Priscilla McGreer

1, Tell us about you, and your writing (themes, influences etc.)

I’ve been a writer since I was a small child who did not yet know how to properly read and write. I would fill notebooks with scribbles only I could “read” and recount the stories therein to my amused parents. My love for stories is not only a cornerstone of my identity; it is also foundational to my writing. Central to all my work are stories, either of my own invention or those from depths deeper than any single human mind: the myths and tales that belong to us all.

2, What are some of the ways in which you promote your work, and do you find these add, or eat into, your time writing?

Although social media is universally regarded as a distraction from “real life” I have found it to be a singular enhancement to my life as a writer, and it is my primary tool for promoting my work. Making connections with readers and other writers via my social media presence has opened me up to individuals and communities I would not so have easily encountered in my regular life. I rarely direct pitch my work to others, whether through social media or any other venue, rather I seek connections and build relationships with the like-minded. The time I spend communicating with such people is a source of inspiration and encouragement for me and a boon to my writing.

3, What projects are you working on at present?

My current projects are a collection of short stories titled “Love and other Provocations” and a narrative poem called “The Dream” Both these works are explorations of romance from the perspective of a young woman. “The Dream” is my first narrative poems, whereas “Love and other Provocations” is a return to my initial literary mode, the short story.

4, What does poetry mean to you?

Poetry is the soul expressing its love for the world.

Poet Priscilla McGreer’s Confessions of a Self-Loathing Narcissist presents an exploration of self-hood through the cosmic lens of astrology. Each poem in this series is inspired by and named after one of the twelve houses of the zodiac, considering universal themes such as love, life, sex, death, childhood, and friendship that become profoundly personal within the verses. The brooding yet exultant musings of this poetry collection aptly takes its name from the Greek myth of the tragically self-obsessed Narcissus.

Confessions of a Self-Loathing Narcissist is an inquest into the sometimes dreadful awakening that can only be ever so painfully gained through self-knowledge. The introspective honesty of the poetry in this collection opens a path to triumphant release from the enthrallment with misery and self-limitation that plagues our self-centred culture.