MFA Student Spotlight: An Interview with Madeline Tecmire
by Emily Collins
Welcome to CutBank’s weekly MFA Student Spotlight where we interview current MFA candidates at the University of Montana. This week’s spotlight is Madeline Tecmire, a talented poet and cook pursuing an MFA in poetry at the University of Montana. I recently sat down with Madeline where we discussed poetry, mentorship, and the perfect chocolate soufflé.
Emily Collins: What drew you to the MFA in poetry program at the University of Montana?
Madeline Tecmire: My entire life has only been lived in Toledo, Ohio, land of corn and wild turkeys, but after I obtained by bachelor’s degree in English Literature, I outgrew my home. I stocked shelves at Aldi and made scanning groceries a videogame which I always won, but nothing roused me like poetry. I sought UM’s graduate program because of the teaching opportunities it offered. Aside from being the #1 cashier at Aldi, teaching Creative Writing wakes me up in the morning.
EC: What are some of your poetic and/or non-poetic influences?
MT: For my senior project, I worked in the University of Toledo’s typography lab learning the construction of craft books. Everyday, I stopped outside of the door to read “What Do Women Want?” by Kim Addonizio which describes a woman exploring her sexual power. The language is what stood out to me, I want, I want, I want. While I was lucky enough to be raised to be unapologetically Madeline, topics of female sexuality is muted where I come from. Addonizio reminds me to write truly for myself.
EC: What are you working on writing-wise, and what do you hope to gain from your time at UM?
MT: I’m interested in exploring what obstacles women writers have faced and still face in literature. In my years of reading what schools have handed to me, I’ve only read a few classics by women. Frankenstein and The Outsiders are both books by female authors who omitted their name for publication so their work could reach a larger audience. This is still happening with contemporary authors like J.K. Rowling. I cannot imagine choosing between my work and my identity. I’d like to find more underrepresented voices and lead a class in reclaiming the classics.
EC: When you’re not writing, what are some of your favorite hobbies, interests, etc.?
MT: I love, love, love to cook. After moving here, I’ve sworn to try at least one new recipe a week, but I end up making at least three new recipes. It’s an expensive habit but a happy one. Growing up, my family had our staples but never branched out too far. This year, I’ve tried recipes I only heard Gordon Ramsay mention, like Beef Wellington. I’m trying to convince myself I can pull off the perfect chocolate soufflé, too. I am also a marathon crochet-er, not because I’m fast, because I can’t stand to work on a project for more than 6 months. On my best days, I sit on my balcony crocheting for eight hours listening to the latest memoir that I’m convinced will change my life—they always do.
EC: When you look back on your journey as a writer so far, what moment or moment(s) excite you the most?
MT: Working with my mentor, Tim Geiger, was one of the most exciting parts of my writing career. He runs the typography lab at the University of Toledo, and he taught me the philosophy and construction of books. After relentless pestering, he helped me put together my own chapbook of poetry, Bowl of Hearts, and let me print it on his Vandercook SP-15 proofing press. I designed every detail down to the color scheme and font which really allowed me to get closer to my work.
Leaving Ohio for this program, though, is probably my most exciting moment. The hardest part is the distance between me and my family in Ohio, but I’m a jump-off the-deep-end kind of woman. After undergrad, I felt my career, and myself, take pause. I did not understand myself well enough to tell people what I wanted, whether it regarded my career or dinner choice, it didn’t matter. Now, I’m venturing to discover what really drives me.
EC: Bonus Question: If you could quarantine with any writer throughout history, who would they be and why?
MT: If I could quarantine with one writer, I’d pick Edgar Allen Poe because at least he gets house guests rapping at his door. It seems in all Poe’s work there is something going on in a quiet house. What could be worse than isolated and bored?
Madeline Tecmire is a graduate teaching assistant studying poetry in the MFA program at the University of Montana. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Toledo where she published her first collection of poems, Bowl of Hearts. Madeline loves to binge watch MasterChef followed by chaotic attempts to recreate the dishes, but most of all, she enjoys venturing the Rockieswith her lab, Onyx, in tow
Emily Collins is the Interviews Editor for CutBank and a MFA in fiction candidate at the University of Montana. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in New Orleans Review, The Florida Review, The Atticus Review, The South Carolina Review, and others. She’s been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and other anthologies. When she’s not interviewing incredible writers, she enjoys hiking and volunteering.