One Day : Sonia Feldman - Writer
Location : Ohio, United State
Profession / passion : Writer
Website : https://soniacfeldman.com/
Instagram : @writsonia
One Day is an ongoing project sparked by the Covid-19. In the days of isolation we would like to focus on what we do best; bringing people together. Read more about the project here.
We will be posting one new day of someones life every day until we run out of contributors. See our instagram stories to experience these peoples One Day in action.
A text, song or film that everyone should experience.
Spirited Away, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli. I think about Chihiro walking through that wall of flowers once a week.
What is the story behind your profession/ passion?
I’m a poet and a writer. I write poems about everyday moments of outsize emotional significance. I write articles about artists whose work I admire, and I’m also in the process of writing a novel at the slowest pace humanly possible.
I’m still working on the story I tell myself about how I got here.
I’ve been a reader and a writer for a long time.
My mom kind of forced the reading on me. She used to sit me down with a book and a kitchen timer.
The Secret Garden was the first novel I read through and through on my own, for myself, because I really needed to know what was going to happen to those kids and their flowers. I think that book changed what I understood to be the possible rewards of reading, and then by extension, writing.
I studied 18th century British literature in college and for my master’s degree as well (see: Clarissa, Fantomina, Emma, The Mysteries of Udolpho). I seriously considered going into academia, but ultimately felt like I had a lot of things I wanted to say that didn’t fit inside the parameters of being a professor of 18th century literature. I’m still trying to figure out how to say those things—now through poetry and fiction.
Define what beauty means to you.
I love art and writing that takes me away. I love to be whisked, picked up and relocated.
Who do you miss?
I miss everyone, but I’m also used to spending a lot of time alone and living far away from my friends. Practically speaking, what I miss most is walking. I usually walk quite a bit every day, listening to music in my headphones. I find immense mental freedom in the feeling of being on the way to something and the physical relief of movement. Of course, I can still take a trip around the block, but walking is now accompanied by an intense kind of mental vigilance.
How has the current situation affected how you work?
My normal work parameters are out the window. I feel confronted by this yawning open space, but I can’t be creative all day. I can’t just get up at 8am and start writing poetry. I need structured tasks to help me get my bearings.
I’ve been trying to channel some of that practical energy into running my email newsletter. I send one good poem a week by someone who isn’t me, plus a little commentary on why I chose that piece. It’s a pleasure to find time every week to read a bunch of poems and select a favorite.
Writing can be a very isolating experience, and working on the newsletter helps me feel like I’m in conversation with other people. I love when subscribers respond to me. It’s like mystery pen pals. And the process of researching and sharing poetry helps me feel like I’m providing a service instead of just asking people to indulge me by reading what I have to say.
Analog or digital?
Both, but I’ve never written a good first draft of a poem on a computer. Has to be pen in hand.
If you were forced to sit still for one month straight without pursuing your current profession, how would you spend your time?
I could spend much longer than a month reading books and playing video games. I surprise even myself with my ability to do nothing.