A monthly interview with Bolinas Library readers
Meg Campbell
Meg Campbell is a poet who has lived in Bolinas for the past 8 years. She arrived after riding her bike down the coast from the Oregon/Washington border with her 65lb dog, Japhy in tow. She grew up in Long Island, went to high school in Maine, and attended the University of Colorado with the intention of snowboarding more than studying.
Meg made her way through the west as a backpack, sea kayak, and flat water canoe guide for over a decade after school. She guided trips in the rugged landscapes of Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Alaska, and Washington state. Eventually an inexplicable hunger to return to the ocean led her to California.
She is currently getting her MFA in creative writing at UC Davis while concurrently teaching poetry to undergrads. She writes both poetry and prose, exploring the art of language in a genre fluid earth informed way. In an ideal world, when not writing, she would be surfing.
How long have you been writing?
I’ve always been interested in poetry and published for the first time in 5th grade in a New York state book for elementary schoolers. It was in 2019 in Bolinas when I really started writing via a daily practice of morning pages and submitting poems to the Hearsay, opens a new window. Then, during the pandemic I got more into writing.
I have one poem published in a small women's surf magazine called Emocean, opens a new window, and an online literary journal called Terrain.org, opens a new window.
What are you reading now? What’s in your pile of books? Do you read one book at a time or several?
Right now, I’m reading two books for school. Heavy, opens a new window, an incredible memoir by Kiese Laymon, and Suddenly We, opens a new window, a collection of poems by Erie Shockley. Also, in my bed with me are Too Much of Life by Clarice Lispector and Centering in Pottery, Poetry, and the Person, opens a new window by M.C. Richards. I always have a few books going at the same time. And they are usually in my bed.
What’s the best book that you’ve read this year or perhaps recommended to a friend?
Definitely the memoir, Heavy. I’ve been telling everyone to read it. It’s a memoir but it reads like fiction. It’s a lot about interpersonal relationships and is so well written. I’m just finishing it and actually listening to the audio as I drive. I can’t wait to get in the car again.
We the Animals, opens a new window by J. Torres is a beautifully written short and sparse novel about what it means to be a human and grow up in a complicated family that so touches the heart.
Ceremony, opens a new window by Silko brings the human soul and the soul of the earth together on the page which is a very hard thing to do but Silko does so, flawlessly. I’ve read it twice and will probably read it many more times, and think this book should be a part of everyone’s personal canon.
Do you like to read paper or ebooks? Audio?
I love paper and don’t touch ebooks at all. I only listen to audio in the car.
Are you a browser in the library or do you know what you want in advance? How do you find the books you want to read?
I usually know what I want in advance and ask a librarian friend to put things on hold for me. I often get given books and teachers recommend books for my style of writing.
Bookstores are also some of my favorite places in the world. Two of my favorites are Point Reyes Books, opens a new window and City Lights, opens a new window in San Francisco.
Do you have any favorite genres or any that you never read?
I’ll read a bio if it’s recommended by a friend. I’m not super into sci-fi but love Ursula Le Guin and will give anything a go if it comes with a strong recommendation.
What was your reading experience as a child? Do you remember a favorite book?
When I was young, I was a voracious reader. I often went to the library as a younger kid and there were always books in the house. I remember one book especially, Good Night, Mr. Tom, opens a new window (Michelle Magorian), a WW11 era book that takes place in Great Britain. I was 11 years old and was so obsessed with it that I wept when it was over. The author wrote it with the accent written into the book, and I couldn’t get it out of my head for a really long time. I was so engrossed in the relationship that was forged between this young boy, who was an evacuee from London, and this Mr. Tom, a widower.
Were there any books that made an impression on you in your 20s? Perhaps something that changed your consciousness?
Jack Kerouac, opens a new window and the Beat poets, opens a new window made quite an impression on me. I read The Dharma Bums, opens a new window multiple times and even named my dog Japhy, after Japhy Ryder, a central character in the book. I found it very formative. I carried a big thick book of poetry by Alan Ginsberg, opens a new window with me when I was backpacking around Europe, and also when I was guiding in backcountry. It just lived in the top of my pack. I have a habit of carrying books around sort of like talismans.
Do you have a collection of books at home?
Every flat surface is piled high with books. I put the ones I’m most inclined to pick up on the nightstand next to the bed. They are also piled on windowsills, the desk, and even under the bed because I live in such a small house.
Is there a book you always meant to read but still haven’t?
Well, I haven’t read Ulysses,, opens a new window (James Joyce) and it is on the list, but I’d have to say, Catcher in the Rye, opens a new window. (J.D.Salinger) I was never assigned it in school and have always meant to read it.
What books do you return to? Are there any books you like to reread?
Yes, I’m an avid re-reader and actually reread more than I read new titles. I’ve hiked to the same lake twice in the High Sierras and read all of East of Eden, opens a new window (John Steinbeck) in one sitting both times. I’ve read Ceremony , opens a new windowby Silko, a few times and Dharma Bums , opens a new windowin my 20s multiple times. I like to re-read Anne Carson’s work, especially Glass, Irony and God., opens a new window
Is there a famous author that you ever wanted to meet? Maybe back in time?
John Steinbeck, opens a new window for one. And Hemingway, opens a new window, but he might be difficult and is he more canceled than most? I would be interested in sharing a moment with him regardless.
As for an author living today, I would like to meet Anne Carson, opens a new window, poet and essayist. I imagine it would be awkward though. She’s so weird, but in the best way.
Where and when do you like to read? Describe your ideal reading experience.
I can read anywhere. One of my favorite places is a High Sierra Lake that I have taken a reading vacation to twice. There’s something I love about not having anything else to do but read; like to read with no distractions, being alone.
Why read
The first thing that comes to mind… it feels like books are like mirrors that show us all these different parts of ourselves, which in turn makes us feel less alone. It’s like they tap us into the collective spirit.
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