It’s a pleasant experience reading Mia’s poetry.
I’ve often been amazed by her deep understanding of complex emotions and precise descriptions of life. So, when I got the opportunity to interview, Mia became a natural addition to my wish list. In this special interview, we delve into the topics of literature and writing, capturing the unique development of Mia as a student of literature and poetry writer.
How did you become interested in reading?
I’ve always read but, for a long time, it wasn’t something I did in my free time. I read a book for my literature class on Saturday and read a book for school. And that was it. The books I was exposed to were mostly classics which, while I don’t dislike them, were challenging reads and sometimes not as relatable.
When everything shut down and we were at home, Instagram and Ticktok algorithms suggested romance and literary fiction to me. That’s how I started reading contemporary literature. It’s embarrassing but my first book was a Colleen Hoover book. Then, I got pulled on to Goodreads which made me become more fascinated because how there was so much to discover.
What’s cool about modern literature is that its themes are more relevant. The language may be more direct but the authors offer meaningful commentary on human relationships and modern problems prevalent in our day-to-day lives. So, these books got me truly into reading because they fascinated me with what words can do and how much you can resonate with people on an emotional level.
I can relate!
Yeah. Literary fiction is when the story doesn’t have much plot but focuses on the characters. I really like people-focused books because it’s like exploring people through literature. Especially when we were separated from each other during the pandemic, learning from literary fiction was interesting.

When did you start writing poetry?
That’s an interesting question because I have no clue. I was originally more of a short story writer until I realized poetry’s uniqueness because it’s abstract and I didn’t need to know what was happening in the next stanza unless I’m writing a plot-based poem.
I think I started writing more during the pandemic. As cliché as it sounds, the pandemic gave me more time to focus on my emotions. It was an interesting period because no one knew what was happening and poetry gave me an opportunity to sit down with these emotions like journaling.
Poetry helps me notice the small things around me and find ways to enjoy these aspects that we often take for granted which I find very beautiful.
What is your writing process?
I think my writing process has changed a lot over time. Before I would start with an idea like a premise. Recently, I’ve started focusing on emotions and picking an emotion I want to put down on paper and express. Sometimes I am journaling and as I’m writing my thoughts through a stream of consciousness, it would gradually move toward a poem or I would find an idea interesting and explore that some more.
I think that’s great because it makes the writing process less intimidating.
Yeah, that’s something I learned this summer. Journaling lessens the anxiety of trying to ‘write a good poem or story’. I feel that when I sit down I’m just here to write down some thoughts and it doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad because I’m just journaling. I think that makes words come easier because you’re not trying to sound a certain way, making writing more natural.

As the creator, do you hope your readers will gain anything after reading your poetry?
I think it depends on what type of poem it is. For poems with a political message, there’s definitely a need to get your point across.
I’ve written poetry with themes like abusive relationships and patriarchy and I think it’s a great way to offer a perspective on these topics. I think what’s cool about poetry is that a poem’s themes are often delivered through communicating someone’s experience like the feelings of a woman who is in an abusive relationship instead of preaching to the reader.
Besides poems with a political message, poems are also about traces of life’s beauty. Those poems are a vibe if that makes sense. It’s as if they’re saying, ‘Hey, have you noticed this small thing about life?’ These poems can romanticize things in your life which is interesting and should be done I think. It’s not trying to make our life look perfect like on social media but remembering the details we often forget and shifting our mindset to notice them.
When I was reading your poem, White Fern, I was curious about what inspired you to write it because it has an interesting structure and topic.
I was touring Smith College’s Botanic Garden and the teacher mentioned Sylvia Plath used to write poems here all the time and encouraged us to do the same. We sat outside the garden and were given an assignment. While writing this assignment, I thought of Maggie Nelson’s Bluets. She writes in fragments which is what you see in White Fern. She writes about how she likes the color blue in 200 bullet points. There’s something really interesting about it because it’s little fragments and little pieces. So, I picked out the White Fern in the Botanic Garden. I wanted to build a story or write a few details I noticed in a poetic way about this fern which is not the most surprising thing you would see outside but if you looked deeper you could see something unique in this plant and you can make it into something that’s poetic.
So for this poem, I listed out five traits of this plant in this poem.
It was definitely experimental because I’ve never written anything like that. I totally recommend Bluets. It’s such an interesting piece.

What characteristics of a book are necessary for you to call them “good”?
Hmm, I’ve never thought of it as a criteria or rubric before. I definitely enjoy books that comment on diverse topics and have a degree of social commentary. I like it when books leave you thinking like for a few days, weeks, or months. If a book challenges me to think and dig deep into small details, then I think it’s a good book.
Why do you want to pursue a degree in English?
It’s funny because, in the entirety of middle school, English was my least favorite subject. Like ever.
When I came to SHSID in 6th grade, my biggest nightmare was to be in an English class. However, in 9th grade, the English curriculum changed and it exposed us to social problems through lenses like Marxism and feminism. These classes changed and challenged my perspective of life and no subject had that effect on me before. English pushed me to unlearn many things and it became much more than a subject to me.
If someone came up to you saying an English degree is “meaningless”, what would you say?
[Laugh] I had this conversation with so many people before.
I think you can learn so much about people through books. When you’re reading a book, you spend 400 pages, for instance, with a character. You’re diving into their thoughts and life—it’s like getting to know someone and you might become more familiar with them than someone in real life. By reading well-built characters, we’re equipped with the knowledge to better understand and empathize with the people around us.
Also, an English degree’s demanding reading list teaches you to become a more well-rounded person by encouraging you to think and exposing you to a variety of topics you might’ve never learned. English is so interdisciplinary so you’re not only studying literature but also history, psychology, etc. to name a few.


Thank you Mia for providing her valuable insights on literature and writing!
If you would like to share your passions or interests, please contact us through thepvlsemagazine@outlook.com
photo credits: Mia H