Questions by Kyla Jamieson
Photo by Maki Fotos
Get to know poet, photographer, and all-around badass Tenille K Campbell, whose poem “medicine songs” appears in our Ruin themed issue 57.3 , and whose poem “question” appeared on our website last week. In between completing a draft for her second book of poetry, compiling poems for her third book of poetry, editing her YA novel draft, and beginning research for another novel (yeah, she’s not super busy or anything), Tenille was generous enough to answer some questions for us here at PRISM.
What’s happening around you—either right around you or outside of where you are?
I’m in a hotel in downtown Vancouver debating whether or not to go edit and drink beer in the boujie hotel lobby. It is a beautiful day, and I wanna be social but like, not actually talk to people, so I’m also frantically searching for my headphones.
Why do you live where you live?
I live in Saskatoon for convenience right now—I attend the U of S, my family is around there to help me raise my daughter, and I am very comfortable in the community.
What’s your morning routine?
Oh my. Well, I have a child, so I get up, get myself ready, wake her up early enough so that we can cuddle and chat in bed but not too early that she tries to watch cartoons (a delicate line), feed her, and off I bring her to school. It’s when I get back home that any sort of work happens—emails and such. I drink coffee. I reply to the 700+ emails in my inboxes. It’s not very exciting, but that’s writing/artist life sometimes. The grunt work no one tells you about.
What are you looking forward to this week?
It’s my birthday month so this week is about travel, good coffee, and amazing conversations. I’ll be hitting up Toronto this weekend for a birthday getaway with some of my very best friends, so I’m very happy about that.
Is there a public space you’re fond of? Describe it.
My favourite public space is any coffee shop with good wide tables, great light, and amazing coffee. I can sit and write, people watch, listen to own music if they playlist trash, and just relax. If I’m North, get me on any lake and that’s my favourite space.
Do you have a favourite word? Or a least favourite word? What is it and why do you like/dislike it?
I don’t. I like sayings or catchy phrases that have many uses. I like to say “I have no chill” when I’m about to do something extra or go off, as it has many meanings, but a word by itself don’t really get me going, kwim?
Do you have any “vices”? What’s the relationship between your vices and your writing?
I don’t think I have any vices (I’m basic af, it seems, ha). I used to like to flirt for nothing to get into that headspace to write some of my more sexy poems, but lately it’s been about just lowering my shields a bit and allowing myself to feel something and to go from there.
What advice would you give a young writer?
My advice would be to read as much as you can, write down every random line that makes you laugh or reflect, and to be fearless when starting those first drafts.
What’s the first story or poem you remember writing, and how does it relate to your current work?
I don’t even know. When I was eleven or so, I wrote poetry about what I thought people wanted to read, so big ideas like creation or love when legit, I had no clue what I was talking about. To be fair, tackling those same subjects, I still have no idea what I’m talking about.
What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of the fact that my daughter knows how to say I love you in Dene. I’m a language-learner and I don’t speak my languages very well (at all) so I’m slowly learning and my daughter picks up on it pretty effortlessly. It makes me so happy to hear her speak.
What’s one risk you’re glad you took?
I’m glad I moved to Vancouver for the MFA program. Leaving my home and community was hard, but the friends I made in those few years within that setting are lifelong friends today.
Is there any advice you like ignoring?
I love ignoring the “be more inclusive” line—like, nah bro. I’m gonna do me, write about Indigenous issues, write about Indigenous love and lust, write about being an Indigenous mother. Because we need that space too.
Tenille K Campbell is a Dene/Métis author and photographer from English River First Nation in Northern Saskatchewan. She completed her MFA in Creative Writing from UBC and is enrolled in her PhD at University of Saskatchewan, focusing in Indigenous Literature. Her inaugural poetry book, #IndianLovePoems (Signature Editions, 2017) is an award-winning collection of poetry that focuses on Indigenous Erotica—using humour, storytelling and sensuality to reclaim and explore ideas of Indigenous sexuality. #IndianLovePoemshas placed in the poetry category in the WILLA Literary Awards (USA), as well as the first Indigenous Voices Awards (Canada), and has won two Saskatchewan Book Awards —the Indigenous Peoples’ Writing Award and the First Book Award. She is the owner and artist behind sweetmoon photography, a successful photography business that specializes in photographing Indigenous people. She is also the co-creator of tea&bannock, an online collective blog featuring the photographs and stories of Indigenous women photographers throughout Canada.