If you’re anything like me, a novice or aspiring writer, you may spend your time poring over the Iris website, attending Flux open mics, or with your head in a book thinking to yourself: Damn, how do they do that? “That,” in this case, means putting beautiful meaning to feeling, carefully painting a portrait of the most intimate parts of life, uniting words and concepts together in a beautiful marriage of writing or poetry.
Behind every lyrical and poetic genius, however, is a growing writer that had to start somewhere too. In my interview with Cassie Dallas, Iris writer, Flux poet, poetry major, comedic genius (someone who could undoubtedly make me laugh in any situation), and gift to this world, I uncovered a bit of her own beginnings and those “behind the scenes” moments from beautifully crafted pieces I admire so much.
"I've always liked writing, but I didn't consider myself a poet until I took my first poetry writing class here."
Caroline: To begin, you’re already quite involved in the writing and poetry space at UVA. Why did you decide to join the Iris team?
Cassie: I had been reading Iris last year around the time they opened up the application for internships and so I was like, why don't I apply? I really liked all of the writing I was reading. I thought it could be really fun and I wanted to kind of push myself to try writing in different genres and try publishing things, which is something that I get to do at Iris every cycle. I've been trying to mix it up a little bit and try something new. I was also interested in the community aspect of getting to know all the different writers and editing our pieces together and giving each other feedback, I thought would be really fun.
How did you first get into writing poetry?
I've always liked writing, but I didn't consider myself a poet until I took my first poetry writing class here… And I was like, "oh, maybe I am a poet." I've written a lot of different things. I dabbled in fanfiction [and] creative nonfiction…when I was in high school and middle school, and I loved writing, but I'd never really written poetry unless it was for a school assignment.
And then, on a whim to do my writing requirements, I took Introduction to Poetry Writing, and in that class, I was like, “oh, no, this is my favorite type of thing to write.” And I just haven't looked back since. I feel very lucky to have been in that class, my classmates were incredible. A bunch of them are also poetry majors now, so I've gotten to be in classes with them my entire time at UVA...They've inspired so much of my writing and were a big influence in why I wanted to be a poetry major, but how I first got into writing poetry is kind of recent. Looking back, a lot of the things I was writing that weren't poetry wanted to be poems, I just didn't know.
"Love and poetry is like a classic, timeless theme. So are stories of queer love."
That's so cool. I didn't know it was so recent, just like a recent love.
Yeah. I think sometimes, if I didn't take that class, where would I be now?
On the topic of falling in love, in your Iris bio, you mentioned that your work surrounds exploring queer love and deconstructing beauty standards. Why is writing about queer love important to you?
I think some of it is just writing what I know. As somebody who is queer and doesn't necessarily subscribe to traditional beauty standards, it was just naturally a lot of what I was gravitating towards in my writing. Love and poetry is like a classic, timeless theme. So are stories of queer love. I've written a lot about my relationship to femininity and deconstructing this notion of what femininity is and how it relates to masculinity, especially from the perspective of a woman.
So it’s just something I think about a lot in my life and I've thought about a lot going into college; how I'm navigating having this expanded ability to express myself now that I'm older and know myself better and am more confident and comfortable with who I am. So I think that just comes up in my writing a lot because it comes up in my life a lot.
It's also important to me too, because I think a lot of people can relate to it. I've definitely had multiple times where I've read a poem about something personal to me, in that sphere where somebody puts into words something that I've experienced too. I write about it because it's what I know but also, I think it's important to put those narratives out there because there are other people who feel the same way and maybe don't know how to put it into words yet.
"Other times when I'm writing poetry, it's because inspiration just struck. And honestly, when I'm done writing poems that way, sometimes, I'll read it and I'll be like, 'there's no way I wrote that.'"
Sometimes, putting your experiences into words and writing what you know can be an extremely emotional experience. How do you feel when you write?
I have two categories of how I write. Sometimes I have to sit down because I'm like, “okay, I have this poem I need to turn in for class” or “I just need to get this idea done. I've been procrastinating on it forever.” Usually, in those times, it feels kind of like I'm studying. I'm being very methodical. I'm thinking like, "okay, this is what I want to accomplish, how am I going to accomplish it?" Kind of, “how's this poem going to operate? What kind of journey is it going to take?” Also, if I'm really struggling, I'll think about what kind of sonic landscape am I building, what sounds do I want it to have, or what kind of visual themes are emerging?
