Lee Suksi
Here is Lorine Niedecker’s famous poem over my correspondence with the CRA, taped above my desk.
What do you feel is your best piece of work?
My love letters are psychotically authentic.
What music have you been listening to lately?
The confident spiritual masochism in Dolly Parton’s delivery of The Seeker. Kitty Wells.
What’s in your fridge right now?
Milk and cream and butter, asparagus, brassicas, dill, capers, lemon, sage, ham, carrot, wine, Ultra Salmon Bisque for Cats. I love fried chicken but it isn’t there.
Who is the last character you related to and why?
The mommy in Mommy (2014). She’s wonderful.
Have you ever failed at something you care about?
I fail people all the time and it’s terrible. The heart of suffering.
Last gift you received?
Max got me major footwear. I wouldn’t even call them shoes.
Favourite photo you’ve taken?
A portrait of someone I loved at the time bathed in an industrial sunset.
Best season?
I prefer the highs of winter to the lows of summer, but I love the beach.
Least favourite household chore?
Hate chores except for groceries and cooking.
Best outfit you’ve ever worn?
Nakedness and necklaces because clothes are work. The job I’ve held the longest and seems the least like work is life model, because while I work I’m allowed freedom of thought.
Do you like to write in the morning or at night?
In the afternoon! If I am writing in the fullness of the day I am writing in plain sight of my own mind!
When did you first receive praise for your writing?
I’ve received praise since I could talk or else I doubt I would have continued.
What do you consider to be your first rejection?
A poster competition for a music festival. I spent a hundred hours on a hundred faces and they chose an eight-stroke rendering of their acronym.
Latest book you’ve read or favourite book ever?
Currently reading Andrea Warner’s biography of Buffy Sainte-Marie and Kate Zambreno’s Drifts. Eileen Myles’ Inferno aloud before bed. I recently finished and would recommend Cosmogony by Lucy Ives, How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa, and George, the Parasite by S.F. Ho.
Anything you’d like to promote?
Prathna Lor’s wonderful book Emanations, out this week. https://bookstore.wolsakandwynn.ca/products/emanations
Lee Suksi’s first book, The Nerves (Metatron), won the 2021 Lambda for LGBTQ Erotica. Now they are at work on a novel. Get in touch at leerosesuksi@gmail.com.
