Meet Allie Nadeau

Allie Nadeau writes as if her poems are open wounds, with her veins, nerves, and sinewy fibers exposed. Oscillating between detached sarcasm and unconditional vulnerability, her poetry can be sensual, carnivorous, and panting, and at other times mournful and crying out for forgiveness. This profound sincerity anchors her work, which appears in our latest anthology, Sweat.

Follow the links below to read Allie’s poetry featured in “Sweat.”

Good Men Die Too
Murder
An Exorcism on Antidepressants
And Let My Cry Come Unto Thee
Highland Lake

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Allie was gracious enough with her time to let us interview her!  Here is that interview!

Tell us a bit about yourself outside of writing.

I’ve lived in Connecticut all my life, and somehow, I still love it there. This year I got my BFA in Theatre Performance at Central Connecticut State University. I’ve been acting since I was in fifth grade, and now I’ve started pursuing stage management. I currently work in Gloucester, MA as an assistant stage manager with Lanes Coven Theatre Co. Theatre is everything to me; it allows a kind of self-expression much like writing gives me.

When did you realize you were a writer?

I’ve loved reading my whole life, but I didn’t start writing poetry until high school. I had a crush on this guy, and I’d stay up late at night talking to him or writing poetry to deal with my feelings for him. It was nothing special, but I kept writing and learning how to use imagery; I eventually wrote something I was truly proud of. At the time, I didn’t realize how much it helped me process things. I love turning pain or simple experiences into something meaningful on the page. 

What is your relationship to writing like? Do you love it? Hate it? Further, do you write quickly and wash your hands when finished or do you labor day after day over one poem, scrutinizing every word choice? 

I love writing. I love the privacy of it, especially as a former theatre major. Putting yourself on display constantly gets exhausting, and writing has always helped me to recharge. It doesn’t feel demanding or burdensome, it feels safe. I’m a confessional poet, so I would say my work comes from within myself, but I have had times in my life where I was writing full poems every day, and it felt like something was just constantly giving me inspiration to write. I’m not religious, but I’m definitely a spiritual person, so I believe that sometimes you can receive gifts like that from the universe or whatever you believe in. 

What advice would you give to writers who are struggling to find their voice or theme?

The more I write, the more I find my voice, but I think learning the many tools that can be used in poetry or any form of writing is so helpful. You can try playing with sound, lineation, imagery, etc. and see what you like the best or what you feel enhances your writing the most. Then you become more comfortable knowing what works for you. 

Describe your writing routine or lack thereof. (E.g., early morning, late night, sporadic, feast or famine, number of words daily, etc.)

I wish I could say I had a routine for writing. When I was taking poetry classes in college, I wrote much more often. Mostly I write when something inspires me. Like I said, it’s small things. I recently went swimming at a quarry in MA, and I slipped as I jumped into the water, so my newest poem started with that image. As a writer, you look at the world differently, and that may be my favorite part. Truly anything can be about heartbreak or depression or religion, just to name a few themes.

When writing, what comes first for you: the text or the subtext, the story/plot, or the theme?

Most of the time a single image or experience is the first thing I think of before writing a poem. I’ll connect to something small, like when I was a child and swimming in the ocean would heal scabs I had on my legs. Suddenly it becomes bigger: the ocean as a metaphor for God

Inspiration strikes whenever it wants, wherever you are. Can you list some of the places you were at when you either conceived of these poems or actually wrote them?

I mentioned the ocean earlier, and the specific place that comes to mind is Westerly, RI. I grew up going to those beaches, and I always felt like swimming in the ocean can be a spiritual experience. That’s where “And Let My Cry Come Unto Thee” came from. “Highland Lake” refers to a lake in Blount County, AL. I have a lot of family down there, and we used to visit every summer. I usually spent my time reading in the sun or swimming, and whenever I was there, I felt like it healed me a little. It’s one of my favorite places in the world. 

How do you balance personal experiences with universal themes in your writing?

Every experience is unique, but the feeling you get when you remember it is often universal. Everyone knows what a breakup feels like. That’s the beautiful thing about poetry: with specificity it becomes more meaningful, but the feeling underneath is a through-line that can reach all kinds of people.

What inspired you about the theme of “Sweat,” and how does your work connect to it?

My understanding of the theme “Sweat” was kind of dirty, obsessive musings that remind you of the feeling of sweat sticking to your skin in the sun. The way that feeling relates to desire and pain (in my mind) got me really excited because I feel that so much of my poetry is obsessive in nature, whether it’s about a lover or God or my own personal struggles. 

Great work always leaves you wanting more. Where else can we find your work?

I recently had two poems published in Opal Age Tribune’s “Lovers” issue. Their website is super cool, their issues are tarot card themed. I occasionally share poems on my Instagram.