This week, we talked with one of the contributors of the Fall 2021 issue of Short Vine about their published piece, their writing process and asked for some insight for future contributors. 

Marianna Dionysiou (She/Her) is from Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a current undergraduate student at the University of Cincinnati. When she is not writing, she enjoys knitting, reading, watching Timothée Chalamet’s movies, and listening to Taylor Swift. 

You can check out more of Marianna at her Instagram or on her website. 

Be sure to read Marianna’s poem “For You, My Immigrant Parents” in our last issue of Short Vine. 

Short Vine: In Short Vine’s Fall 2021 issue focused on identity, your piece “For You, My Immigrant Parents” was chosen for the poetry section. This piece was a deeply moving ode to your parents and an open acknowledgement to the struggles they pervaded through and the support they’ve given you. Can you give us some insight into the process of writing this piece? 

Marianna Dionysiou: Sure! I took a creative writing class last semester, and one of the prompts was to use repetition. I wanted to create a tribute piece for my parents, and I thought repeating “for” would allow me to showcase everything they had done for me while continually reinforcing the idea that this piece is a tribute to them; in other words, “for” them. It originally started as a four stanza poem which is now the last section of my four-part piece; however, I was unsatisfied with the original draft because I wanted to show growth in some way, and I felt like the draft did not offer the complexity behind the emotions I wanted to convey. I added three sections where half of the stanzas in each section focused on my parent’s actions, while the other half focused on my own because I wanted to emphasize that my relationship with them often propelled my emotions. Lastly, I decided to italicize my thoughts and directly spoken words which are indented after each section to highlight growth and changing emotions. The decision to use a countdown with roman numerals was to show a culmination of acceptance and an attempt at reconciliation. 

Short Vine: The poem is broken out into four sections, each with their own aside of what can be presumed as your voice speaking to your parents in those moments. There is a very clear transition from embarrassment and frustration to love and appreciation. Can you dive into how you’ve shifted through those emotions both in life and in the poem? Was there a specific moment that shifted your perspective? 

Marianna: The first two sections of my poem convey an attempt at assimilation and frustration, while the last two focus on understanding, reflecting, and reconciliation. Although unintentional, this poem is divided in half due to this shift; essentially, I wanted embarrassment and respect to be featured equally, so naturally, the transition between the two emotions split the poem in half. I wanted to take the audience on a journey of understanding with me. The shift is apparent in the third section; specifically, the italicized aside; looking at all the asides, they feature the most explicit shift of emotions because they feature direct thoughts or what was spoken. In addition, I wanted each section to reflect a different age, so as the poem progresses, I do too (in terms of age and understanding). I choose to do this because I think emotional shifting in life is a natural process that happens with age. I don’t recall a specific moment in time that made me reconsider my emotions as a child; as I got older, I had and continue to have more appreciation for my parents. 

Short Vine: Since this issue of Short Vine was an issue that selected pieces with strong senses of identity and self discovery of identity, can you give some insight on how being the child of immigrant parents shaped your personal view of your identity? Has this identity shaped any of your other work? 

Marianna: As a child of an immigrant, you are in some regards at a constant schism between the culture you are growing up around and your parent’s culture. This juxtaposition between the two cultures often left me uncomfortably unsure of how to proceed in any given situation. As a child, you want to be accepted and viewed as the same as everyone else; I would argue that although theoretically, as children, we want to be unique, we truly just want to fit in and make friends. The desire for individualism comes later for many, including myself. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t hyper aware of every aspect that would differentiate me from my peers as a child. For me, this schism manifested itself by having two distinct personalities at home and school. The desire to fit in even influenced the food I wanted to bring to school and the way I interacted with people. I think everyone means well, but when someone critiques the food you bring at lunch, as an eight-year old, you might (like I did) internalize it and ask for peanut butter and jelly the next day at school (even if you like your mom’s food better). This made me feel inauthentic and left me feeling like I was too Greek to be American and too American to be Greek. As I’ve grown older, I have found a way to bridge the two cultures I am constantly surrounded by in a way that feels comfortable in all areas of life. I think identity shapes everyone’s work. Portraying your identity in a piece is one way to evoke and portray your own emotions that someone might relate to. I have other pieces that focus on my identity as a child of immigrant parents and pieces that focus on other aspects of my identity.

Short Vine: This is a deeply personal piece, full of strong emotion that takes a reader through this journey with you. What inspired you to choose this piece for submission to Short Vine? What was the decision process like in regards to sharing such an individualized piece? 

Marianna: I wanted to share this piece somewhere, and I wanted this to be my first piece published ever. I had other pieces I was considering sending to Short Vine; however, I decided just to send this one because it was the one I was and am most proud of. In addition, the prompt was reflecting on identity, so I felt like this edition of Short Vine would provide a perfect home for my piece. I think anytime you are vulnerable, it’s nerve-racking, so I was a little hesitant to share this piece, but ultimately I decided to share it (although I have yet to show it to my parents). 

Short Vine: Where do you find the most inspiration for your work? What types of roadblocks do you find when writing or developing your work? How do you overcome those difficulties? 

Marianna: I am inspired by current emotions, events, nature, and sectors of my identity. I often find a particular word or idea that inspires me to create a piece around that word or idea. Reading other people’s work and looking at literary devices they use in their writing can inspire me to attempt to use them as well. I always have difficulty editing my pieces. I often have a particular stanza or section that I feel is better than the rest, so I am constantly trying to make the entire piece something I am proud of, and go through multiple drafts to try to achieve that. In addition, when dealing with certain concrete forms, I always have difficulty not straying from them because I can never comfortably fit exactly what I am trying to say with a structured form. Editing-wise, I always get a friend to look at my piece to offer critiques, and I honestly, most of the time, scrap the concrete form and instead opt to write free verse. There is always room for progress, so I hope to explore other forms and create something I enjoy that I will not have the urge to stray from! 

Short Vine: If you had one piece of advice for writers that were considering submitting their pieces for publication, what would it be? Is there anything you’d like them to know? 

Marianna: My advice is to just go for it! You might get rejected from 50 publications before you get accepted. It is important to remember that sometimes you are rejected because your writing does not fit the “vibe” of the publication; it doesn’t mean it’s terrible. I would also suggest getting a professor or a friend to look over your work. They might offer insight or advice that could propel your piece into being something better than it was initially. In addition, take an intro to creative writing class. If you go to UC, check out Professor Drury’s classes (he gives helpful and constructive critiques). Also, don’t be afraid to edit! It is essential to recognize where your work might be lacking and if it is, try changing it. Most writers I know have multiple drafts of one piece. Lastly, never scrap anything! You might come back to a piece you hated a year later and transform it into something you are proud of.