During a recent talk at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, author Lauren Groff surprised her interviewer by confessing that she writes and publishes poetry under a pseudonym. Responding to a question from fellow author Gish Jen, who moderated the first Virtual Radcliffe Book Talks session, Groff laughed and said, \u201cI do write poetry and I publish it, but not under my name.\u201d Jen, a 2002 Radcliffe fellow, expressed her amazement, saying, \u201cWhoa. Oh my goodness. This has not come out before. An alias \u2026 fascinating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Groff, known for her novels like \u201cMonsters of Templeton\u201d and \u201cFates and Furies,\u201d as well as short story collections such as \u201cDelicate Edible Birds,\u201d has been a three-time finalist for the National Book Award. In past discussions, she has credited Emily Dickinson for inspiring her to become a writer. At the talk, she mentioned starting her mornings with poetry as \u201ca jolt of literary caffeine.\u201d Despite her revelation, Groff did not reveal her pen name, nor did Jen press her for it.<\/p>\n
Groff explained her attraction to poetry, noting, \u201cPoets can do things that I think prose has a really hard time doing.\u201d She highlighted the ability of poems to employ a non-obvious speaker and the necessary compression within poetry that differs from novels or short stories. Among her favorite poets are Terrance Hayes, Natalie Diaz, Ada Limon, Walt Whitman, and Dickinson. She also commended the 2025 poetry collection \u201cLazarus Species\u201d by Devon Walker-Figueroa.<\/p>\n
The discussion also covered Groff\u2019s writing process and her latest short story collection, \u201cBrawler: Stories.\u201d These stories delve into themes of love, fear, and violence, inspired by the culture of violence in North American societies. Groff revealed she prefers juggling multiple projects simultaneously, saying, \u201cIf I obsess too much about one thing, that thing will never get done.\u201d She co-owns The Lynx Books in Gainesville, Florida, with her husband.<\/p>\n
Groff discussed her lengthy writing process, noting that some books take years to develop. She likened her stories to \u201cliving entities\u201d that need time to mature. \u201cOne has to allow them to grow and to come to you with the amount of time it takes for them to grow,\u201d she explained. Groff emphasized the importance of patience, suggesting that sometimes the right time or form for a story has yet to be found.<\/p>\n
An Amherst College graduate with an M.F.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Groff reflected on her transformative experience at Radcliffe. There, she conceived \u201cMatrix,\u201d a historical novel about medieval writer Marie de France, marking the first in a series followed by \u201cThe Vaster Wilds.\u201d Looking ahead, Groff plans to explore themes of religion in her future work, intrigued by how religions depict human struggles with the incomprehensible. \u201cI\u2019ll never stop wrestling with God,\u201d she remarked about her ongoing literary exploration.<\/p>\n