Emöke B’Racz discusses her latest poetry collection and the early days of Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe

In the “About us” section on Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe’s website, the store’s founder, Emöke B’Racz, stresses the influence of growing up in Hungary and the way her experience influenced her life’s direction.

B’Racz writes: “As a political exile from a communist country, I cannot overemphasize my passion to provide a space where freedom of expression is supported, where important literature — from authors backed by major publishers to those who self-publish — is available to all, where censorship has no place, where respect and service are practiced daily, where women feel safe, where all are welcome, and where books are the stars.”

Born in Budapest, B’Racz was raised by her grandparents after her father was detained and placed in a forced labor camp and her mother worked nights. In 1964, the family reunited in the United States. “I was not that familiar with my father since we were separated for 11 years,” B’Racz tells Xpress. “I was 15 when I got to really meet him. I spoke no English and was enrolled in George Washington High School in New York City. That was not much fun without the language.”

As a young adult, B’Racz worked for Waldenbooks in Stamford, Conn. After nearly a decade, she realized the “corporate world [was] not for me.” Before launching Malaprop’s in 1982, she traveled across South America and dreamed about opening her own bookstore.

Along with her life’s work of supporting and promoting literature, B’Racz is also a poet with several published collections, including her latest, Hopscotch on the Riverbank, While Waiting … 

In Xpress‘ latest poetry feature, we speak with B’Racz about her recent publication, her approach to writing and the influence that Western North Carolina has had on her work. In addition to the conversation, readers will also find one of the collection’s poems, “Craggy Gardens, North Carolina,” featured below.

Editor’s note: This conversation has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity. 

Xpress: Could you speak to the inspiration behind “Craggy Gardens” and how, if at all, your approach to writing this poem differed from others in the collection? 

B’Racz: Poetry in my case is a gift from my soul. … It comes when it is ready to surface and I have no choice but to sit down and write it. It comes in a complete form, and I do not revisit it or correct it or change it. “Craggy Gardens” came a bit later after I hiked up the trail to the top. It was really a divine sight, and I carried that imagery for a while before it was written down.

Your response reminds me of another poem from the collection: “Advice to Young Writers.” In it, you write: “Go live a life before you write about it/The imagination is not enough/To express a life on paper.” The guidance here seems to be in conversation with your approach to writing. Has this always been your mindset? Or has it changed over time? 

I wrote poetry long before knowing it is poetry we are creating here. I use the “we” since all that I experienced is not only by my experience, but some are just my own. … I was about 45 when I came clean, so to speak, even to my parents that I wrote poetry. My whole childhood was influenced by poetry from my parents, and it continued into my adulthood. My father’s friends would gather at the house and politics, memories and poetry filled our home. I sat mesmerized and listening to the old boys with a glad heart.

My mother lived with me for the last 10 years of her life, and when I would bring morning coffee to her bed, she would get me to sit down beside her and she would read poetry in Hungarian, of course. Words become strong and almost weapons for peace with age and allowing the words to form a string of pearls, so to speak, that are connected to the experience is the essence of writing for me.

Given that you kept your poetry a secret, how did your parents respond and how did it alter the way you thought about your writing, if at all? 

I just thought that the writings I did were for myself, only until the poem about them — my parents — came about, and I decided to share it with them. After that, I continued not to share my writing because I did not think I was a poet or anyone would care about what I wrote. But I loved writing in any shape or form. I was already among writers and poets in my bookstore experience and I did feel a bit intimidated about my writing, to tell the truth. My parents received the poem I shared with them with amazement. The amazement coming from them was enough for me to carry on writing even to this day.

Could you speak a little more about owning Malaprop’s and how your exposure to so many great authors and poets influenced your life as a writer?

I would elect to say that Malaprop’s owned me, not the other way around. I founded the store to have the best selection and decided to grow the selection based on my readers and authors. Meeting authors and hearing them give voice to their work always amazed me, as I heard the music in those moments. Malaprop’s was my dream to center the cultures in our place where diversity, quality and honesty were the basic premise, as I believed that every city — small or large — deserved a quality bookstore like ours.

Looking back after 40 years of bookselling, I have no regrets.

Is there a local poetry collection that came out within the last year, or is forthcoming this year, that you’re excited to read? If so, why?

Asheville Poetry Review is a good presentation of poets near and far.

Who are the four poets on your personal Mount Rushmore? 

E.E. Cummings, Adrienne Rich,  Carolyn Forché, Wisława Szymborska.