Tiny Talks is an interview series with Tiny Spoon’s talented contributors. This week we spoke with Kale Hensley from our thirteenth issue.
Tiny Spoon: What kindles your creativity?
Kale Hensley: My creativity tends to be kindled by movement. I receive the best lines and images while I am driving, which is an inappropriate time to be writing. Luckily, voice memos have saved many lines that would have gone astray and pulling off to put twenty dollars in the tank allows me a moment to jot these ideas down. When I am not in motion, I prefer silence and the crackle of a wood wick candle. It feels remarkably ancient and salves the ear to await the muse’s instruction.
Tiny Spoon: Are there any artists/ heroines/ idols/ friends that you look up to?
Kale Hensley: I am ever inspired by the mystics; Julian of Norwich, Hadejwich, and Mecthild of Magdeburg are personal favorites. Contemporary writers who move me in all the right ways tend to be Amy Gerstler, Mary Ruefle, and Mary Karr. If I had to choose a favorite heroine, it would obviously be Judith. She’s a-head of most people.
Tiny Spoon: Do you have specific superstitions or divinatory practices that you adhere to?
Kale Hensley: I recognize and try to celebrate all religious holidays in some way. I like a healthy amount of syncretism in my day to day. I take my dreams seriously and report imaginative matters to the friends who appear in them. A candle is always lit when I write; I start my morning like my mother before me.
Tiny Spoon: We love insight into the creative process. Could you share what it is like for you, either with your work that appears in Tiny Spoon or in general?
Kale Hensley: “Braiding the Girl” was inspired by a trip to a convent in Ferdinand, IN. My wife and I stopped there to poke around on our way back to Texas. The sisters invited us to participate in vespers and gave us a tour of the facilities. Framed in their main office was a long braid of hair and a photo of the young woman who it belonged to.
When a woman chose to enter religious life, her hair was cut and braided by family and friends. While they bound the hair strand by strand, they told fond memories or anecdotes, imbuing the hair with a domestic form of magic. I wanted to achieve this in a poem, which explains the content and form of my piece.
While section two serves as the ‘photograph,’ a superficial understanding of “a good christian girl,” the braid details the journey to garner this image, which at times, felt totally inaccurate. A good christian girl is equally capable of destruction, just like her God. This poem also serves to illustrate how God pines for us in return.
Tiny Spoon: Do you have any current or future projects that you are working on that you would like to share?
Kale Hensley: At present, I am taken by the art of collage. It is a ‘palette cleanser’ between writing projects and satisfies the associative needs of my brain. I am also at work on a collection of essays called Pew Baby detailing the supernatural perks of a pentecostal childhood. I too have a novel I am working on about a young woman on an erotic pilgrimage. We will see how that fans out.
Tiny Spoon: What book, artwork, music, etc., would you recommend to others?
Kale Hensley: If I were to recommend a book, it would be Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata. If I were to recommend music, it would be “the walker” by Christine and the Queens. And should I recommend art, it would be the paintings of Colete Martin.
Tiny Spoon: Is there anything else you would like others to know about you, your creations, or beyond?
Kale Hensley: I am from West Virginia. In my opinion, it is one of the most beautiful states.
Tiny Spoon: Where can people learn more about what you do?
Kale Hensley: Should you need to find me, you can do so on instagram @julianofwhorwich or @kale.age. I have a website as well: www.kalehens.com.
Tiny Spoon: Do you have photographs or images you would like us to share?
