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Bonus Episode: Lizzy Brendel Interview
39 Plays1 month ago
In this special episode of Book Watch, Sarah-Daye and Jordyn sit down with poet and author Lizzy Brendel to talk about her debut collection, The Human Condition Exhibition. Spanning a decade of lived experience, Lizzy’s work explores sexual assault, medicine, womanhood, social justice, love, and heartbreak with surgical clarity and deep emotional warmth.
Lizzy joins us to discuss the vulnerability behind her poetry, how personal experience shapes her voice, and what it means to write so honestly about the parts of humanity we’re often taught to look away from. With poems that feel like diary entries shared between friends, this conversation dives into rage, catharsis, softness, and the quiet ache that makes her work both fiercely private and universally resonant.
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Transcript
Introduction and Author Interview
00:00:01
Speaker
Hello, book watchers, and welcome back to another episode. Today we have a bonus episode. I'm Sarah Day and Jordan is joining me tonight. How are you, Jordan? So good. How are you?
00:00:15
Speaker
Great. I'm excited. we have another author interview and this one's a little different. because this is a poet so we will be interviewing lizzie brendell the author of the human condition exhibition which was released on december 20th this is her debut poetry collection of female rage whimsy heartbreak and sweeping romance we will introduce lizzie right after these messages
00:00:51
Speaker
Welcome to Book Watch, the podcast where pages
Book Watch Concept
00:00:54
Speaker
meet screens. Each week, we dive into the world of adaptations, comparing beloved books with their cinematic counterparts. From faithful retellings to bold reimaginings, we'll break down what worked, what didn't, and what made each adaptation unforgettable. Whether you're a bookworm, a movie buff, or both, grab your bookmark, grab your popcorn, and let's watch some books.
00:01:18
Speaker
Okay, welcome back listeners. We are so excited to introduce you to Lizzie with us
Lizzie's Writing Journey
00:01:25
Speaker
tonight. Lizzie, welcome to Book Watch and why don't you introduce yourself and give us a little history on how you got started writing and where this poetry debut came from.
00:01:38
Speaker
Sure. um My name is Lizzie. It's nice to be you both and your audience. Thanks for having me on. um A little bit about me. I've been writing since probably since I was a kid. Like it's always been very reflexive for me. Like I have a feeling, bam, there's some kind of writing, some way to describe it.
00:02:02
Speaker
And then I got into creative writing at school and I did two creative writing courses with Duke at Appalachian University over two summers and And then I minored in creative writing while I was getting my nursing degree. And it's always been kind of the lifeblood of me.
00:02:21
Speaker
And um I decided to put some of that into a book. And I was inspired because i started sharing it on Instagram as kind of a hobby, you know, as as one does.
00:02:34
Speaker
And then... I started getting like really good feedback and people were like, I like this, this is pretty resonance. And I thought, oh, okay, this is a thing that I can do. And it resonates with other people. And that is really powerful.
00:02:50
Speaker
Like there is power in that, not just for me, but for the human experience. Like it's, it leaves me in awe all the time. So that's where this book came from. it is my life experience for the past decade.
00:03:05
Speaker
And I hope that it's resonant with my audience. And it's really terrifying to put it out there, but I'm glad that it is. And I love it. It is everything to me.
00:03:18
Speaker
And I hope that everyone likes it, that anybody likes it, really.
Vulnerability and Emotional Impact
00:03:24
Speaker
Yeah, i want to I want to jump in and commend you because it is so vulnerable to put your life story out like that and to go into like, the highs and the lows of what it is to be human and to be a woman. And that takes so much courage. And so I just want to like applaud you for that, for being brave enough to put your story out in the first place. Cause I know like I resonated a lot with what I read. And I'm sure everybody else who reads it will resonate a lot with it. And so like, you're right, it is really powerful. So I just want to thank you for being brave enough to put your story out there. That's really incredible. did you read it? Did you guys read it? oh absolutely. Of course. um
00:04:00
Speaker
I want to know what you think. I was reading it in bed. and my husband was doing whatever he was doing, getting ready for Beb. And every once in a while I would read one out loud. It was more of the political ones. I'm like, oh man, let me read you this one. But um yeah, it's definitely incredible. i i you did such a great job making things work in in this way of a poem. Like I could never do this. um So yeah, it's definitely great work. Thank you. That's so nice of you to say. I'm glad that you liked it. I'm glad that it was like,
00:04:36
Speaker
My mom, before she passed away, she would always say, like, as long as you can make someone feel something, you will have done your job. Like, there is a very fundamental power in that. So I'm glad that I can wield that in some way. It's very flattering of you to say that. Thank you for reading my work.
00:04:55
Speaker
I made a whole list of like my, it's like almost 10 of them that are like, I'm like, I really love this. I want to ask her about these ones. So as we go through, I'll mention some of those ones. Yeah. Okay. So listeners, I'm going to read the first poem in her book called The Human Condition.
00:05:12
Speaker
i have never read poetry before. So forgive me if I'm doing it wrong. Yeah.
00:05:20
Speaker
Come one, come all, I say with a flourish. Welcome to my exhibit. It's newly refurbished. You see, it's a portfolio of sorts, my very own, more subjective reports. There are words strung together, pieces made out of letters, the plights of a writer, a dreamer of something better.
00:05:38
Speaker
Line made to rhyme, it's just so by design, a culmination, if you will, of the human condition. A soul broken down and made whole again in poems. And I was hooked from that moment on.
00:05:51
Speaker
Oh my gosh. That's so nice of you to say. i designed it that way. So it's really flattering to hear that it landed. um Yeah. I wrote that when I knew that the book was done.
00:06:05
Speaker
I was like, this is the finished work. It's all over the place. But I think there's a lot of beauty in that. But I was like, this is it. And then I wrote a poem about that being it.
00:06:17
Speaker
Mm-hmm. if that makes sense.
