Poet C. Prudence Arceneaux is Chair of the Creative Writing Department at Austin Community College. Her work has appeared in various journals, including The Academy of American Poets’ Poem-A-Day, Limestone, New Texas, African Voices and Inkwell. She is the author of two chapbooks of poetry — Dirt (awarded the 2018 Jean Pedrick Prize) and Liberty. Her new full-length collection Proprioception is now available Texas Review Press. Fellow Texas poet Naomi Shihab Nye writes of Propriception: “How Arceneaux manages to be wry, sexy, contemplative, and rueful all at once, is a wonder.” Our conversation ranges from the earthy sensuality of Arceneaux’s poems to the curiosity that inspires many of her poems, and she shares several poems from Proprioception.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, if you want to try your hand at writing a poem, begin with your grocery list, or someone else’s shopping cart. Then begin to explore the stories, needs, and desires behind the items in the list or the cart. Contemplate the items and see what language follows from them. If you try this, please share your creations with us!

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 6: Gratitude, Gentleness, and Generosity with Mayela Padilla Manasjan, Episode 52: Texas Poet Laureate Amanda Johnston, Episode 73: Theatre, Storytelling, and the Labor of Creativity with Marcus McQuirter, PhD.

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review!

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

Prudence’s New Poetry Collection: Proprioception

Prudence’s Poem “Menopause”

Prudence Arceneaux on Instagram

Austin Community College Creative Writing Department

Show / permanent hyperlinks:

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

Austin Writing Coach