We recently had the chance to connect with Margaret Kathryn Warren and have shared our conversation below.
Margaret Kathryn, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Lately, I’ve been very motivated by activities that get me into a creative flow state, like hand-crafting bracelets and other crafts. There are these resin-based miniature building kits for everyday objects and foods that I just can’t stop making. They’re so cute. I even have a miniature fridge and kitchen set to put it all in. Research shows that getting into that state and doing a creative, low-stakes activity can help reduce stress. It’s also been a great activity to do with friends! I love crafting and find it so relaxing.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I call myself a pop star toad poet. I’m also a college professor, writing/reading tutor, and freelance editor. I have a fascination with toads and pop stars, and I’m curious about the ways poetry can be pop music on the page. I’m also interested in helping people with their writing and reading goals, and I’m dedicated to supporting our local community’s literacy in any way I can.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
There is this one time that really stuck with me down to my soul- my aunt gave me a huge poster board and some markers to draw a picture. I ended up writing out an entire story about my favorite characters (Puppy and Kitty), and drew these friends along the bottom of the page. My aunt was mad at me that all I did was write some weird child’s fantasy about furry friends going on an adventure, but I was proud of my work and didn’t let it bother me. The story took a unique shape being on such a big poster, which I realize now was because it was a poem taking form. This was my first poem, written at 7 years old, and the first moment I knew I wanted to become a writer. I bet she would be so proud of me today.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering and failure have allowed me the chance to soften. Especially in the face of rejection, it’s easy to turn away or to grow hard against it, but there’s so much power in choosing to remain vulnerable and open instead. I believe that softening doesn’t mean the pain doesn’t matter, but instead it allows us to meet ourselves and our hardships with compassion. I think that through softness, we preserve our ability to connect with ourselves, others, and the world, and there can be much to learn in the face of hardships. I follow the mantra very closely to my heart that strength lives in tenderness, and showing grace and kindness to ourselves in moments of darkness can help us see the way through and find what’s worth holding onto.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Whose ideas do you rely on most that aren’t your own?
One of my favorite and closely followed writers, Asao B Inoue, writes about productive failure in the classroom, and another favorite writer Jack Halberstam writes about the art of queer failure. These ideas are central and integral to my teaching practices, as I think it’s so important for students to have the opportunity to fail gracefully and safely so they can learn. Though I don’t want students to be held back by failure, I do want them to be given the chance to turn a failure into something better- which isn’t always so easy. I also want students to know that their different ways of being in the world equip them with a versatile and unique mindset and a special lens with which to see the world, and sometimes you can find that failure can create more value than success ever could.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people talk about how I rescued toads and stray cats, which number in the dozens. In my poem titled “Dad, Scientists Are Dressing Brilliant-Thighed Frogs in Pants” coming out on September 1st in Thomasonian Magazine’s inaugural issue, I describe one of these rescue ventures I took with my father. I really think those times were so important for my development as a person. I think about each and every one of them always, and hope the kindness they were shown was multiplied ten-fold to the next karmic exchange. Love those little creatures.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.maggiewarren.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toadpoetmaggs/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretkwarren/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/magsbewrites/
Image Credits
Fountain Portrait by Ashley Vogel