Modern Poetry and Style
00:06:20
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. And I think, go ahead, Jordan. I was gonna like life is all over the place. And so like, that's what like you're talking about when you're little introductory piece where it's like, you know, this is about the human condition of what it is to be a human and, you know, being in love and being depressed and all of that. And like,
00:06:39
Speaker
the whole scope of the human experience is held within this piece. And so like to have that introduction of like just laying it out, this is what it is. It's messy. It's it's a little chaotic. We're up, we're down, we're all over the place. yeah But like this is life and this is what it is. And yeah, it's a great introduction. Thank you. Especially you said that like the poems themselves are all over the place like they bounce back and forth but I feel like that is 2025. And like our experience with this like there's been good things but there's also been like what the hell is happening things and your poems definitely encapsulate that.
00:07:19
Speaker
Thank you. That's so nice. i I don't read a lot of poetry. The most poetry I read was like in high school when we were like learning how to annotate them and like break them down. Yeah, basically. um So I just wanted to ask you like your thoughts on modern poetry. like I'm not really a fan that much of modern poetry just because it's...
00:07:42
Speaker
the it's not like traditional, i'm very traditional. So it's like there's no like rhyme scheme. It's just like a couple of lines here and there and they don't rhyme and there's not like this like traditional structure to them. So like, what are your thoughts on modern poetry? And then like, how did you come to this style that like is to me like a really beautiful blend of old school, like traditional poetry and the more modern like Rupi Kaur type of poetry? I love poetry. I love reading it. Like, I'm all over Instagram and Reddit and sometimes Facebook. Just like reading poems, it doesn't matter if they rhyme or have any kind of cadence to them. as
00:08:22
Speaker
It's like I was saying, as long as you can make someone feel something, you will have done your job. And you don't need rhyme to do that. Absolutely not. Yeah.
00:08:34
Speaker
some of the best poems that I've seen don't rhyme, but that's really hard for me because it feels like it should to me. But that's a subjective thing and I'm well aware of that.
00:08:46
Speaker
um So i I really appreciate you saying that you like my rhyme and my cadence because I can feel like it's a little broken sometimes.
00:08:57
Speaker
Sometimes I'm like, maybe this makes sense if I read it out loud or like, you know, when you're writing, like the voice in your head that you imagine it being spoken to in such a way or spoken about.
00:09:09
Speaker
um So to hear that it translates well is very nice. And I appreciate the perspective of everybody that reads my work, like just, and the act of reading it yourself is more than enough for me. If you feel anything from it or if you feel like you need to ask me questions about it, like, I love that. That's insane. Like, to inspire that curiosity in you is exactly what I set out to do.
00:09:41
Speaker
um But I love all poetry and I kind of developed my own little cadence kind of on accident, really. um i was writing things like as if they were songs.
00:09:55
Speaker
And I'm like, how would this flow in a song? Like, how does this flow when you're actually saying it? Things like that. And that's where I come up with my work. And it doesn't make sense for me to write about it if it doesn't fit that criteria.
00:10:08
Speaker
And it takes me a really long time to write my poems for that reason, because I'm like, I want this to hit in this way. I want it to be read in this way. i want to I want to have it have like this many syllables, things like that.
00:10:23
Speaker
I'm very strict with my work and I hope that translates because everything is heartfelt and goes through a lot of criteria for me to even want to put out there.
00:10:38
Speaker
ah Reading it, it felt like sitting and having a conversation with a friend and like learning about who Lizzie is as a person. And so for you to like,
00:10:49
Speaker
be strict in that way and still be able to get that feeling and and that heart through is like really a testament to your talent. So again, just can't hype you up enough.
00:11:01
Speaker
Thank you. that is so nice. I appreciate that. It's funny that you mentioned like songwriting because as I was reading it, 21 Pilots is one of my favorite bands and the song Car Radio is one of their more popular, early popular songs. And I almost had that like...
00:11:21
Speaker
rap style in my head not that I am a rapper in any way but that's how I was like but in the style of car radio I felt like that you have very similar right it's like yeah great yeah so that's yeah that's how I kind of read those poems was in that kind of style of like lyrical flow I am flattered to be compared with 21 pilots in any capacity because, oh my God, lyricists, like it's insane. If you actually sit down and read their work, like they don't need to be singing it. It just has a very natural cadence to it. And it's like, oh fuck, the way you said that, like respect.
00:12:02
Speaker
um So that's really nice of you to say, especially car radio. Like, but I feel like that's the epitome of their work. Maybe that's subjective. Probably is. But I'm flattered. All of this to say, I'm very flattered. Thank you. Yeah.
00:12:19
Speaker
Well, I think you deserve it. I mean, I really enjoyed i um Like you, you reached out to us. um And I was like, Oh, this is new and interesting. Like we've done one author interview in the past. But I never even thought about a poet coming in like I, I haven't I'm so far removed from the poetry world um that I didn't even know what that would be like. So I didn't know what I was going into.
00:12:48
Speaker
when I was getting these poems. But like I said, I wanted to read the first one on air um because as soon as I read that one, I was hooked and I wanted to see what else was coming. Thank you.
00:13:00
Speaker
It's an honor to be able to transfix you like that. And I'm so glad to have the perspective of people who don't read poetry, like read my work and give me feedback. That is invaluable to me. So thank you.
00:13:15
Speaker
course. But That perspective is kind of everything to me because I'm like, this is what I thought in my head when I was like structuring this way. And you're telling me exactly what I thought.
00:13:28
Speaker
And that's crazy. Like I was, it's universally resonant and that's awesome. Awesome. Yeah. I mean, honestly, it makes me want to read more poems and like, hell yeah, dive more into poetry. because It's like, wow, like who knew like, you know just a couple of lines could hit so hard and like make you feel something so deep in your soul. Like, yeah, like this person I've never met before until now, like she gets it. She gets me. And so like what other poets are out there that could also like give me that same feeling. Like when you hear a song and and the singer, you're like, yeah, like
00:14:04
Speaker
she gets me or he gets me and like just I want to explore more of that world so thank you for the inspiration of course next thing you know you'll be writing it that's the next step but I want to circle back to this conversation in a little bit, but I want to ask you if you had any challenges, like what challenges you faced as you were writing this and what that journey looked like.
Anonymity to Publication
00:14:31
Speaker
Like what, what made you say, i want to start this book of poems and talk about the journey from that moment to this moment.
00:14:39
Speaker
Sure. um So my poetry account on Instagram, it wasn't always attached to my name. I named it Liv because like Liv Liz, but it's far enough removed where like nobody I know would see it.
