When you require renewal, is there a particular poem or book that you return to? A particular author?
Maybe this comes to mind because we recently lost Steven Heighton, but his “The Waking Comes Late” is a particularly dog-earred poem in my library. The language is simple and lush. The vivid memory of planting trees with a loved one, regret, grief… it touches me every time I read it.
What poets changed the way you thought about writing?
Early in my writing career, William Carlos William’s poems showed me the power of crisp, minimalist language – and that the “everyday” is worthy of poetry. After all, does anything matter more than the red wheelbarrow?
More recently, I’m still interested in the everyday. But I’m trying to capture what that looks like in our times – and how it shapes our relationships and interactions. I’m inspired by poets like Karen Solie, Jim Johnstone and David O’Meara.
What do you feel poetry can accomplish that other forms can’t?
The poetry I like best makes a connection but in a non-prescriptive way. It makes you feel but doesn’t tell you how to feel, why you’re feeling that way, or what to do with that feeling. We’re surrounded by so much “content” and processing it all feels like a bit of a sentence. Poetry feels like freedom – a few, well-chosen words and lots of open windows.
How does your work first enter the world? Do you have a social group or writers group that you work ideas and poems with?
I often show my work to my immediate family to be sure I’m being authentic and keeping it real. I also share early drafts with a group of writers I’ve been meeting with for several years. Recently I’ve joined an online community, Front of the Line, hosted by poet George Murray, where I can always count on generous and insightful feedback.
How did you first engage with poetry?
Like many people I studied poetry in high school and the loved the idea of the Romantic poets wandering the English countryside. But I think my earliest appreciation of poetry came through song lyrics. Growing up in rural New Brunswick, I was mostly exposed to folk, country – and even Baptist gospel music. So often the songs evoke feeling through a simple story - and that’s something I carry into my work today.
