Some Questions for Marlin Muñoz

What inspired you to write “Song for My Beloved”?
What inspired me to write the poem that was submitted in The Lit in Spring 2022 was the original poem of Diane Di Prima “Song for Baby-O, Unborn.” When I read the poem I loved that Diane Di Prima did such a great job in expressing the honest feelings that we don’t communicate or admit to ourselves. While writing this piece I had gone through a breakup and I was starting to open up again to the idea of love. I thought about the honest feelings that one goes through that often does not get expressed. I sat down and thought about everything I would say to the next person that walks in my life, the good, and the ugly.

What was your writing process like for “Song for My Beloved”?
The writing process for this piece flowed naturally. I was in my ENG 102 class and we had to write a poem imitation. I had never done a poem imitation before but once I read Diane Di Prima poem I knew I had to try. Collectively as a class we read examples of poem imitations. After I got the gist of it I started writing and tried to put my emotions into words. The writing process not only sounded beautiful when read, but it was healing to write my emotions.

How has COVID impacted your creative work?
COVID has impacted several areas in my life. In regards to my creativity COVID has enforced it. Being in quarantine and alone with all the thoughts it was interesting to process them through writing. I gained love for literature and it became a form of escapism.


Read Marlin Muñoz’ “Song for My Beloved.”