00:14:56
Speaker
And I was posting on there for probably about three months, just like random stuff from the catalog. it Because the things that I write, they aren't always recent.
00:15:07
Speaker
Like I post things randomly just depending on like, I know I have this poem from when I was feeling this. And I would like to like post that, but I'm really proud of them.
00:15:18
Speaker
And then I kind of arrived at the conclusion, like, why the fuck do I care if anybody that I know sees this? Like, it doesn't matter. It is what it is. I'm proud of this thing that I'm ready to call art.
00:15:34
Speaker
And then I attach it to my name, and I was reading through all of them, and I'm just like, these are good. It's actually remarkably easy to get published. Like,
00:15:46
Speaker
The act in and of itself of getting published, it's very easy. Aside from like editing and formatting, but the process is pretty seamless. But still, like I have my work in my hands and I have a way for other people to enjoy it.
00:16:03
Speaker
But it's very diaristic. Like there are some people that are probably going to read it and be like, this is about me. And I'm like, yeah, it is. Maybe you shouldn't have made me feel that way. That's not really problem I hope that makes sense I just have a habit of rambling on and on and on that's what a podcast is for true it's kind of our thing yeah I love it Jordan do you want to go through your questions about the poems that resonated with you and then we can circle back to the music of it
00:16:38
Speaker
Yeah, sure.
Poem 'Astronaut' Discussion
00:16:39
Speaker
um Okay, so the first one I listed that like really resonated with me was um number five, Astronaut. um And I just loved how like i just love how you described this woman, like her power. She can do all of these things, what she is. um so is that Is this like an autobiographical poem of you like reclaiming your power and like you know like acknowledging the power that you have as a woman? Or is this like about somebody else in your life who inspired you? like Where did this one come from? This one came from myself.
00:17:30
Speaker
As you'll know, if you read my book, like it's very diaristic and you can tell I bet there's some shit. um But that one was about me stepping into myself, if that makes sense. And it was about the process of it.
00:17:47
Speaker
And at the end it goes for she was a poet and her word was gospel. That's kind of when i was like, I'm going to share my work with people and I don't really care how it's received because I think it's beautiful and I think it's worth sharing. And I think it's great. And all of my pieces are things to be proud of for me.
00:18:12
Speaker
Obviously, as the author, of course, I would say that. But i do think there's a resonance there. i do think that how I want you to feel will land at the core of it.
00:18:26
Speaker
It'll make you angry. It'll make you feel whimsical. It'll make you heartbroken. It'll make you feel... all-consuming love and camaraderie with fellow women, most definitely.
00:18:43
Speaker
um So it's been a journey, and I think that poem reflects that really well. But there's also, like, the aspect of the divine feminine.
00:18:56
Speaker
Hopefully that's not, like, I don't know, too much for me to say, like, too conceptual. But it's, like, As a woman, you'll be traversing through your life and you'll have all of these inevitable abuses that you'll experience.
00:19:11
Speaker
And you just get to know society as this thing that you should be scared of. And so you repress yourself and you're like, how is the safest way for me to be as a person?
00:19:29
Speaker
And you, you kind of like repress yourself. in a way, like I said. But there's also an inevitableal mul and inevitable moment where you're like, this is who the fuck I am.
00:19:43
Speaker
Like, I'm not going to censor myself. I'm not going to be anything else other than what I am. And that's fucking beautiful.
00:19:54
Speaker
And it's powerful. And stepping into that is one of the most invigorating things that you can do for yourself, for your life experience, for everyone around you.
00:20:07
Speaker
It's just the most important thing. And that's what I experienced. I had that like aha moment. Like I know who the fuck I am.
00:20:17
Speaker
Hopefully that answers that. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I like how you said, like, you you have that like, aha moment, because I think when we're, you know, we're all three of us women. So like when you're a little girl, you just like what you like, and you ah are how you are, and everything is beautiful. And then you get out like into the real world. And you're like,
00:20:39
Speaker
everybody's looking at me, everybody's judging me. I have to like keep it together and like hide myself, like you said. And then I think that's like the most beautiful part of growing up and becoming like a woman is that acceptance of self and that pride in self of like,
00:20:57
Speaker
like you said, I know who I am, i know what I am, and I'm not ashamed anymore of being on those things. um And so like this really, like this poem, like really encapsulated that and really made me feel that like, yeah, yeah, I am a poet and I am, I can speak gospel and because that just means truth, right? So like, this is my truth. This is our truth as as women, as a collective in this society. Like, it was just really, really powerful. And it's so early in the book too.
00:21:27
Speaker
That it's like it really – you take that intro and then you get to number five and you're like just continue to be hyped up like this is going to be awesome. That's exactly how I designed it. And I i like – I kind of wanted to butter you up a little bit before I throw you headfirst into the trauma. So And you did a great job.
00:21:50
Speaker
Thank you. And I also wanted it to be like a complete fucking nosedive. Like, oh, yeah, this is really like hopeful and empowering. And then it's like, but it was made from this. yeah you know what I mean? Yeah. Mm hmm.
00:22:04
Speaker
And that's life too. You get all those cliches of like, you know, you need the fire to burn everything down to to heal the soil so that new things can grow. Or it's always darkest right before the sunrise, like all of those kinds of things. Like, you know, I had a friend say to me once, like, how will you ever know that you're in the good times if you don't have any bad times to compare it to? Yeah. Yeah.
00:22:25
Speaker
And that was just off her dome. Like that was just her straight up. I was like, and that's always stuck with me because it's like, yeah, like, you know, again, like that's, it's just part of life is you're going to have trauma and you're going to have hard times, but being able to find beauty in life and, and accept that these things are happening, but not let it hold you in that spot is incredible and inspiring and magical.
00:22:52
Speaker
I agree. It's everything.
00:22:58
Speaker
All right, on to the next. I'm excited to talk
'Cosmic' and Wedding Vows
00:23:01
Speaker
about this one too. Okay. The next one that marked was Cosmic. Mm-hmm. I love this one. um i wrote a little short story back in the day that was like cosmic themed and about love and stuff. And this just like made me think like, oh my gosh, like we should be best friends. Like we're a kindred spirits. like we see that Like we see the beauty and the magic in the stars and the sky and like the celestial space. Like
00:23:30
Speaker
it can be so scary to think like there's a whole huge universe out there and we are just like a speck on this rock in space. But also like how lucky are we to live in a world where you can look up at the stars and see them and how like it's I just keep using the word magical because that's all I can think about. But tell us about cosmic from from your point of view.
