I had the pleasure of interviewing Robin Christine Honigsberg, a writer hailing from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Robin's work delves into the complexities of living with mental illness, offering readers a profound glimpse into her personal narratives, poetry, memoirs, and short stories across various genres. Despite being estranged from her family, she finds solace and companionship in her Persian cat, Alex.
Robin is a first-generation Canadian with an impressive academic background, including a B.A. in Psychology from Concordia University, a Graduate Certificate in Mental Health & Illness from McGill University, and an Accreditation in Speech-Language Pathology from Cegep Marie-Victorin. Her writing journey began with the publication of her work in the First Fruits Anthology in 1989 and has continued to flourish with recent contributions to Medium and the online journal WordSwell, where she also serves as an associate editor and Social Media Manager.
In addition to her chapbook and full poetry collection, Robin is currently working on her third volume of poetry and two novels, one of which is inspired by her grandmother’s courageous role as a Freedom Fighter against the Nazis during the Holocaust. Join us as we explore Robin's remarkable journey, her inspirations, and the powerful themes that drive her writing.
You wrote a book of poetry titled, Dysfunctional Me: A Collection Of Poems About Trauma, Grieving and Loss https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZJPPYF4 Who or what inspired you to express yourself through poetry? I've always found poetry to be a source of dealing with my emotions when upset about something. I started as a teenager and was inspired to write poetry again a couple of years ago when I began attending Beat Generation poet Clive Matson's workshops on Meetup.
Did you face any challenges or obstacles while writing these poems? How did you overcome them? The biggest challenge was the decision to share them with the world; some poems are about my family, and they are not pleased I'm "airing our dirty laundry in public." But it's the truth. Or at least it's my truth, and I felt the need to put it out there for others who might be going through similar experiences. They need to know they're not alone and it's okay to talk about it.
Can you discuss the role of poetry as a coping mechanism in your life, particularly during challenging times like dealing with your mother’s diagnosed dementia? It was around the time of her diagnosis I began writing poetry again, and I've written countless poems about how much I miss and love her, how I regret the past, and how much I wish she would see or speak to me. But it's been 19 months since the last time she talked to me, and poetry is helping me accept that I may never see or speak to her again.
Are there any particular poems in the collection that hold special significance to you? If so, can you elaborate on why? The first poem in the chapbook is titled "Do You Remember Me?" It was the first poem I wrote after my family estranged me and my mother was diagnosed with dementia. An online literary journal, WordSwell, (
wordswelljournal.org) published the poem. I volunteer for them as an associate editor and the Social Media Manager.
In addition, I paid a videographer to record me reading the poem from the book and intersperse pictures of my mother and me throughout the years. It will always be one of my favorite poems, despite it still making me cry every time I read it.
How do you navigate the balance between personal vulnerability and artistic expression when writing about such intimate and emotional experiences? To make a long answer short, I don't. I write straight from the heart, making my poems dark, emotional, and raw. I say how I feel straight out, without metaphors or anything to interpret; the emotions are in front of you, in black and white.
How do you approach writing about the complexities of family relationships, particularly considering your current estrangement from your family? Again, to make a long answer short, I don't. They have made it very clear they do not want me in their lives in any way at all. To them, I'm dead. My sister blocked me from contacting her in every way possible, and my mother forbade me from contacting her. (She hasn't spoken to me in 19 months). When there's a problem or emergency, I contact the lawyer my mother hired to deal with me so she wouldn't have to.
How has the process of creating this collection of poems contributed to your healing journey and personal growth? Writing the poetry for this collection made me understand I no longer had a family, and there was a possibility I would never see or speak to my mother ever again. It helped me start the incredibly long process of slowly accepting I am now alone and have no family.
Your second book is "Inside My Chaotic Mind: A collection of poems about mental illness, relationships and God" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNSLGZ38 Can you elaborate on how your personal experiences with mental illness have influenced your poetry in this collection? I found I was writing more and more poetry about mental illness, especially as I was diagnosed with new disorders. For almost twenty years, I was diagnosed with Bipolar II. At 41, I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), which was surprising, unexpected, and shameful. BPD is known to have one of the worst stigmas associated with mental illness, and when first diagnosed, I fought it. I didn't want to accept it. Then, I was diagnosed with other mental illnesses, and to deal with them, I wrote poems about being ill.
