Poet's work explores themes of love, loss

By Patti Murphy

Staff writer

"You were born with it/It grew inside like a brush fire/Moths stayed clear, thin shreds of men turned to paper dolls, ... This is life, you breathe as the paper dolls march."

These are the enigmatic words of poet Kathy Kubik in her piece "This Fire" from the poetry chapbook "The Secret of Ivory Vows." A chapbook is a small book or pamphlet containing poems, ballads or stories.

"When you get married there are a lot of secrets, a lot of things people don't tell you about marriage, like how hard it can be," said Kubik, who lives in Westmont with her husband, in reference to the title of the short book. The cover shows a wedding dress on an ominous black background.

Released online in late January, Kubik's third chapbook is composed of 26 pieces that examine the themes of love, lust and loss. Her choice of words and conveyed images are meant to trap and subtly seduce the reader.

"This book is different in that the voice is a little bit stronger," Kubik said. "Everything is related to love and loss. It isn't safe territory."

Kubik believes her poetry is distinctive in that it is accessible to just about anyone.

"Many poets use language that is difficult to understand," she said. "A lot of people who don't like poetry like my pieces because they're about the experience, not pulling out the dictionary."

Kubik's works are available on Click here, a site that facilitates the printing and publishing of authors through digital communication.

"It's really hard to get a poetry chapbook published because the competition is so fierce," she said. "When you submit to a publishing company, it can take up to a year to hear if they're even interested."

Kubik found out about lulu.com through a friend and enjoys the service because she is able to have complete creative control. Books are compiled and shipped through the Web site when they are ordered. Kubik has sold 10 copies of "The Secret of Ivory Vows" so far.

"I get 80 percent of the royalties and lulu.com collects the rest," said Kubik. "It costs about $5 to make the book so the Web site makes about 50 cents off of every book sold and I make $2."

A printed copy of the chapbook costs $7.97, before shipping, and an electronic version can be downloaded for $2.76.

Kubik is working on another book of poetry about her time spent in England. A 2003 English graduate of DePaul University, she went with others from the university to visit the country's cathedrals. When she discovered she had forgotten her camera, she used her pen to create lasting memories.

"This book will be a lot more spiritual than things I've done in the past," Kubik said.

She hopes to have the collection completed in a few weeks. Another woman on the trip took black-and-white photos of the cathedrals and these images will decorate the cover and pages of the collection.

"The title of each poem will be the name of the cathedral and the reader will be able to compare the pictures with my words," she said.

Kubik received second place at the Poetry Board League in 2004 and was shortlisted in 2005 for a Ragdale Fellowship, which offers accommodations for artists and writers from the U.S. and several other countries at a Lake Forest estate.

A number of places in the city host poetry readings of which Kubik has been a part, including performances at the WomanMade Gallery and Chicago Poetry Festival.

She will be a guest on 88.7 WLUW-FM, the Loyola University radio station, on the "Wordslingers" program hosted by Michael Watson from 8 to 9 p.m. Sunday, March 5. To listen to the live broadcast, go to Click here