Our creaky, wonderful third-floor office is not just the place where Descant magazine comes together. It’s also the home base for NOW HEAR THIS!, Descant‘s literacy-based youth outreach program.
Until very recently, one of the key members of the NOW HEAR THIS! team was Jennifer de Visser. She has since crossed the ocean in search of new challenges, but she has been kind enough to take the time to talk with us about her experiences at Descant — as well as what new experiences she is finding overseas.
To learn more, read on…
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DESCANT: What brought you to Descant? What was your role at the magazine?
Jennifer: What brought me to Descant was, in a word, Mark. Having worked with Mark Laliberte at Carousel for a few years I was excited to work and learn at a more established magazine, to see a different perspective on the same issues, and also to live and work in Toronto. My role has been that of Special Projects Coordinator for NOW HEAR THIS! This meant that above and beyond learning the ropes of how Descant runs, I was also given the amazing opportunity to get involved in youth literacy outreach. My time was generally divided between running the bi-monthly HEAR/HEAR Reading Series and developing a new series of writing workshops which would be accessible to everyone. This series became the WRITE ON! Workshops program of which I am very proud.
D: Now that you’ve moved on from Descant, how do you fill your time? Tell us a little about yourself.
J: At the moment of writing, I am just recently arrived and living in Daegu, South Korea. Based in large part to the enjoyment I found working with NOW HEAR THIS!, I’ve since continued working in alternative English education. In Daegu, I work with a team to write and edit the curriculum for a group of English language schools. Outside of work, I am taking French language classes and working on my Korean survival skills.
D: Tell us about your creative life. Any current or forthcoming projects?
J: Sources tell me that one of my poems was recently published in Misunderstandings Magazine issue 14 and that another poem is slated for issue 15. I’m waiting to see how long it takes the issues to arrive in South Korea. I am currently working on a poetry collection/manuscript of which the MM14 poem is a member.
D: Could you share with us a little about your creative process?
J: I’m still learning a lot about my creative process. I spent my childhood and adolescence writing prolifically. Then, for few years, it was as if I could no longer write. Nowadays, my creative process is based on an attempt to find a balance between writing every little thought I have and “editing” out every word I write. Lately, I’ve been attempting to approach my writing in steps; allowing myself time to write freely while also allowing myself time to edit.
D: What would be your ideal theme for a future issue of Descant?
J: Just as I was leaving Descant for South Korea, two new people had joined the office both with tales of having lived and worked in South Korea. It also turned out that Rachel Hopwood, my colleague at NOW HEAR THIS!, had spent some of her childhood living in South Korea. In another month, two former Descant interns will also be joining me in the land of the morning calm. With all this attention focused on South Korea, I think it could make a fascinating theme issue (particularly once we’ve all returned).
D: What kind of submissions would you like to see more of coming in to the journal?
J: My first love has always been poetry. As such, I’m always interested in poetry that is doing something new and fresh. I love to read from young voices and see new takes on old themes, forms, techniques, etc. Give me something that makes me feel like I’ve never seen it before.
D: What are you reading/ watching/ listening to at the moment? Tell us about it.
J: At this exact moment, I’m rereading (and writing a lesson plan on) one of my favourite children’s books, Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising. More generally, I’ve spent the last year or so on an informal quest to read classics I’ve never read before. Due to some strange turn of luck, my formal education was severely lacking in most of those “classic tomes” that everyone always groans about having had to read in school. So I’ve been hunting down Atwood, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, etc. and enjoying a good number of them. I’m beginning to realize that much of what can make a book distasteful is the simple act of being told to read it.
As for what I’m watching, I decided against having a television upon moving to Korea since I’m prone to bouts of TV addiction. In short, I’m not watching a whole lot.
At this exact moment, I’m also listening to The National. I was lucky to see them in concert (with some Descant friends) just before leaving Toronto. I’ve also really gotten into La Blogotheque‘s Les Concerts a Emporter / The Take Away Shows — live recordings of great bands in unique environments. A Canadian take on this trend can be found at Southern Souls. Some old friends even appear on this site so it comes highly recommended.
D: Which blogs or websites are you faithful to these days? What’s the appeal?
J: Two not-so-guilty-pleasure sites that I check fairly often are AfterEllen, “the pop culture site that plays for your team,” and Jezebel, “celebrity, sex, fashion for women.” My Descant colleague, Rachel, was also a great recommender of blogs. She got me interested in a number of Canadian literary sites such as Open Book Toronto, The National Post‘s Afterword, and What is Stephen Harper Reading. Since arriving in Korea, I enjoy reading these sites even more as they give me a sense of connection to the literary scene back home.
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For more about NOW HEAR THIS!, be sure to check out the website!
