Seven Questions with Sheila Murphy

Sheila Murphy’s poetry emerges from a life steeped in music, language, and attentive perception. With a background in vocal and flute performance, her poetic sensibility is richly informed by rhythm, structure, and sound. In Scribeworth Magazine’s inaugural issue, her poems “The Years,” “For the Fallen Lambs,” and “Snapshot” reflect the depth of her exploration into human intention, memory, and the natural world. A daily writer and lifelong learner, Murphy draws from literary and philosophical traditions while constantly pushing the boundaries of form. In this interview, she reflects on daily writing, poetic evolution, and the urgent role poetry plays in fostering new ways of seeing.

1. What inspired you to start writing poetry, and how has your relationship with poetry evolved over time?

I loved the way teachers in high school presented poets and poetry. My early education and life were centered around music, including music theory and history. My principal instrument was the flute. I was extremely active in performance on flute and vocal music. While I had always attempted poetry and studied literature formally, it was at age 25 when my mentor emerged. We took my work to a new level, and I have been writing daily ever since. There is constant evolution, and at this moment I am engaged in ardent learning I have designed and pursue for myself. 

2. How do you decide when a poem is "finished"? Is there a particular moment or feeling that signals it's ready to be shared?

This is challenging. As a person who moves fast in everything I do, I try to slow myself down and be sure that there is internal coherence and that the poem does what I believe it needs to do. It is different for each poem. By no means formulaic.

3. How do you approach the writing process? Do you follow a specific routine, or do you write when inspiration strikes?

I write every day. Recently, I have been rising early and allowing the half-finished dream state to inform the half-waking state. I am always listening to speech and other sounds. I am doing a lot with syllabic and word counts and formal structuring even more than before.

4. What themes or ideas do you find yourself exploring most often in your poetry, and why do you think these resonate with you?

Human intention and human relationships; nature; philosophy; politics; music; art. These are part of real life. I am a rather lively and energetic person, I am told. :)

5. Are there any poets, past or present, who have significantly influenced your work? If so, how have they shaped your voice as a poet?

Chaucer, Gertrude Stein, e.e. cummings, Diane Seuss, many others. I read widely. Encouraging myself to open up and burst the seams of concision is important to me. 

6. What role do you believe poetry plays in society today, and how do you hope your work contributes to that?

Poetry creates alternative, more real, in fact, worlds. We who adore poetry are in a position to midwife our poems into existence and allow them to do their work. In times of tyranny, cruelty and greed—all fostered by unconscious and conscious compliance—poetry is the perfect antidote. There is more work to do that far exceeds lamentation. Building new ways of seeing is imperative now.

7. What advice would you give to aspiring poets looking to develop their craft and share their work with the world?

Read everything you can get your hands on. Write freely. Shape and hone your work until each piece becomes necessary and reaches those who hear or read it.

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Sheila E. Murphy's poems have appeared in Poetry, Hanging Loose, Fortnightly Review, Social Alternatives, and many other publications. Her most recent book, Permission to Relax, was published by BlazeVOX Books in 2023. She received the Gertrude Stein Award for her collection Letters to Unfinished J. (Green Integer Press, 2003).