Q&A with Southern Miss English Professor About New Poetry Collection
Tue, 04/22/2025 - 01:00pm
Dr. Olivia Clare Friedman has launched a new collection of poems titled (LSU Press, 2025), a work that celebrates being fully present while acknowledging the fleeting nature of time. Balancing themes of nostalgia, loss, and wonder, the collection fluidly shifts between elegies and affirmations of the present moment.
At the heart of the book lies a sequence of narrative pieces, titled Camera Poems, which explore themes of isolation, hopefulness, and self-awareness. Several poems also examine motherhood鈥攖he excitement and novelty, the routine, and the translucent sleeplessness it brings. While loss remains a constant presence throughout, the collection ultimately seeks to restore a sense of attentiveness to both the mundane and the extraordinary. The tone is often wistful, evoking a longing to reconnect with wonder and presence in one鈥檚 surroundings.
Dr. Friedman, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Writers within the English program in the School of Humanities at The University of Southern Mississippi, recently celebrated the release of her poetic work.
In an exclusive interview, she reflects on the inspiration behind the book, how her experiences as a poet and author shape her teaching at Southern Miss, and the powerful connections she hopes to form with readers.
Q: What was the inspiration behind An Arm Fixed to a Wing?
Dr. Friedman describes the inspiration for An Arm Fixed to a Wing as an exploration of both grand and intimate ideas. "All large and small things at once. That's how I think of poetry," she explains. This philosophy carries over into her fiction as well. "I'm thinking about the significant, eternal questions, and I'm thinking about the small daily tasks of life." Themes such as nostalgia, the spirit, motherhood, and the profound meaning we find in our surroundings are central to the book鈥檚 emotional depth.
Q: How does your experience as a poet and author shape the way you teach and mentor your students?
With a career devoted to writing and teaching, Dr. Friedman emphasizes the importance of maintaining a consistent writing practice. 鈥淚 talk often with my students at Southern Miss about how to sustain a writing practice鈥攖hese are questions I ask myself,鈥� she shares. Drawing from her own experience, she highlights the need to be attentive to the world around us, viewing writing as an act of focused observation. Her guidance goes beyond practical advice, fostering honest and reflective conversations with her students. 鈥淗ere, we cultivate an environment of mentorship and mutual inspiration. We inspire one another,鈥� she notes.
Q: What do you hope readers will take away from An Arm Fixed to a Wing?
Dr. Friedman expresses a deep desire for emotional connection. "I hope readers have emotional experiences while reading鈥攚hatever the poem calls up for them," she says. She believes that even a single line, image, or sound can spark something meaningful in the reader. Recent feedback from friends reflects this goal, as they鈥檝e shared how specific poems from the book resonated deeply with them. "That emotional attachment from the reader鈥攅ven to just one poem鈥攊s my hope," she concludes.
About the Author
Dr. Olivia Clare Friedman is the author of four books, most recently the poetry collection An Arm Fixed to a Wing (2025) from LSU Press. She is also the author of the novel Here Lies (Grove Atlantic), the short story collection Disasters in the First World (Black Cat/Grove Atlantic), and the poetry collection The 26-Hour Day (New Issues). Her fiction and poetry have appeared in Paris Review, The Atlantic, and elsewhere.
Learn more about the Southern Miss Center for Writers. For details about her book, visit the LSU Press .