00:23:58
Speaker
I'm really glad that you brought that one up because it is actually my vows to my husband that I said to him on our wedding day. That is amazing. it is probably the most special poem for that reason, but that's how he makes me feel. Like, I've gone through this adversity, like, such really traumatic events, and he has loved me faithfully throughout everything. Like, he's...
00:24:28
Speaker
It is a constant and I never have to question it. And I think about like you think about how vast the cosmos are, like there are galaxies and stars and all this stuff. It's endless. You know what i mean? Like it's it's very vast, but also it's very like constant, unforgiving, steady, like it will always be this thing.
00:24:53
Speaker
And that kind of made me feel like that's that's our love. It's up there. It's bigger than this universe knows how to contain. And it's, I will never be without it.
00:25:09
Speaker
So I'm glad that you liked that one.
00:25:15
Speaker
That is so beautiful. Thank you. and i I thought that too. I read that because I'm getting married in a couple of weeks. And so I read that and i was like, those sound like that sounds like a like wedding vows. Like that sounds like something that you would like you're bearing your soul to your lover. Like this is how you make me feel. This is how special i feel being with you. So to hear that those are actually your vows is really, really cool.
00:25:41
Speaker
Thanks. And congratulations. That's awesome. Thank you.
00:25:49
Speaker
All right, my next one is a shorter one, it was Hum, on number 13.
Interpretation of 'Hum'
00:25:59
Speaker
That it may be, i don't know if you are familiar with this, it was like a tick famous TikTok audio that went viral a while back. And it was like the girl humming to the sound of the fan in the background. And it made me, this made me think of that, like the feeling that that evoked in me hearing that sound was just like a deep breath at the end of a long day.
00:26:25
Speaker
and but we got to wake up again tomorrow and do it again tomorrow. And reading this poem gave me that same kind of feeling like, I kept going, I'm surviving, and I'm still here. There's a steady light, it's humming, and I'm just going to keep going past that.
00:26:45
Speaker
So how did you, well, is that what you were trying to evoke in this poem? Is that the feeling you were trying to give, like just that steadfastness, like we're just going to keep going and keep trucking along?
00:26:59
Speaker
Yes. And it's short for that reason, too. It's supposed to, like, the act of humming, like, o it's like a note.
00:27:10
Speaker
And it's pretty prompt, you know what I mean? Like, just kind of like that. And I wanted it to have that effect. Like, it is prompt. The fact that I will survive and then go on is prompt.
00:27:25
Speaker
It will never not be. and that's it.
00:27:32
Speaker
If that makes sense. Yeah. Yeah.
00:27:38
Speaker
So I'm inserting number 14 here into Jordan's list because this is the one where I like I was reading
Historical and Political Themes
00:27:46
Speaker
these poems and my husband was walking around. I'm like, oh, shit, let me read this one to you because.
00:27:53
Speaker
Like I'm reading it and I'm like, okay, like granddad, first world war, buth blah, blah, blah. Not blah, blah, blah. Like these are great poems. And then i get to the point of the poem and I'm like, oh, oh yeah. ahhu And then like you that the last two lines, I'm like, damn. And I'm like, Matt, you have to read this or I have to read this to you. And like reading it again out loud to him, I'm like, oh, and like, then you just sit in it for a minute and you're just like,
00:28:22
Speaker
I mean, this is where, you know, the rage of your blurb comes into play. And it's just like, what did we fight for to just circle back and be where we are today?
00:28:33
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. It's very contradictory. And it's made up of like two of my granddads, actually. Like one that was in the first world war and then another that was in the second. So it wasn't a single person.
00:28:50
Speaker
But yeah, it's the part of the poem where I was just kind of like, this is where I stand. And if you don't like it, get out. Like that kind of thing. Like this is what's going on in the world. It pisses me off and it should piss you off too.
00:29:05
Speaker
Because it's alarming. And I kind of wanted that to be a little litmus test. Like it You either get it or you don't, like proceed or not. That's on you.
00:29:18
Speaker
but this is the point. Right. Kind of the line in the sand a little bit. Yeah, definitely. I like that. And it's kind of like the midway. Well, how many total poems do you have? 56. So we're a quarter of the way. Mm-hmm.
00:29:34
Speaker
in um ish um so it is kind of like you know like you said you can keep going well you've made it this far um but yeah I I got to this point I'm like I'm gonna keep turning these pages awesome I love that you are the intended audience yeah the next one I had was betrayal number 19 that one took me way back to like my personal experience of like feeling betrayed and feeling hurt by people and never getting that like closure never getting that resolution of like having that conversation and like getting able being able to like get in their face and tell them like you did this to me you hurt me you like blah blah blah and never hearing that apology and never
00:30:23
Speaker
getting that like satisfaction of them acknowledging what they did and it's so short and so sweet but it's like that it it hit a lot um yeah i don't i don't have much more to say about it it just another one i mean is this your shortest one
00:30:46
Speaker
No, but not by much. Yeah, just one of six lines, and it's like, it's short, it's to the point, and it it really does cut deep. Yeah, intentionally so, because it's like, when you're met with that, like, I got to such a point of no return with somebody that we are no longer in each other's lives.
00:31:06
Speaker
But also, why was it just so prompt? Like, how can we just act like we didn't exist, or what we had wasn't anything, like, you know, platonically, romantically, whatever way that applies to you.
00:31:20
Speaker
And it's just, it doesn't matter like what you think your mind goes in like a million different directions, trying to rationalize it, trying to make sense of it, trying to move on from it.
00:31:31
Speaker
But at the heart of it, that's what happened. The betrayal happened and their silence happened and it continues to happen. And you should take that for what it is because that's exactly what it is. They,
00:31:46
Speaker
Whether they know what they're doing or not, not offering you closure sucks.
00:31:52
Speaker
And yeah, it's a betrayal for sure.
00:31:58
Speaker
Yep.
