The inclusion of Ada Limon's quote provides further insight into the title and the poem. What led to the decision to include the quote?

The line is from the poem “I Have Wanted Clarity In Light of My Lack of Light” by Ada Limon. I was always struck by that line and how the sensitive and authenticity of animals can teach us so much. The poem came to me on the eve of my adult daughter’s departure back to college, after a wonderful week-long visit. We were walking on the beach and dogs were running up and down, frolicking in the waves, and I remembered something my daughter had said earlier about dogs having no sense of time. And at that moment, I felt more dog than mother, certain that I would never see my daughter again and just feeling terribly sad because I so enjoy her company. And yet, part of being a good mother of an adult is letting them go.

Your bio mentions that you received a Ph.D in Russian literature from the University of Bath, UK. How has that education influenced your writing?

Russian literature tends toward the metaphysical, the psychological, the philosophical. Studying Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Anna Akhmatova and Pushkin gave me a hunger to explore these same issues in my writing. Specifically regarding craft, Dostoevsky’s use of polyphony in his writing (allowing the different characters to express Dostoevsky’s own conflicting beliefs) influenced my writing and all the conflicting and dissonant thoughts I am trying to make sense of and come to peace with.

The perspective in “All Dog” establishes the relationship between the speaker and her daughter. How did you decide on the point of view?

Following on from questions 2, my poetry is usually conversational—either my conversation with myself or the Universe or loved ones. In this poem, I am giving voice to my many “mama voices” and my daughter’s independence. 

There is a feeling of hope for the future intermingled with nostalgia. What is your process for creating perceptible emotion in your poetry?

My process usually involves a feeling or thought I am wrestling with and then some real-life event happens that offers itself as a metaphor, my life-teacher, that says—here is your answer, here is a way to process this thing you’re dealing with. I am blessed with so many of these gifts, which is why I always have a notebook with me…you never when one of these gifts might arrive!

It was noticed that you have been writing since you were a teenager. How has your writing evolved since those early years?

As a teenager, I wrote because my diary was the only place I felt I could be completely true. And those diary entries eventually became poems. So they were raw and unfiltered. Having studied literature and creative writing, I have learned some useful techniques, but as I get older I find education can also stifle our voice. So now, I am trying  to return to that same freedom I had as a teenager.

Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what is your favorite soundtrack or genre?

That is a great question! And music really influences my writing. I come from a very musical family—bluegrass and country, and as I got older I expanded my love of music to jazz, classical, hip hop…pretty much anything except for really loud punk or heavy metal. Though I do like some ACDC. So yes, I do listen to music when I write and it can definitely shape the writing. I will sometimes choose a song that I think matches the spirit of the poem. But sometimes I just need silence. So, no hard and fast rules…I let the muse decide.

Read Tara’s poem, “All Dog” in dulcet Literary magazine, vol. One, Issue No. 1.