BCC Shines A Light On: Karen Rigby

Name of the piece published by BCC:

Love Notes from the Firefly Spanish/English Visual Dictionary

When/where was it originally published: 

Arch Literary Journal (now defunct) and later, in my first book, Chinoiserie (Ahsahta Press, 2012).

Tell us more about your piece! What is the background of the piece? What led you to write it? What’s your process? 

I’ve always enjoyed finding unusual vocabulary and diagrams of everyday items. Bilingual visual dictionaries are fun, because not only do you find corresponding words in another language, but you learn the sometimes specialized vocabulary within your own. There’s also an eclectic survey of the world going on, such that you really can page from the cross-section of a stone fruit to a bait-casting reel. I wanted to convey the delight in skipping from page to page within the framework of a love poem. 

How did you feel when it was first published and how have your thoughts or feelings on the piece changed from then to now? 

The poem would have appeared over a dozen years ago, if not more. I was happy for people to encounter it. Now, the poem is nostalgic, because I would have been a different person then, too. In this way poems are a record. I’m grateful to Bulb Culture for bringing it back. 

Is there a specific message you would like readers to take away from reading this piece? 

Take joy in the words themselves. Words are building blocks, sure, but they’re not only utilitarian. They can be beautiful, strange and alive.

What else would you like to tell readers about your writing? (Doesn’t have to refer only to your BCC piece):

Much of my writing includes the everyday as seen through a descriptive, particular view. We make a study out of what we love. Attention is a form of reverence.

Where can readers find more of your work? (Website/social media, etc)

In my new book Fabulosa (JackLeg, 2024) and on my site, https://www.karenrigby.com, which lists any upcoming events.