How To Write The Unflattering

What does it take to turn ten years of solitude and survival into a published poetry collection? Join us for an intimate conversation with poet McKendy Fils-Aime as we discuss his debut collection, sipèstisyon, published by YesYes Books.In this interview, McKendy opens up about the "first book allegations"—navigating difficult family themes, the role of therapy in his creative process, and why he ultimately turned down other publishing offers to find the right home for his work. Whether you are a poet working on your first manuscript or a reader interested in the intersection of trauma, growth, and community, this episode offers deep insights into the literary journey.Key Topics in This Episode:The leap from the "contest circuit" to an open call with YesYes Books.Creating original cover art with artist Shaylin Wallace.How therapy and 10 years of time shaped the speaker's voice.Navigating generational trauma and violent imagery in verse.Advice for poets on prioritizing community over "The Big Five."0:00 - Introduction and welcome.0:42 - Choosing "YesYes Books" as a publisher.2:22 - Open call vs. contest circuit.3:00 - The story behind the cover art by Shaylin Wallace.5:10 - Working on the second manuscript and future prose goals.6:06 - Navigating family and difficult themes in a first book.6:55 - The role of therapy and time (10 years) in the writing process.9:19 - Interpreting the speaker's growth and "generational trauma."10:22 - Dealing with violent imagery and frank language.11:23 - Lessons from the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop.14:08 - The chronological progression and transformation of the speaker.17:11 - Advice for poets working on their first collection.18:22 - Deciding which publishing offers to turn down.20:13 - Pre-order details and final reflections on community.#poetry #poem #diversesDiverses is dedicated to promoting poetry from multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and under-represented writers.