What poets or writers influenced your work?
So many. I’m not sure I could name them all here without forgetting many who were pivotal. I will try to name a few who I’ve been thinking about recently in relation to my current project: Adele Wiseman, Armand Garnet Ruffo, Michael Ondaajte, Cornelius Eady, Margo LaPierre, David Martin, Natasha Ramoutar, Natalie Lim, Kathryn MacDonald, Lorne Daniel, Brandi Bird, and Micheal Fraser.
What themes or ideas do you investigate through your work?
Living in between spaces. I’m a biracial Iranian-Canadian and I have always felt like I don’t belong any place in particular. I’m also neurodivergent, but I’m high functioning. I’m married to a man, but I’m not straight. I’m 10 years sober, but I struggle with my mental health. I often feel like I’m never enough of any one thing to fit in anywhere, in this world that is so eager to shove people into boxes and label them. A lot of my work circles my frustration with this obsession.
How many collections/novels have you produced?
I have written four books, one chapbook and co-edited another anthology:
Fuse, A Memoir on Mixed Race Identity and Mental Illness. 2023 Winner of The Canadian Bookclub Awards for Nonfiction/Memoir. Available from Guernica Editions and wherever books are sold.
Rebellion Box, poems. Released by Radiant Press, 2023.
Widow Fantasies, stories. Released with Gordon Hill Press, fall 2024. Longlisted for 2025 Toronto Book Award.
Speech Dries Here on the Tongue, poetry anthology. Released by Gordon Hill Press/The Porcupine’s Quill, 2025
the blades of grass are dreaming, chapbook. Released by Anstruther Press, 2025.
The Unravelling of Ou, novel. Released by Palimpsest Press, February 2026.
Where to now?
In 2027, I have a children’s book due out with Guernica Editions in the spring, and in the fall, have a collection of travel essay scheduled for release with Wolsak & Wynn. I’m currently working on another collection of poetry and I am toying with the idea of another novel.
If you want to look into the work of Hollay Ghadery – See links below
www.hollayghadery.com
www.riverstreetwriting.com
and the following social media platforms
Instagram: @hollayghadery & @river_street_writes
TikTok: @hollayghadery @river.street.writing
Facebook: @riverstreetwriting & @hollayghaderywriter
Twitter: @Hollay2 @riverstwriting
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hollayghadery
