An Interview with H. Melt on "There Are Trans People Here"
Interview by Kay Moore
In this stunning new collection of poems, H. Melt (they/them) evokes what many in our society tend to overlook, something of the utmost importance: trans joy. Through the celebration of this joy and liberation, through researching the powerful and oppressive past, and through looking to a future of affirmation, visibility, and community, H. Melt brings forth the reality of the trans experience via powerful poems that alter the landscape of queer poetry. Poetry allowing us to see ourselves and our community for what we are. I recently spoke with H. Melt about the experience of writing this collection and what it means for them.
Please grab a copy, explore this new collection and enjoy our conversation about There Are Trans People Here.
Tell us a little bit about the book's journey - how did it come into being?
This book came out of my desire to focus on the love and care trans people provide for each other. I wanted to celebrate moments of trans joy and liberation in my life. I wanted to imagine abundant trans futures. The collage on the cover and featured throughout the book by Chris Vargas was a foundation for the type of work I wanted to do. The poster sits above my writing desk and I've admired it for years. It celebrates trans artists, ancestors, and activists all in one space, which is central to my life and work.
What did you experience as you wrote the poems for this collection? What feelings did this process bring forth for you?
I felt a lot of joy writing this book, but it was a challenge to let myself feel that way. Most of my previous poetry was very realist and while that's still true in this book, I challenged myself to tap into my radical imagination a lot more. What would it be like if I had a trans affirming childhood? Lived on a street with trans neighbors? Where we could walk outside without being harassed? How do we get to a year where no trans people are incarcerated, murdered or commit suicide? It's bittersweet because we shouldn't have to imagine a world where trans people are embraced. It should already exist.
How did you protect yourself as you wrote these poems? Did you have any coping mechanisms in particular?
I don't know that I did protect myself. I have an amazing therapist I've worked with for several years who really supports me and my work. I take multiple antidepressants, provided to me by a doctor who doesn't pathologize transness. Many of my coping mechanisms are rooted in community care. The poem "To Sylvie, to Frank" is about one of my longest trans friends, the many places we've traveled together and memories we've shared. "Trans Care" is about my healing process from a hysterectomy, which I wanted for a long time. Sharing meals in my home with friends during the recovery process was so nourishing. In other words, I didn't protect myself, but many people around me provided a strong support system in my personal life as I wrote these poems. I had to actively pursue trans joy in order to write about it.
I'm sure you wrote from a lot of personal experiences in this collection. Did you write from anything else (testimonies, stories, histories, etc.)? Did you have to do any research? What did that look like?
There were various types of research involved in writing this book. A lot of that research involved exploring queer and trans lineages. The poem "The Riots Must Continue" came out of a trip to Philly with a trans friend. We visited sites of queer and trans resistance like the historical location of Dewey's Diner, which was a Pre-Stonewall site of protest and rebellion. I connected that trip to my own family history in Philly through that poem. I'm the only queer person in my family that I know of. In this book, I'm retelling the history of my family through a queer and trans lens, in an effort to feel less isolated from them. I'm also saying that my chosen family, trans elders, and ancestors are just as important in shaping my life.
Where did you find inspiration as you navigated this collection?
If I had to choose three books that inspired the ideas in There Are Trans People Here, they would be: Care Work by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarsinha, We Do This Til We Free Us by Mariame Kaba, and Trans Care by Hil Malatino. They've all taught me so much about what community care means and how to practice it. I was really inspired by the imaginations of Krista Franklin and Eve Ewing, who've both taught me how to envision a more radical future. The artwork and organizing of Monica Trinidad and Molly Costello also brightened my world as I wrote the book.
What do you hope readers take from this collection as they move through it? What do you want them to experience during and after reading?
I hope this book will provide trans people with ways to better understand ourselves, our histories and communities. I want trans people to feel loved. I want trans people to feel joy and imagine themselves in the future.