked primarily as a performance poet, with an intimate, confessional style, heavily influenced by the American performance poetry scene I came up in. I’ve written a lot about heartbreak, mental health, women’s roles and how we break out of them. I’ve been lucky to be adopted into the sphere of travel writing thanks to writers like Rory MacLean, curator of the Sherborne Travel Writing Festival, and I’m interested in exploring the spaces where memoir, poetry and places meet.
WO: Can you tell us a bit about your latest book, Small Machine?
DA: Small Machine is a collection of poems that tells the story of coming of age in a foreign city. My grandfather was born in Berlin, my dad was stationed there as a US airman, and I moved there in my early twenties, so it’s a place where layers of both extra-personal and personal history feel present everywhere I go. The title refers to the idea of being a tiny cog in the complex machine of the city. As you zoom in closer, each individual is also their own ‘small machine.’
WO: What inspired you to write in the first place, and what inspires you now?
DA: My mom always encouraged me to write and illustrate stories. Eventually, writing became an outlet for me to express difficult emotions I didn’t feel I had another outlet for. Since publishing Small Machine, I aim to write more about joy and with humour, not only as a cathartic experience. When I read to an audience, I feel there’s enough difficulty in the world every day and, especially if people are coming to a show, I want to leave them with a feeling of hope! Aside from this, I gain a lot of inspiration from travelling and try to write in order to save the details and images (to paraphrase Annie Ernaux!) that strike me, to keep some kind of record.
WO: Recently Write On! explored the theme of ‘Mindset.’ What helps you get into the right frame of mind to write? Do you have any tips to prevent your mindset from being disrupted?
DA: For me at the moment, the problem is balancing the work I want to do with a day job. It’s understandably difficult, given our precarious world. But I’m a big believer in teachers like Julia Cameron (The Artist’s Way) and books like Atomic Habits by James Clear, which both advocate doing something rather than nothing; just a little writing is swell, if that’s all you have time or energy for. Just start somewhere. Editing and shaping can come later, but you need something to work with first. In my experience, worrying too much about outcome leads to self-censorship.
WO: What one piece of advice would you give an aspiring writer?
DA: As much as possible, write about your experiences as they happen. We forget details so easily; what I would give to have a diary from my first days in Berlin and all of the strange characters I came across at the time! To remember what it was like when a place is really new to you: which scents, sounds, images stand out. I know this exercise can get overwhelming, but I always prefer to have too much material to work with than too little.
WO: Can you tell us anything about future projects?
DA: I’m working on a novel, and teaching more and more, in Berlin and London. In March, I’ll also teach an online workshop with the novelist Pip Finkemeyer, on turning your personal experiences into fiction and getting more experimental with non-fiction forms. I’ve recently started a monthly meet-up for writers at the Hoxton Hotel in Charlottenburg, called Creative Fruits Mornings. Finally, I’m planning my second annual writing retreat in Venice this December. After a lot of planning and dreaming, I brought a group of fantastic international students there last winter – an incredible experience for me as a teacher, writer and lover of Venice. I can’t wait to do it again!
WO: Lastly, if you could choose one fictional animal/creature to be a pet or companion, who would it be and why?
DA: Most creatures from Miyazaki films! Of course, I dream of being Kiki, flying on a broomstick with her cat, Jiji. To hang with Totoro and get to ride in the Catbus also delights my imagination.
You can find out more about Demi Anter here, connect with her on Instagram at @anterdemi, or subscribe to her newsletter Creative Fruits for tips on writing and news of future courses. Small Machine is available to buy from most major bookshops online or directly here.
*****
Issue 27 of Write On! is out now and you can read it online here. Find it in libraries and other outlets. You can find previous editions of our magazines here.
You can hear great new ideas, creative work and writing tips on Write On! Audio. Find us on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Google Podcasts and Spotify. Type Pen to Print into your browser and look for our logo, or find us on Podcasters.Spotify.com.
*****
If you or someone you know has been affected by issues covered in our pages, please see the relevant link below for information, advice and support: https://pentoprint.org/about/advice-support/