'Tough Generation' and Misconceptions
00:32:00
Speaker
And then my next one is number 22, Tough Generation. This one really hit for me.
00:32:10
Speaker
Saraday likes to tease me all the time because I'm the youngest co-host of the podcast. um So i'm I'm a Zoomer. And like hearing like people like, oh, like you know you have it better than any generation before you or you know you guys are so lucky to to have all of these things and you know, millennials and Gen Zers, they're lazy, they're this or that. It's like, yeah, like, you know, we have all of these great, amazing technologies and advancements that, you know, people that are my parents and grandparents and great grandparents didn't have.
00:32:44
Speaker
But it's also like harder than it ever was in a lot of ways, too. And so like this one, yeah again like it just got me fired up like yeah it is an ignorant fucking statement like i'm this is not a weak generation like we're doing our best with the cards that we've been dealt by previous generations and like give us a break and a little credit. yeah um So this like, yeah, it just, I was just like, yeah, yeah. Say it again. Say it louder for the people in the back. Say it louder for the boomers in the back. Like this is like, we're doing our best out here. um
00:33:23
Speaker
and so I just really love that you were so like, aggressive and like to the point like no like don't don't come at me with that nonsense that's how it felt um at the time that i wrote that i was on a travel contract i'm an or nurse and it was my first and only travel contract and i was in idaho at the time if you don't know anything about idaho know that it is deep fucking red but
00:33:55
Speaker
I was on a travel contract there and it was during the election. And I remember the day after someone had said that, like, oh, they're just not a tough generation. it was totally in passing. I don't know what they were talking about, but I like I i honed in on that. It's like, are we, though?
00:34:13
Speaker
Because, like, why do we all have the same trauma? Or it keeps repeating in so many of us. I don't really think that's an us problem. um So that's where that one came from.
00:34:27
Speaker
Very visceral experience for me. It made me very angry, so I wrote about it. This is the one that's like... Not just this one, but... This has made me come to a realization. like This like poetry is such a different medium. Okay, so things get lost and... Blown out of proportion on social media. And you're only seeing what basically you want to see because of the algorithm. And... You're in your little algorithm bubbles. But things like this, this poetry book where you...
00:35:04
Speaker
verbalize these things in this beautiful way is a different way to get this message out there that's not going to get lost in the algorithm because it's a book um and it's not I mean yes like it's going to be on social media but it's also going to be like a hard copy like something you can hold and read and interpret
00:35:29
Speaker
yeah on your own without the algorithm spitting it out to you or like getting it to people that aren't going to be like this isn't going to be in their normal algorithm so like it's getting in like broadening the audience I hope so.
00:35:47
Speaker
I hope so too. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. And like putting it in this format of poetry is going to make it more approachable to different people. So if you try to engage in a like political or economic debate with somebody, they're going like, even the word debate has a connotation of like, we're arguing and we you like disagree and we're aggressive with each other versus like, this is more like,
00:36:14
Speaker
expressing the feeling of being in one of the younger generations and like feeling you know hopeless like I'm never going be able to buy a house or I'm never going to be able to do this or that and afford certain things and so like talking more about like that kind of hopelessness and that like dang, like this really sucks. Like that feeling might make it more approachable to older generations who like don't get it because they haven't lived through it. yeah um So I think that's another like, like you were saying, like with social media and stuff, like that's another great point and a great like testament to like the power of poetry and the power of literature and being able to express these ideas and get them into people's faces that would normally like back away or shy away from it.
00:37:02
Speaker
Yeah, that's my intention. i i had a few like beta readers, and I'm like, hey, I'm writing a book. Let me know what you think. And the ones that did read it, they were like, that drew me in.
00:37:17
Speaker
Like I couldn't stop once I started and I'm just like, holy shit, really? That's crazy. Cause I thought about poetry and putting it into a book and I'm like, well, I assume people will read like one here, two there, whatever. So to hear that it is like enthralling and that it sucks you in that is everything that I set out to do.
00:37:40
Speaker
Everything. I want it. but That's exactly how I want it to land. And, um, I've had older people, like my husband's mom, my mother-in-law, she is like she's older, and I sent it to her, and she was like, this is a very refreshing perspective.
00:37:58
Speaker
m And I'm like, would you have said that otherwise? Because I feel like if we had a conversation about it, it wouldn't end that well. But poetry is kind of non-negotiable, because it's like, this is how I was feeling, and that's it.
00:38:17
Speaker
And I try to do a good job of telling you why I was feeling that way. Yeah. yeah Well, and like we said earlier, it's, it's lyrical, right? And so it's not like where social media is coming at you, um you know, bam, bam, bam, we're scrolling, we're scrolling, we're scrolling. And like the comments are bam, bam, bam. But when you have a book and you're, you know, you're sitting down in the comfort of your own home or a coffee shop or wherever you are and you're flipping the pages or scrolling on and,
00:38:47
Speaker
ebook and you're able to take that time and really resonate whereas I think on social media people are so quick to respond and not you know taking it in like you can when you're reading a poem because when you're reading a poem it's not straightforward you really have to sit and think about what you just read and interpret it i feel like that's motivation for me to write in such a way. Cause it's like, I have to get you captivated in some way.
00:39:21
Speaker
And I have to give this a flow and a rhyme and a cadence that will let you, like, it'll take you to the end. It will take you where I want you to go And like switching it up or like switching how you do the rhymes to like accentuate a particular feeling is power. And, and, Like you talk to people about this stuff and it's like, I have only ever read my own work.
00:39:51
Speaker
I don't know how it makes anybody else feel or if it lands or if you're able to put yourself in my shoes, like have that empathy and that solidarity. I don't know.
00:40:01
Speaker
So um it's so nice to hear that so much of it is landing how I intended it to. That's everything. Like nobody else can read my book. Like it's fine.
00:40:15
Speaker
I'm just glad that you read it. Honestly. So nice. I mean, I'm glad that I read it too. Like it. Me too. Again, it, it just like, it really takes you on a journey of like, not like I said, like we said at the beginning, not just your life, like not just Lizzie Brendel's life, but like womanhood and like even any human being, like just life, what it means to exist on this earth. Like,
00:40:45
Speaker
you really run the gamut of human emotion within these 56 poems. And like, i've I think like my mind has been broadened and like I'm better off for having read these poems. Thank you.
