Q&A with Author Emilie Lindemann

Emilie Lindemann’s book, Ghost(ed) Woman & the Electric Purple Pants, has been out in the world for nearly two months. If you’re curious about how the book came to be, read on!

Why did you write your book? What inspired you to write it?

I started writing these poems to deal with the way I felt like a ghost and a time traveler during the pandemic. The college I had taught at for a decade closed, and I felt like I just couldn’t process. I amused myself by imagining crawling into cupboards or hollow trees at the idyllic campus where I was an adjunct. I kept writing these poems because I knew others could relate to these feelings of loneliness, to dreams about the perfect amaretto latte (inspired by memories of my grad school barista job), and to the need to be seen and understood.

What was your writing process?

I wrote snippets of these poems in fuchsia and blue and green marker pens in my notebook (well, notebooks). After a while, I’d open a Word document and start shaping the fragments into poems. Some of these poems called for line breaks, and others needed room to stretch out as prose poems. There’s even one shaped like a clover and one that uses a rainy-day window to interrupt the poem.

How long did it take you to write your book?

I had a first draft within one year, but then I kept writing poems that still felt in conversation with the themes of isolation, social connection, and feeling known in nature. It eventually took about four to five years. The chapbook evolved!

What was your favorite part about writing your book?

I honestly loved the puzzle of deciding on a title for the poetry series. It was initially going to be Ghost(ed) Woman & the Hollow Tree. I worked out the title in my notebook, brainstorming all possible options. Eventually, I just knew there was something magic in the image of the electric purple pants I dared myself to wear to teach a writing class as an adjunct.

What inspired your characters?

Ghost(ed) Woman is a socially awkward writer and writing instructor who feels at home in libraries. She finds out she loves the sound of sandhill cranes and riding her bike down country roads. She was once mistaken for a clover. She’s me during a specific time of my life—but also perhaps not me. I now have a full-time job again and feel far less ghost(ed).

Do you have a favorite character, scene, or message in the book?

I’m really happy with the way the last poem refers to something from earlier in the series. This is also where the famous purple pants make their appearance!

If you read Ghost(ed) Woman, please leave a rating and review on Goodreads!