Art Blogs: Karen Finneyfrock

Karen Finneyfrock Blogs

Finneyfrock at Richard Hugo House. Photo by Andrew Waits.

Poet and author Karen Finneyfrock sat down with City Arts editor Mark Baumgarten to talk about her poetry and her new young adult novel for this month's issue of City Arts Seattle. But Finneyfrock also keeps a semi-regular blog on writing and the Seattle Slam Poetry scene. We wanted to find out what a writer of her stature thinks of this new-ish medium.

Why did you decide to start blogging?

I've had my blog about a year and I should start by confessing that I'm a fake blogger. At times (often in the summer) I let weeks slide by without a new post, other times of year l post almost daily. Many serious bloggers would write me off for inconsistency.

Has blogging changed how you think of writing?

As a professional writer, it's a challenge to keep a regular blog. If I am working on a novel, then writing my blog feels like a distraction, time away from the work I should be doing. But, if I'm promoting a book, then connecting with an audience feels like time well spent. The work of keeping a blog makes me a better writer because I'm always thinking about my reader and how to contextualize information that will make it relevant to someone who stumbles across my post.

What blogs do you follow?

I was really into the blog by poet Rachel McKibbens, but it went defunct in '09. She was posting a lot of writing prompts. Her older posts are worth reading. The writer Mike McGee has an entertaining blog called Mike McGee Town. Hugo House's new blog is great.

Is blogging a creative medium and is that medium going anywhere?

Without doubt, blogging is a creative pursuit. The medium is defined; some of the content will be original and exciting and some won't. One thing that is important to acknowledge is that the audience is there for a blog. If you create something worthwhile, people will find it and come back to it. Where there is a willing audience, there will be savvy creators ready to entertain. 

Karen Finneyfrock is a writer and teacher who lives in Seattle, WA and is currently a writer-in-residence at Richard Hugo House. She has been heavily involved in the Slam Poetry scene as a member of numerous national teams and honored as a "Legend" at the 2006 Austin National Poetry Slam. Read more about her work in the March issue of City Arts Seattle and at Richard Hugo House.