Six Questions interview #122 : df parizeau

df parizeau is a writer, fibre artist, and chronic pain sufferer, of scottish/french ancestry, who still ties their shoes "bunny-ears" style. Their work has been featured online and in print by publications in Canada, Finland, the UK, and the US. They have a firm belief in the 3-0 curveball and that cherry is the best pie. Their debut chapbook dissections was released in 2022 with above/ground press.

Q: How long were you in Ottawa, and what first brought you here? What took you away?

I was born at the Civic Hospital and lived in the city for my whole childhood, with the exception of a few years across the river in Gatineau. My family lived in the west end, around the Iris/Navaho fork through three different houses, all within walking distance. Shortly after turning 18, I made my way to Alberta. Blame it on being a hot-headed youth with a chip on my shoulder.  

Q: How did you first get involved in writing, and subsequently, the writing community here?

I didn’t really put any real focus into writing until grade 12. Prior to that, I’d dabbled a bit trying to write songs, with aspirations of being a rockstar, but I’m not particularly musically inclined. In grade 12, I took a creative writing class and my teacher, Ms. Riddell, was instrumental in encouraging me to write more and brought attention to my strengths. Had I been a better student overall, I may have gone on to continue to pursue writing in university, but I dropped out before that could transpire and never really had the chance to see what the writing community looked like, let alone join it. It really wouldn’t be a little over a decade later, after finding my way to Vancouver, that my passion for writing was rekindled.  

Q: How did being in such a community of writers shift your thinking about writing, if at all? Have there been subsequent shifts due to where you have lived since?

Something I lament often about leaving Ottawa when I did was never getting to dip my toes into the writing community. Ultimately, things turned out okay, but I often wonder how different my approach to writing and my practice would be. I had a nearly 10 year hiatus from writing and I think that had I stayed it would be more likely that I wouldn’t have had such a significant rupture. Moving to Vancouver and going back to university got me back on track but the scene here is big and can be intimidating at times, especially as a writer who emerged later in life. I’ve always seen writing as a means to connect with folks and sometimes, being in such a large city/community, I wonder how much I’m connecting versus consuming. Ottawa has always felt cozier to me and sometimes I yearn for a more close-knit atmosphere.

Q: What did you see happening here that you don’t see anywhere else? What did Ottawa provide, or allow?

When I first started getting back into writing, I’ll be honest, Ottawa didn’t really stick out as a “literary city”. Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, and even Edmonton & Winnipeg definitely have bigger profiles, but I think that actually works in Ottawa’s favor. The community seems more closely bonded and supportive and I think that’s allowed writers to lean more into the things they love about their craft, rather than worry about following trends in publishing. Having institutes like VERSe Fest, Arc Poetry Magazine, In/Words Magazine, and above/ground press really shows how vibrant and important the Ottawa writing community is to the country’s literary scene.

Q: Have any of your projects responded directly to your engagements here? How had the city and its community, if at all, changed the way you approached your work?

My chapbook, dissections, is an exploration of how my chronic pain connects to my memories and so has a very strong relation to my time spent in Ottawa. A great number of the pieces contained within the book reference moments and memories from my time growing up in the city. I can’t really imagine how my work would look without having grown up in Ottawa. The library system in Ottawa was (and I imagine still is) great when I was a kid and it afforded me so many opportunities to read and learn about stories. Growing up in a city that has so much to offer in terms of arts and museums was also immensely influential. A lot of my work and process is inspired by archive keeping and museum curation and I don’t think I would approach writing in the same way if I’d lived elsewhere as a kid. 

Q: What are you working on now? 

I’m currently working on a sister project to dissections called Tapestry of an Ailing Body. It’s a visual pain journal that tracks my day-to-day levels and types of pain through weavings. It’s not dissimilar from a temperature blanket/scarf, just with chronic pain as the element being tracked. There are 6 completed pieces in the series at present. I’ve committed to continuing through the end of 2022, but since it’s been such a great way to connect with and consider my body and its ailments, it may very well turn into a lifelong project!