#18 Nicola Caroli, writer
'In the morning, I get straight into it.'
Nicola has always been fascinated by language and in particular, poetry. An interdisciplinary writer and artist, she has created poetry performances and installations to evoke an immersive, visceral experience of a particular poetry and/or poet. Her performances and installations were presented at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Tanztage Sophiensaele and HAU (Berlin), Mousonturm (Frankfurt), National Review of Live Art (Glasgow), in cemeteries in London and Berlin, not to mention her own collaborative art space wortwedding.
In the last ten years, she has focused on her writing and on developing her Natural Breathing teacher practice. She is currently in the process of publishing her first book, the poetic documentary Great Green Days, about two stray dogs from Jerusalem. She's also working on two other books, a series of dialogues with her cat, Mr T, What my cat told me about dying, and a book of breathing explorations in nature called Breathing with Trees. She lives in Wandlitz, 45 km from Berlin.
Where do you write?
In bed, on the train, and in cafes.
Morning writer or late-night words?
Morning.
Coffee, tea, or any other drinks?
Herbal tea at home.
Handwritten notes or phone files?
Handwritten notes.
Something to nibble while you write?
Usually, nothing in the morning; if I’m hungry, a piece of fruit.
What's your most tempting distraction?
In the morning, not much. The rest of the day, my to-do lists & Netflix.
Any desk essentials?
My laptop.
What's on the speakers?
If I’m working on a particular project, I have a particular piece of music that I play over and over again. Otherwise, mostly silence.
Writer uniform?
Night dress and sweatshirt in the morning.
What are your pre-writing rituals?
In the morning, I get straight into it. During the day, thinking about the project, sometimes talking to people about it, reading, researching, displaying images on my sideboard as reminders.
Perfect bookshop to hide on a rainy day?
St Georges in Prenzlauer Berg [Berlin].
What is the best word in the English language?
That’s tough, the first one that comes to mind is ‘periwinkle'.
Three writers (dead or alive) to have dinner with?
Theodore Roethke, Marie Howe, Meir Shalev.