00:41:02
Speaker
Oh, that's so nice.
00:41:06
Speaker
So it's called the Human Condition Exhibition. because that's what it is. But also i had this blog When I was younger, like, I just wrote a bunch of poems on there and just, like, about my life.
00:41:19
Speaker
And no one knew about it. I just did it. And it was called the Human Condition Exhibition. And then I put all these poems together and I'm like, holy shit, this is everywhere. Like, this is the spectrum right here.
00:41:34
Speaker
So that's what it's going to be called. Because you are in for it. Yeah.
00:41:43
Speaker
right. We've got just a couple more on my little list unless you, Lizzie or Saraday, either of you have any other ones that you want to talk about. um The next one is You, ah number 27. So I'm a romantic at heart. I love love stories and like I only want to read like fantasy, romance novels. And...
00:42:04
Speaker
and I love thinking about love and talking about love and all the things to do with love. So this one, like, again, just like cosmic, it really was like oh Yeah, like like we said, like I'm getting married soon. Like, yeah, this is what it's like when you're with, when I'm with him. And, you know, to be getting married with to him like this. Yeah, yeah, you are the charm in my bracelet. And, you know, you are all of these things. And like, this is, you know, it just got me all like giddy. And I'm like kicking my feet and blushing like, yeah, that's what it feels like. She got I'm not writing yeah
00:42:42
Speaker
I think I, because I went on a travel contract, right? Like I was telling you, and it had been my dream forever to be a travel nurse. And then i went 24 hours away and I was like, uh-uh. Like I can't be away from him for like any amount of time. I don't ever want to be anywhere else. Like even if it's beautiful, even if I get to go on all these adventures, like I don't care.
00:43:07
Speaker
i want him instead. And it's about that because it's like nothing else exists when we're together. Like I know everything will be okay because I have him and he has me and what we have is unbreakable. And I was just thinking about how that made me feel.
00:43:27
Speaker
And I ended up with that.
00:43:31
Speaker
Yeah, that one, the one, like, little couple of little two lines, with you, I am always understood. And that was the part that really was, like, the knife in my chest that I was, like, yeah, that's that's what it means to be loved is, like, yeah you get me. this This other person that you just happened to meet in this whole crazy world, like you just happened to meet them and it's, like, they get me you get me you i'm understood by you and like that's what that's what i think love is and you just put it like
00:44:04
Speaker
again literally like two lines it's five words with your six six words with you i am always understood it's like yeah she she got it she gets people always say you don't know until you know and like you really don't like you you think you know and you think you're there and then you know portrayal happens and then you think you're there And then you finally get there and you're like, oh, this is it. And that, like you said, these, those words that I'm always understood, like, that's it.
00:44:34
Speaker
That's what it means. That's absolutely it. At the end of the day, that's either true or it's not. And how you should take yourself accordingly is...
00:44:46
Speaker
race one if that's true or not okay um yeah that's how it feels to love and be loved essentially all right next one is beautiful mind i want you to talk about this one first lizzie before i say anything because this one is ah one of the longer ones and i just want to hear your thoughts on it first sure um it's intentionally very meta Like, oh, she's writing about writing.
'Beautiful Mind' and Creativity
00:45:19
Speaker
But also what is writing? Writing is to be inside my head. Because I think in these ways. Like, I will think of some kind of line. I couldn't tell you the specifics of each one, but it's like it starts as an idea. And I'm like, these words mesh nice together.
00:45:38
Speaker
And they rhyme. And then I just, like, build off of that. And at the time, i was really angry. because sometimes I would show people my poems and stuff and like they either like wouldn't read them or like have some kind of half-assed response or whatever. And it's like, no, you don't understand. I'm asking you not only like what do you think, but what do you feel?
00:46:03
Speaker
What do you feel? Like what does this make you feel? Because that's what it's all about. And if the answer is nothing, i and i don't know how to go on with that. Like, what do you mean?
00:46:16
Speaker
um So it was kind of my frustration at that too. But also circling back to be like, I do like writing.
00:46:26
Speaker
Even if you don't like that I like writing. I still like it. And that's me.
00:46:37
Speaker
ah Yeah. I'm just rereading it. and Yeah, because I i think... like i I have loved writing too like in my past. like I've written like short stories and like beginnings of novels that I never finished and like written poetry when I was you know going through something. And it's like...
00:46:58
Speaker
you use the word catharsis and it's like, it is a catharsis. It is a way to take what's in your brain and release it and process it. um And so like the way that you explain, like it's my diary and it's, you know, it's, it's a coping mechanism and it helps me understand myself and helps others understand me was really beautiful. And it's like, we live in a, in a world where we as humans are passing off writing to artificial intelligence and other things and other spaces are taking that creativity from us. And it's like, we there's a much broader conversation to be had about AI that we don't need to get into here on this whole podcast. But like i don't think I don't personally think that AI can ever write a poem like this because it hasn't lived life. like it It doesn't understand human emotion and what it means to live in a society and just live, period. And like that's what makes humans unique as
00:48:05
Speaker
animals is the fact that we can have these ideas and that we can express them to each other and evoke feelings through each other and so the way that you like go through that and talk about why you write and how you write is like beautiful thank you again that landed exactly how i intended it's so good to hear yeah you're just so good at your job Thank you. I try. and I try. Thank you.
00:48:39
Speaker
Yeah. All
'The Art of Taking a Heart' Experience
00:48:41
Speaker
right. The last one I have on my list here is number 52. The Art of Taking a Heart. This one, like, it's, again, I think the longest one or one of the longest ones you have. And it is very much a narrative. It's very much telling the story of this kid and like your perspective. And then towards the end, it shifts to the kid's mom's perspective and how you got to see all of that from her eyes. So kind of, if you could like take us through that journey and, and what that narrative is about for you.
00:49:23
Speaker
Yeah, that's a hard one for sure. It took me a really long time. to put that piece together. It went through so many drafts, it's insane.
00:49:36
Speaker
Like I was saying earlier that most of my poems are pretty reflexive. Like it'll come from one line that I think about and then I just build around that. That very much did not.
