An Interview with Ben Fama

“Every demon lives inside of me.”

Ben Fama’s playlist:
“Summer’s Over,” by Dennis Harte
“Grace,” The Durutti Column
Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks, Brian Eno
Metallic Butterfly, by Princess Nokia
N / O / I / S / E, by Ghostmane
Come Over When You’re Sober, by Lil Peep

Despite its title, Deathwish, is a strangely uplifting collection of poems. Ill lit with a melodic melancholy, it’s equally informed by rapper Lil Peep’s candid lyrics about substance abuse and depression as it is the deceptively casual flare of Frank ‘O Hara. Johanna Fateman, a musician and member of post-punk band Le Tigre, describes the book as lush with a “personal/political heartsickness,” which makes the reader feel less alone during our time of crisis. Fama writes midway through Deathwish, “The Anthropocene is a fucked-up time to be a live / yet mint grows / a chemical peel / a party at Bungalow five.”

At its core is a genuine longing for connection, a quest for new ways of enduring. Vivid scenes of being lost together are flickers of communal light in the void.  “I text you ca va? / you write back / much later / je suis triste.” Fama’s Deathwish is dedicated to those who kept his from coming true.

Ben Fama and I met for this interview at Veniero’s, the old pastry shop in the East Village, and talked under stained glass ceilings, light streaming through dark leaves and Art Deco red flowers. Ben ordered a dense, multi-layered rainbow cake, and I chose strawberry shortcake.

—Zoe Brezsny

I. “More Kindness”

THE BELIEVER: You reached out to me because I posted a photo of your Cool Memories chapbook on my Instagram. That was emblematic of how the poetry community works. It takes very little, a simple gesture of appreciation—to create a connection with another poet.

BEN FAMA: Yeah. When did I actually meet you? Apparently I met you at Brandon Brown’s hang at Hot Bird, but I’m not sure if I actually met you that night.

BLVR: Yeah, we waved and smiled. I think we remembered each other from online.

Here’s a set of questions I’d love to hear you talk about: how have you seen your writing evolve? Is Deathwish a maturation of your writing? How does it differ from the early metaphysical explorations of your chapbook Aquarius Rising and the deadpan tone of Fantasy?

BF: I think Deathwish is less myopic, even though it is supposed to have a very indulgent, self-centered title. There’s...