by Len Lear

-- Part Two

Susan Landers, 44, is an acclaimed poet whose most recent book, “Franklinstein, or the Making of a Modern Neighborhood” (Roof Books, $16.95), is a hybrid-genre collection that tells the story of contemporary Germantown “as it wrestles with the legacies of colonialism, racism and capitalism.” Here are some more thoughts from the author:

What jobs have you had over the years?

My very first job was at a pharmacy at the corner of Wyneva and Wayne Avenue, just across the street from Happy Hollow. This was the ‘80s, right after Reagan cut funding for the mentally ill, and I remember selling a lot of antipsychotics. As an adult, I’ve had a range of day jobs that have supported my life as a poet. I’ve waited tables, been a bookseller, bought computers for Martha Stewart, tried to write answers to every possible question for an “Ask Jeeves” wannabe start-up (that failed — shocker), built websites, oversaw the operations of non-profit programs, and on and on.

Do you have a “day job” now? If so, what is it?

I manage the editorial department at a large educational non-profit, headquartered in NYC.

When did you start writing poetry?

I started writing bad poems as a teenager. Then, after reading poetry I was actually inspired by, I started writing fewer bad poems in graduate school.

Who are your own favorite poets, past and present, and why?

I love contemporary poetry and the work of Claudia Rankine, Alice Notley and Dana Ward in particular. I love long poems and sequences; poems that look like prose but sound like poetry; poems that hum, sing and shout; poems that argue for social justice; poems that explore vulnerability and power; poems that deepen my understanding of the world and make my world bigger after hearing them.

What is your hope for “Franklinstein?”

After spending four years of my life researching, writing, editing and finding a publisher for this book, my first hope is that people read it! Beyond that, I hope it sheds light on Germantown’s beautiful complexity. The neighborhood is a microcosm of American history, and there is so much there to both enjoy and learn from. And, like all history, it continues to be made.

Is there much of an audience for poetry now except for other poets?

That very much depends on the poetry. While I’ve certainly been to poetry readings where the audience is all poets, I know plenty of writers who reach beyond those crowds. Or poets who risk their lives writing work critical of their governments. Or how poetry gets read at weddings or at the presidential inauguration or in moments of national tragedy. It makes me think that poetry is a little like Germantown in that there is poetry the real thing, and then there is the perception of poetry, and these aren’t necessarily the same.

What was the hardest thing you ever had to do?

Move to New York without a job or an apartment.

What is the best advice you ever received? 

After college I was fortunate to get a full scholarship to Washington University to attend their MFA program. Pretty soon into the first year, though, I realized the program was not a good fit for me … So when I told my mother about my dilemma, I was sure she would tell me to just suck it up, but surprisingly, she said, “Susie, if someone offered you all the butterscotch vanilla ice cream in the world — and it was totally free — but you hated butterscotch vanilla, would you eat it?” And with that my decision was made — a decision I do not regret one bit.

Which talent that you do not have would you most like to have? Why?

Photographic memory. There is so much information available to us, whether we seek it out or not, at every moment that I would love a little help remembering and synthesizing it all.

What is your most treasured possession?

When I was seven years old, my father had a heart attack at work and went directly to the hospital, where he would die two weeks later. Two days before he died, he wrote me a letter telling me how good the Jell-O in the hospital was and how he missed playing Scrabble with me in our backyard. It’s beautiful and tragic to hear him speak to my 7-year-old self. Both he and my mother, both of whom spent nearly their whole lives in Germantown, loom large in the book, and a copy of his letter appears inside it.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I would want to be able to live everywhere, moving whenever the mood struck me so I could visit or live in all sorts of places — Brooklyn, Philadelphia, India, Rome, the Isle of Skye, Hawaii, New Orleans, the Berkshires, Tokyo, Vancouver, Costa Rica, Patagonia, Iceland and on and on and on.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Take pictures of my dog, a Bassett Hound/Shar Pei/Poodle mutt. She’s like Mister Potato Head. Her parts don’t add up.

What is your most impressive characteristic?

Others seem impressed by the fact that I look about 10 years younger than I am, but I like the fact that I can spot trouble a mile away.

If you could meet and spend time with anyone on earth, who would it be?

That’s a tough one. Off the top of my head: Allen Iverson, Venus Williams, Amy Poehler. Oh no, wait, I know. Beyoncé.

“Franklinstein” can be purchased at Big Blue Marble at Greene and Carpenter Streets or through Amazon. Landers can be reached through Tumblr: susanlanders.tumblr.com/franklinstein or through Twitter @suelanders