00:49:48
Speaker
It was, I don't know what I just experienced, but it keeps happening to me. And this is what happened.
00:49:59
Speaker
It's very, letter her I wish I could tell you it was fiction, but it's not. And I didn't know what I felt other than grief.
00:50:13
Speaker
But i I wanted to take you on a journey with me to understand why I felt whatever it is that I was feeling after experiencing that.
00:50:26
Speaker
Because it sticks with me. It really does. Like being in that situation where you're like, you are taking something tremendous from someone.
00:50:38
Speaker
And at the same time, you are also giving something tremendous to someone one else. The process is necessary. It's incredibly unforgiving, but this is how it is.
00:50:52
Speaker
Unfortunately, he fit the criteria for a very rare situation for a young person to be injured in such a way that they are not compatible with life, but also that their heart is pristine.
00:51:09
Speaker
That is a very rare occurrence universally. And as such, we had never done that at my hospital before. It was the first and only time that ever happened there.
00:51:21
Speaker
And there was a magnitude to it. I had never done a procedure like that on anybody younger than 60 something.
00:51:33
Speaker
He was very young. And so it wasn't just his friends and family there. It was everybody that he knew. i had never seen like the lobby was just overflowing with all these people that were all there for him.
00:51:52
Speaker
And walking by them like I'm in scrubs and a scrub hat, they know I'm OR. They know what I mean. And having to carry that while also being like, I have a job to do was one of the most devastating and powerful things I have ever felt in my life.
00:52:20
Speaker
And his mom carried it with such grace. I don't know how she did. I would not be like that if I were in her situation, but she understood the necessity of it, the rarity of it, and the magnitude of it.
00:52:37
Speaker
And she still met it with grace.
00:52:41
Speaker
And it just talks about a really unfortunate, necessary, awful, tragic thing that happened. But also...
00:52:55
Speaker
as I say, the nurse that it's made me. Because putting all that together wasn't easy. To take a heart, you need you need anesthesia, you need respiratory, like it's a lot of resources.
00:53:12
Speaker
And putting that all together and juggling everything and like not knowing how we are going to do this all the way, but knowing that we are going to do it anyway because That's what the situation demands.
00:53:27
Speaker
And not having the time to feel the magnitude of it as it's happening to you.
00:53:35
Speaker
So it's just, I hope it leaves you feeling very complicated because that's how it made me feel. And it's just me walking through like why I feel this very strong way, all this grief, all this,
00:53:55
Speaker
gratitude and everything in between. It's one of the hardest things I've ever done in my career so far.
00:54:06
Speaker
Yeah. It did. You you accomplished your your goal of making my feelings complicated because I was you know, thinking about like, you know, what if it was me and my mom had to get that call or what if, you know, in the future I hope to have kids and I get that call about my child and, you know, that grief. And then like, you know, I put myself in your shoes of having to be like be part of the team that's doing this act and like how like,
00:54:41
Speaker
gory and like heartbreaking it is to like have to do that but then like you have the line like his gifts save 60 people and it's like what a gift to be a part of those people's journeys in that way and be able to give them a new lease on life when even though it's at the cost of something so terrible um and just the way that you like narratively structure it you know explaining what happened your point of view your journey with it and your complicated feelings on it and then
00:55:19
Speaker
you know talking about his mom and she's starting to advocate for organ donation after this like it is like wow like that's like the beauty of humanity we go from you know granddad and you're like this is as bad as it can get as a society and then you read the art of taking a heart and you're like that's what humanity is supposed to be about that's still our human journey together is caring for each other and supporting each other and, you know, doing, doing the right thing, even when it's hard, even when it sounds like, and it feels like uncomfortable to do it. Like, like that, that mother knowing that,
00:56:05
Speaker
her sacrifice of her son and his body can save 60 people and her making that choice and then advocating for others to do that was just so powerful and like hey me and sarah day are crying right now i'm trying so hard not to call you out but i'm like it's yeah but sorry to call you out but i am too But it's just like, you know, and then the impact that that he had on you and that, and and I'm sure the rest of your team that was in there with you, like all of you guys kind of went through that together.
00:56:42
Speaker
um And it's just like, even, you know, we talked about the human condition exhibition, the good, the bad, the ugly of human life. And I think this, it's one of the last poems in the book. And it, it is that it's, the highs and the lows it's the beauty and the joy of saving other people and it's the heartbreak and the grief of losing someone that you love and you just have done a magnificent job of like explaining all of that and guiding us on this journey and feeling all of these things together um yeah
00:57:25
Speaker
That's how i wanted it to land. It took me, like I said, a really long time to put that one together, like finding the right cadence for it, like finding a way to tell his story in a way that did him justice and did the act justice and everything about it. And not only that, but how it impacted me and how I'll hold it with me forever, forever.
00:57:52
Speaker
And taking you on that journey with me because i I believe that everyone is worth grieving. I don't care what happened.
00:58:05
Speaker
Everyone is worth grieving in some way. And I don't think that has to be something that we're afraid of. I think that it can be a really beautiful thing.
00:58:16
Speaker
And there's a lot of duality in that and a lot of contradicting variables. But at the end of the day, it's still really beautiful.
00:58:28
Speaker
And that's how grief is. It's a fucking roller coaster and conflicting and complicated. But it still is.
00:58:40
Speaker
And there's beauty in that. That it is and that it comes from something that was worth grieving.
00:58:52
Speaker
Well, we we we went through it. We went through the whole human condition in this podcast. um Lizzie, do you have any that we didn't cover that you really want to touch on and and tell us about?
00:59:06
Speaker
I think I would love to sit here and talk about like every single one. Honest. or i guess but and I feel like that was a pretty comprehensive playlist of it.
00:59:25
Speaker
um Oh, what's that one called? Mother's Day, think. That one is really important to me because my mom died a really traumatic way very suddenly and I didn't get like her ashes or anything to really remember her why.
00:59:49
Speaker
So i was hiking And I like picked one flower and then I picked two and eventually I just ended up with like this perfect springtime bouquet. And, um, at the summit of my hike is like what I call my mom's spot. It's like a grove of five trees and a perfect circle and it's shaded and awesome.
