As Fluid As My Gender: Interview with Kay Kassirer
Kay Kassirer is a poet, activist, youth advocate, and community organizer. They are the editor of A Whore's Manifesto: An Anthology of Writing and Artwork by Sex Workers, published by Thorntree Press. I am proud to have two stories in this anthology and pleased to say I loved working with Kay. Their collaboration made my writing better, which is just what you want in an anthology editor. Publisher’s Weekly calls the resulting project, “a raw, emotional collection with the aesthetic of a basement poetry slam."
We’ll both be reading from the anthology at the Book Party at Good Vibrations Polk Street in San Francisco on Friday, November 15, 2019, at 7pm. Sexy Grammar readers are invited! You’ll find a link and details at the end of this interview.
Describe your writing process in as much detail as you dare.
My writing process is as fluid and all over the place as my gender. It takes me anywhere between ten minutes and never to complete a first draft. A lot of my poems were written mostly in one go, and then there are many others that took years to figure out. I tend to read out loud to myself as I write since I focus heavily on performance.
What do writing and sex work have in common?
Writing and sex work are both careers I am able to work on while focusing on my health. They give me the flexibility and free time I need to take care of myself. Sex work pays the bills, while writing feeds my soul. Both are accessible careers as someone who is disabled with no post-secondary education.
What do you love about writing?
I love being able to transform jumbles of thoughts into cohesive sentences. Writing helps me process thoughts and sort through everything in my brain. It also allows me to share what I’m thinking and how I’m feeling in ways that make sense to the world around me.
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I coax sexy writers like Kay Kassirer to reveal their creative secrets and processes in writer interviews to inspire you:
Follow Kay and A Whore’s Manifesto on Twitter.
Learn more about Kay’s work on their website.
Attend the Book Party in San Francisco with sex work literati, sips and bites, Q&A, a book signing, and 10% off shopping at Good Vibrations Polk Street and on Friday, 11/15. See you there!
Feeling inspired? Book a private session with me, The Sexy Grammarian. You always leave private sessions with homework and inspiration, and the first session is always free.
