Demetrio Marra on Poetry, Community, and Self-Publishing

Demetrio Marra (born 1995, Reggio Calabria) releases his second poetry collection, "Non sappiamo come continuare," self-published after his debut with Interno Poesia. In an interview, Marra discusses his views on poetry's audience in Italy, describing much of poetry publishing as amateurish and lacking conflict. He argues that professionalization must be paired with a critique of the market. Marra explains his writing process as "saturation" rather than inspiration, and his deliberate "sciatteria" (sloppiness) as a simulation of immediacy. The collection's subtitle, "Nove processi biofisici," refers to planetary vital functions and limits. Marra sees poetry as a means to move from the intimate to the political, liberating oneself from narcissistic pain. He also co-founded lay0ut magazine in 2021, a literary, translation, and visual research publication that has produced two print issues and two festivals. Marra holds a degree in Modern Philology from the University of Pavia and attended the Master in Publishing at the Scuola del libro in Rome.