01:00:17
Speaker
And, um, that was about the day that I picked that. Cause I was like, why am I picking all of these flowers? i don't know. i just know that I'm doing it. And it makes me think about my mom.
01:00:30
Speaker
And then that day was when I found that spot. Cause I was like, Oh, this is, this is what it was for. This is where these flowers are going to go for my mom. That one is very important to me for sure.
01:00:47
Speaker
Yeah. That one is, but That was another another good one. The line, i hope you can feel them from your side of the grave, you're just like, was like, brutal, but like, in the most beautiful way, because like, I think we all like, whatever your like, religion or your spirituality, like, whatever it is, like, we all like, want I think we're all a little bit scared of what comes next after we die and we're all a little bit curious of what is there after if there is there is there anything thereafter. And so it even though like you're talking about your mom being gone and being dead.
01:01:29
Speaker
it still was kind of hopeful in a way. Like, ah you know, I hope you can feel them from your side. Like, i I hope you're there. I believe that you're there. And so like, you know, just know that I'm thinking about you. um and so I think, you know, it's called Mother's Day. It's number 20. It's about your mom, but I think it has,
01:01:50
Speaker
just like all of your poems that has that like poignance that it can, you can make it make sense for anybody that you've lost any, any loved one that is gone that you miss. This is for them. And this is about them as well. Not just a mom or your mom.
Tribute in 'Mother's Day'
01:02:08
Speaker
um So happy mother's day, happy father's day, Merry Christmas, whatever, you know, whoever whoever you're missing.
01:02:19
Speaker
Mother's Day is for them and for you. And that's a really beautiful thing, a really beautiful gift that you and your talents have given anybody who ever reads that poem. That's very flattering.
01:02:32
Speaker
Thank you. That is my intention. There's a solidarity in grief. And I think that is it.
01:02:45
Speaker
So as you know, we're Bookwatch. We are a book adaptation podcast. um Now, I think it would be hard to adapt poems to a movie or TV show format. But we did talk about being lyrical and we talked about 21 Pilots. So you can kind of go either way with this question. But...
01:03:10
Speaker
if this book of poems were to be adapted, what would you like to see that? Would you like to see a musician sing any of these? Would you like to see a TV show called the human condition exhibition and like just all kinds of different like anthology series? Like what would you like to see or not at all is an option as well.
01:03:32
Speaker
feel like I'm not being fun, but I would have to say not at all. Unfortunately, like, I would love to tell you like, oh, I would love to see it adapted into some way, but I think that would take the mystery away of it. It's kind of like when um things get adapted to live action, kind of, except for How to Train Your Dragon.
01:03:55
Speaker
That was fabulous. But like the other things, it's like, oh, this doesn't like hit as much. And it's because you're adding too many details. Like, where's the whimsy of it? How are people supposed to make this their own perspective if you're telling them that this is what it is?
01:04:12
Speaker
Only for that, it's more visual. You know what I'm saying? It translates. um So I would want it to be as vague as it exists now. And for it to only ever be that vague.
01:04:25
Speaker
Because I think that allows it space to breathe on its own. And it breathes it breathes in a different way for every person that reads it. And I want it to stay that way.
01:04:37
Speaker
ah Like, maybe like an art piece or like a painting or something. and Yeah. um But I don't think a ah live series adaptation, I don't think I would.
01:04:52
Speaker
It just wouldn't be it. if it was adapted in that way. and also have a playlist, if you guys didn't know. It's called the Project Human Playlist on Spotify, and each poem has a song designated in chronological order.
01:05:07
Speaker
And I feel like that's... It was a lot to put together. I sifted through a lot of music. But... um I feel like I would only ever want something to add to that, not take away from the parts of it that really allow it to go on its own and exist how it is.
01:05:26
Speaker
um hope that answers the question. Yeah, absolutely. um Well, thank you so much for joining us. um If you will tell listeners where they can follow you and where they can find the book.
01:05:42
Speaker
The book is on Amazon and it is called The Human Condition Exhibition by Lizzie Brundle. That's me. And you can keep in touch with my writing journey on Instagram. That's really the only other place that I exist.
01:05:56
Speaker
And it's at liz.the.poetess. And I post on there probably once every couple of days, maybe like once a week with new poems. So if you want to follow me, that'd be cool.
01:06:11
Speaker
If not, no worries. Like, poetry is kind of like that. It's very nomadic. Like, you take you take what resonates and leave the rest. And, yeah, I might not be for everyone for that reason, but...
01:06:27
Speaker
you know if
01:06:32
Speaker
All right. Well, folks, she made us laugh. She made us cry. and now it's time to say goodbye. There you go. See, I told you. You're already doing it.
01:06:43
Speaker
okay um Well, thank you once again for coming on to the podcast. And yeah, I mean, guys, we both um really loved reading this group of poems. So please go check it out. Especially if any of what we talked about resonated with you, then you'll definitely resonate with more of the poems. So thanks again, Lizzie. And yeah, we'll, we're waiting for the next one.
01:07:06
Speaker
Okay. Right on. I'll keep you posted.
01:07:13
Speaker
That's a wrap for this week's episode of book watch. We hope you enjoyed diving into the world of page to screen adaptations with us. If you love this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a rating and review wherever you listen and share it with a fellow book and movie lover.
01:07:28
Speaker
If you prefer to watch along, you can check out the show on YouTube, youtube.com slash at bookwatchpodcast. You can follow the show on Instagram at bookwatchpodcast. And you can follow me, Sarah Day, on Instagram at captain.mcd. That's M-C-D-E-E.
01:07:47
Speaker
And you can follow me, Jordan, on Instagram at jjcorido. That's C-A-R-R-I-D-O. And you can follow me, Chris, at CyborgNight404. That's Knight with a K. You can also join the conversation in the Book Watch Lounge on Facebook at facebook.com slash groups slash Book Watch Lounge.
01:08:07
Speaker
If you'd like to support the podcast, you can join the Patreon at patreon.com slash bookwatchpodcast. Tears start at only $4 a month, and we would love to have you over there. Have a favorite adaptation you'd like us to cover, or a book you think deserves a screen adaptation, or just want to let us know of any feedback, send us an email at bookwatchpodcast at gmail.com.
01:08:29
Speaker
Until next time, keep reading, keep watching, and we will see you next week.