Can you discuss your process of incorporating spirituality and your developing relationship with God into your poetry? God always played a role in my poetry, especially after I overdosed in June 2018 and almost died. I spent three days on a ventilator and a week unconscious before waking up to the doctors telling me I took enough pills to kill two people, not just one. I knew my late father, aunt, grandmother, and cousin helped God to save my life, and after not believing in God for years, I regained my faith.
In what ways do you hope your poetry will resonate with readers who may also be struggling with similar challenges in their own lives? I hope anyone reading realizes they're not alone. And it's alright to talk about your problems and vocalize your feelings even to those who invalidate them. I want my readers to understand their feelings, whatever they are, are valid and significant. I also suggest if they can afford to, they should get some variation of therapy to help them cope with their experiences and situations.
Can you share any specific poems from the collection that hold particular significance to you, and why? (My favorite poem A Friendship Timeline) My favorite poem is the first one in this book, "Forget Me (Do Not Mourn Me)," written when I was kicked out of my family and was trying to deal with being alone in the world, and was hurt and angry. If my mother and sister didn't love me while I was alive, they don't get to mourn me when I'm gone.
Do not mourn me for I am finally at peace.
Do not cry for me when you treated me like dirt when I was alive.
Do not miss me when you made no effort to understand the depths of my pain when I existed.
Do not think of me when you refused to see or speak to me when I needed you most.
Do not remember me when you forgot me while I lived.
Please,
I beg you, forget me and my existence on this earthly plane.
Forget the good,
of which there was little and
forget the bad of which there was much.
Forget the pain I caused and be happy I’m gone.
Forget me to set yourself free from the burden I was
and of being forced to remember me.("Friendship Evaluation" is about friends slowly drifting apart, based on real experiences, with more than one "friend.")
How has the process of therapy influenced your writing and your perspective on your experiences?I've begun writing love poems, something I never did before. I never loved myself - my late father was abusive, and I bore the brunt of his anger. Regularly, I heard I was worthless, useless, stupid, that no man would ever marry me, that I would never accomplish anything with my life, and end up a welfare bum, alone and living on the streets. But despite never making my parents proud, I'm proud of what I've accomplished. My work was published, I self-published two collections of poetry and demonstrated I can do just fine in life even without a family. Besides, being related by blood means nothing. Family are those people around you who you love and who love you and are always there for you.
What do you hope readers will take away from reading your collection of poems?I hope readers take away the message that it's okay not to be alright, you're allowed to talk about your negative experiences, there's nothing to be afraid of, and there is no shame in admitting you need help. I want readers to see they aren't alone, and there are probably more people than they realize who have experienced/are experiencing the same thing they're going through.
How do you envision the themes and focus of your third volume of poems evolving from the experiences and reflections explored in this second collection? The third volume will likely be more positive and less Sylvia Plath and focus on my coping with how I dealt with losing my family and other challenges I will have experienced when I'm ready to publish my third volume. One example is starting my writing business and seeing if I could effectively change careers from mental health to writing services.
What's next in your future? I just started a business called, "Remarkable Writing," which offers services such as proofreading, copywriting, copy editing, social media posts, blog posts, e-book...basically anything writing related. Price is negotiable if necessary. There were people who helped me out when I was starting (and still are) and I want to pay it forward so I'm willing to negotiate.
I have no website yet (I know I need one) but am working on it. If people want to see my services, they can go to Alignable (
https://www.alignable.com/cote-saint-luc-qc/remarkable-writing).
I'm starting to use my Substack account to promote - currently there are only a couple of things posted. -a piece about myself and one about mental health and the winter blues. Today a piece about Mental Health Week will go up and the intro to my poetry/short story reading podcast will go up by the end of the week. Readers can find my work and podcast on Substack (It'll become more consistent and reliable as I learn how much I can fit in every day.
https://robinchristinehonigsberg.substack.com/aboutIf anyone wants to support a struggling writer, they can subscribe to my Substack account in three month when I monetize it, buy me a
Ko-Fi or donate through PayPal:
rhonigsberg1@hotmail.com
This concludes the interview with Robin Christine Honigsberg. It's clear that her life and work are deeply intertwined with themes of resilience, identity, and the exploration of mental health. Her diverse academic background and personal experiences enrich her writing, making it both relatable and thought-provoking. Robin's dedication to her craft, along with her ongoing projects, promise to bring even more compelling narratives and poetry to her readers. I look forward to seeing how her unique voice continues to evolve and inspire. Thank you, Robin, for sharing your journey and insights with us today.
