There is a common theme of food and preparing meals to display connection and familial ties in your poetry. How does your experience with family and food influence your writing?

Writing about food offers an opportunity to form layers in a poem. Sometimes I begin with a character shopping at the farmers market for the ingredients, or with the dicing and slicing of ingredients, where tears caused from the onion and memories of a lost loved one become all mixed together.

In “Cooking Mystery,” there is an intertwining of the past and present as the speaker follows their mother’s footsteps in the kitchen. How did you navigate the integration of time in the poem? 

With “Cooking Mystery,” the initial idea came after reading an article about the Buddhism practice of being in the moment while performing even the simplest task.

Playing with time presents the option to write in present tense, which I find more vivid. When I open in the present, provide a backstory, then return to present day, this provides movement, a sense of taking the reader behind the scene.

What are some of your forms of inspiration when beginning a new piece? 

My main inspiration is reading: poetry journals and anthologies, cookbooks, National Geographic, The Sun Magazine. Online, I often query some word that pops into my head. For instance, the word breath, National Geographic search responded with more than one article on how scientists estimate each new gulp we draw into our lungs carries elements of history—yesteryear molecules from Caesar’s last gasp in A.D.44. Likewise, another chance encounter with particles exhaled by dinosaurs.

The images of the recipe and the mother are incredibly authentic in the piece. How do you approach creating sensory images? 

The mother character that often appears in my work comes from limited exposure I had with my mother, who was removed from the home when I was seven years old. Many of my memories are grounded in the kitchen. My mother’s oatmeal-raisin cookies took two hands to hold—myth or memory—no matter, I could taste how much she loved me in one bite.

The title of the poem is so intriguing. What is your process for deciding on the title of a poem?

Titles, for me, represent approximately fifty percent of the energy required to write a poem. I’ve never found a formula each poem has its own unique need. Much like a recipe, you want to entice someone to try a taste, take a bigger bite.

Do you have a favorite dish you prepare? If so, what?

I live in the PNW where we have long, gray days, and months of rain. Soup is a favorite to prepare, all kinds. When I’m not making up or following a recipe, I often find myself writing about food, simple soups as well as other complicated dishes. Both activities bring pleasure, adding warmth to overcast days.

Read Pat’s poem, “A Cooking Mystery” in dulcet Literary magazine, vol. One, Issue No. 1.