D.M. Bradford
After many years of rinky-dink and messy setups, this is where the pandemic and my thirties got me. Yep, that’s a very fancy chair. Yep, that’s a space heater in April. Yep, that’s La minotaure by Mariève Maréchale.
I love my Carl Angel-5 pencil sharpener. It’s turquoise, but I love it anyway. Yep, my burrow’s tail isn’t doing amazing.
What do you feel is your best piece of work?
Best poem from Dream of No One but Myself, probably: “The Plot.” Best poem from my second book (Brick Books, 2023): “deus hose.” Best poem that might never make it to a book: “séance repair.”
What music have you been listening to lately?
Random Alchemist albums (sleeeeepy rap), Backxwash’s latest, and “Semi-charmed life” has been stuck in my head for weeks.
What’s in your fridge right now?
Lots and lots of greek yogurt, 24 eggs, BBQ tofu, whole chicken, vegetables, six liters of oat milk…
Have you ever failed at something you care about?
Failed at getting anywhere satisfying with writing fiction, at least the first time around (2002-2010).
What is the last gift you received?
A manual food mill, for the best mash potatoes.
What is your favourite photo you’ve taken?
Oh boy. I tried to quit writing by attempting to become a photographer for a few year (did and didn’t). Probably this one:
Best season?
Fall in warmer-than-Montreal places.
What is your least favourite household chore?
Getting rid of shoes.
Do you like to write in the morning or at night?
Consistently, morning does me better. But I love it when it gets late and I pick something up after my partner gets to bed. Always unplanned and less worky-feeling.
When did you first receive praise for your writing?
First year of undergrad, sporadically.
What was your first rejection?
Poetry magazine, pretty sure.
Latest book you’ve read or favourite book ever?
Looking for Livingstone by M. NourbeSe Philip (rereading).
Anything you’d like to promote?
Dream of No One but Myself, my first book!
Darby Minott Bradford is a Black poet, organizer and translator. His first book of poetry, Dream of No One but Myself (Brick Books, 2021), was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize and his second book, Bottom Rail on Top, is forthcoming from Brick Books in 2023. A founding editor of House House Press and a graduate of the University of Guelph MFA in Creative Writing, Bradford is based in Tiohtià:ke (Montréal).