Whereas there are other times when I'm writing poetry, it's because inspiration just struck. And honestly, when I'm done writing poems that way, sometimes, I'll read it and I'll be like, “there's no way I wrote that.” It's kind of like emerging from a trance and I've just written something and thinking, “when did this happen?” Those are usually my favorite poems, because there's just less pressure surrounding it. I'm just letting myself explore whatever is coming to my mind.
"But one thing I do really appreciate about Iris is it lets me try a lot of new things."
Expanding on your method to writing, how is writing for Iris different from other types of writing you have done in the past, like the poetry you write for class?
I find writing for Iris very different than writing for poetry classes, because it's a different audience. When I'm writing for Iris, I'm really thinking about who's going to read this piece and who's going to enjoy it. When I'm writing for a poetry class, I'm not necessarily trying to put out a finished product that I think stands on its own. It's more about the collaborative aspect of getting feedback from the professor and classmates and seeing "okay, how can I improve this? What direction could I take it?" I'll also do riskier things in class because if it flops, only the people in that class see it, it's not for everyone.
But one thing I do really appreciate about Iris is it lets me try a lot of new things. In poetry classes, you're writing poems. You're not sitting there writing like an op-ed or doing an interview piece. You're kind of stuck in that one genre. And so it's been nice getting to expand my genre and try new things that I probably wouldn't ever write if I wasn't in Iris.
"Partly, I was inspired by Cheyenne, saying she's trying to write all these different types of pieces. I thought, maybe I should push myself...let me try a wealth of different things."
I noticed that you’ve taken that opportunity to try new things through Iris and you’ve published a wide variety of pieces so far. I was dying reading your “Luck of the Irish” recap and loved your “Love Yourself in Every Language” piece. What is your brainstorming process like?
Partly, I was inspired by Cheyenne, [a fellow Iris writer], saying she's trying to write all these different types of pieces. I thought, maybe I should push myself, like I don't need to be in Iris to just write poems, so let me try a wealth of different things. My brainstorm process is that I usually look at the theme on Friday, a couple of hours before our meeting and I'm like, okay, I have two hours to figure out what I'm going to pitch. And I'll either brainstorm, just write a list of everything I think of related to the topic, or I'll be like, I want to write an interview piece this week, what's something that kind of relates to the theme?
For Luck of the Irish, the theme was “wishes,” and I think I was gonna pitch something else. Then Jordan did a piece on a different Disney Channel movie, 16 wishes. And my birthday is on St. Patrick's Day, so Luck of the Irish, like I've seen it a million times because there's not a ton of St. Patrick's Day movies…It's just such a delightfully bad movie. So I thought maybe that would be fun to write about. When I was writing it, I was like, "these are just the things if I'm watching this movie with my friends or my brother that we're saying out loud."
Overall, Iris is a great place to try new things because everyone's so supportive and if you ever need help with anything Jasmine—[Iris editor]—and Miriella—[Iris publisher]—are so helpful.
Speaking of other Iris writers, what’s your favorite piece someone else has written for Iris?
That's a good question. I really loved “Love Letters to Lexi on His Birthday,” which was about Jordan’s cat. Reading that piece was such a nice feeling. I also have cats so it made me think about my bond with my cats and how special it is to be able to hold your cat and be like, "I love you." And then the cat is like “what are you doing right now.” I also really loved Eryn's piece about John Mulaney and parasocial relationships. I wasn't even a fan of John Mulaney, but I was really interested in all of the news surrounding him and I just think all of Eryn's pieces are really smart. I also love how Cheyenne has done like every single type of piece ever. And Miriella’s poem that came out last cycle was just such a beautiful elegy and I've taken lots of classes with her, but I never really got to hear her poetry before and it was just absolutely beautiful.
"Write for yourself, not for other people. Tell the stories that you want to tell. Tell the stories that feel authentic to you."
Reflecting on what we’ve talked about today and when you first started, what is your advice for those beginning to write?
Write for yourself, not for other people. Tell the stories that you want to tell. Tell the stories that feel authentic to you. Don't necessarily worry about who's going to read this, is somebody going to judge me for writing this? Because at the end of the day, it's your voice, it's your story.
I would also say don't get caught up in being perfect. I think this is advice even now I still need. But if you're so caught up in being perfect, it can make it difficult to sit down and write or to see the value in work that's not finished or that's not at the level you want it to be. When you're first starting to write it can be difficult, especially if you're comparing yourself to published novels or poems. Those people have been writing poetry for years. That's their job.
[Find] value in what you've written at the level you're at and don't put too much pressure to be perfect or to write stories that other people want to hear. Write what you want to hear and make sure to leave room to be proud of yourself.
