Debriefing the Poet: An Interview with Mary Di Michele

Abstract

Mary di Michele was born in Italy in 1949 and came to Canada with her family in 1955 and has published six books of poetry. She currently teaches English and Creative Writing at Concordia University in Montreal. Mary di Michcle's new novel, Under My Skin, is a book about a thriller written by a female doctor. Not surprisingly, when the author within the text describes her book, it sounds very like di Michele's own novel -- without the frame text. It is about a "serial rapist who is a Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde type character. And a heroine who is a young filmaker. You get to know and like her but she becomes his last victim. My idea is that the blondes knocked off in thrillers are always anonymous and disposable..I want the film, this book, to force the viewer to feel the violence in the genre. If you identify with the woman, it happens to you. If you love the woman, it happens to your lover. This discussion took place on June 17, 1994 at Mary di Michele's home in Montreal.