Poet’s Spotlight: Lilith Noah
DIRTY DISHES, THE LAUNDRY, AND STAINED BEDSHEETS — don’t sound very poetic, but there’s always beauty behind some of the madness that goes on in our lives; there is beauty even in the simple things. You never know what of your life you can turn into a work of art. Human interaction, emotions, and life in general are what inspire poet Lilith Noah. After watching one of Savannah Brown’s slam poems on YouTube, Noah was drawn into the world of poetry.
Based in Vienna, Austria, the 23-year-old queer poet, writer, and artist has been writing for as long as she can remember. Noah began posting her work on Tumblr as a teenager and later began posting on Instagram. Now, Noah has begun a podcast called Lilith Listens: A podcast about creativity, in which she listens and talks to different creatives about their journeys, while also sharing tips on starting in and surfing the creative industry. Along with her podcast, Noah released her poetry book, Receipts, in January 2022 which contains a collection of 130 poems.
Read more below to get to know a little more about Noah and take a peek at her gallery.
LUNA: Hey, Lilith! Can you share with us how you began writing poetry?
NOAH: Hey, sure thing! The first time I really became aware of poetry as a medium was when I saw a video of a poetry slam by Savannah Brown on YouTube. I was mesmerized by the way some people can play with words, make simple things sound beautiful, and weave emotions out of a short string of words. I started to write poetry and posted it on Tumblr, then a while later on Instagram. I’ve been writing poetry ever since.
LUNA: Who or what inspires the artwork accompanied by your poetry?
NOAH: All forms of human emotion and human life, especially the parts that don’t seem poetic at first glance: dirty dishes, the laundry, stained bedsheets, taxes. If an archeologist were to find my writing in a thousand years, I want them to say, “Huh... So this is how they lived?” But I also still want them to be able to feel the emotions that I try to convey in my work if that makes sense. When it comes to artists whose works inspire me, I’d say Savannah Brown, Ocean Vuong, and Chen Chen. I just discovered the amazing poetry of Hera Lindsay Bird.
LUNA: What impact do you hope to make with your poetry?
NOAH: I think my poetry can sometimes be pretty dark and gnarly. That’s because I want to openly write about issues like depression, anxiety, or derealization. I don’t want to sweep things under the carpet. Sometimes we all feel like shit! But I never lose that hopeful tone in my poems, trying to find joy in mundane things and beauty in small moments. That is the impact I want to have. I want people to feel understood and seen in their darkest hours … In these moments that can feel quite hopeless, I want to be able to give them a little hope.
LUNA: What brings you joy?
NOAH: My girlfriend, good food, and new tattoos, in that order (laughs). And sunsets! And long walks! So many things! But more generally speaking, human connection. Those moments of kindness that we get to experience ever-so often. And laughing until my belly hurts.
LUNA: Question for fun: If you can be a poet from a different period, what era would you choose?
NOAH: Hm, that’s a good question! I don’t really know if it counts as a period but I would choose the future! Because everything else, all that came before, has already been done and written, so if I could glimpse into the future of poetry that would be incredible! Also, being queer in the past was most dangerous and unwelcome (to put it mildly), and since many of my love poems center around queer love, I wouldn’t be able to express them as freely as I thankfully can now.
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