In this episode of On Creative Writing, guest host and poet Kim Mannix converses with award-winning Chinese-Canadian poet Natalie Lim to discuss Natalie's highly anticipated debut poetry collection, Elegy for Opportunity.
Natalie shares the origins of her collection’s title, which draws inspiration from the Mars rover Opportunity, a solar-powered explorer that operated on Mars from 2004 until 2018, and its poignant final transmission.
Natalie explains how the rover’s journey and eventual silence became a powerful metaphor for exploring themes of grief, longing, and the search for meaning in times of crisis, both personal and collective.
The two poets delve into the creative process behind Elegy for Opportunity, which reveals how Natalie crafted the book’s structure to mirror the emotional arc of loss and recovery. Natalie describes her decision to use an accessible style in her poetry, aiming to invite readers into intimate moments of vulnerability and reflection.
She describes how she balances deeply personal narratives—such as her experiences with family, identity, and cultural heritage—with broader, cosmic questions about humanity’s place in the universe.
Kim and Natalie explore the challenges and rewards of writing about vulnerability, especially as a young poet navigating questions of identity and belonging.
Natalie shares insights into her writing routine, the importance of community and mentorship in her development as a poet, and the literary influences that have shaped her voice. She cites poets such as Ocean Vuong, Tracy K. Smith, and Ada Limón as inspirations, noting how their work encouraged her to embrace honesty and emotional risk in her own writing.
The conversation also touches on the intersection of science and art, as Natalie reflects on how the story of the Mars rover allowed her to weave together motifs of technology, exploration, and human emotion. She looks at the process of researching Opportunity’s mission and how scientific language and imagery found their way into her poems, creating a unique blend of the personal and the cosmic.
Listeners will hear Natalie's thoughts on the evolving landscape of contemporary poetry, including the importance of accessibility and representation.
Natalie offers advice for emerging writers on finding their authentic voice and building resilience in the face of rejection and self-doubt. She also shares a glimpse into her future creative projects, expressing excitement about experimenting with new forms and themes in her next body of work.
Natalie brings to life her collection's central motifs of loss, hope, and the enduring human desire to connect across distances—whether between people or between planets.
Kim and Natalie's conversation closes with Natalie reading from Elegy for Opportunity. In her reading of the poem 'Elegy for Opportunity III', Natalie brings to life the collection’s central motifs of loss, hope, and the enduring human desire to connect across distances—whether between planets or between people. Her reading exemplifies the collection’s ability to hold space for both sorrow and possibility, leaving listeners with a sense of comfort and inspiration.
Many thanks to Kim Mannix for interviewing Natalie!
Read Natalie Lim's Q&A interview with On Creative Writing.