Cirrus@Austlit

'This article reflects on the way objects can become part of the creative writing process in unfamiliar cultural contexts. I draw from my example of writing haiku in response to everyday objects found in Barcelona public space, but more than an analysis of form this article aims to address ways in which the thing-power of objects can train a poet to see more clearly in unfamiliar environments. Drawing from the research of political theorist Jane Bennett (2010) and her investigation of thing-power, as well as poets such as Francis Ponge and Elizabeth Bishop, the paper pushes past viewing objects simply as tools for human subjects and questions what happens when one explores the thingliness of objects themselves. By paying attention to local spaces through the prism of objects moving within those spaces, the paper explores ways in which creative practice can reflect on unfamiliar cultural contexts. Through my research I tested in what ways critical reflection through objects might encourage the writer to see things as they are rather than as they appear, question the influence of past experience, and enhance a receptivity to unfamiliar things.' (Publication abstract)