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I spoke with featured poet, Jane Edna Mohler, about her poetry writing process and inspirations. Here’s what she had to say.
LF: Do you remember writing your first poem?
JM: No, but it would have been before I was ten years old. I have written poems for most of the decades of my life although I've never been prolific. Making a living has always been a distraction. It seems like I was born with poems inside me like a hen with her eggs. Writing poems has been a requirement for being me.
LF: What are some of your favorite creative inspirations? Nature? Family?
JM: I am inspired by nature but rather than spring blossoms, I am inspired by the endurance and nobility of nature which suffers and still survives. I have written a number of poems about my son. These poems involve a bit of grief, as he is my only child who left home to join the army and all the perils that involves.
LF: Could you describe your creative process for writing poetry?
JM: My commute to work is different every day. I often see things as I drive that trigger poems. I watch people, not just because I am a counselor, but also because I was a late and last child and had lots to observe in my family.
LF: What are you working on now?
JM: I have a manuscript that simply needs to get off my desk.
LF: Why is poetry important in the world?
JM: Poetry is a form of human expression. As we become more wired I think we lose opportunities for reflection in the personal and primal way poetry affords. I also feel strongly that a robust relationship with language gives our thoughts and experiences more facets like a well-cut gem versus a smooth river rock. (Although I like river rocks quite a bit.)
LF: What do you hope readers take away from your poetry?
JM: I want to give them a piece of my mind. Sounds funny but as an observer I have kept a lot of my thoughts to myself. Now, watchout! People say my poetry is approachable. I am happy about that. I hope that my readers will feel a familiar connection with my experiences, a human connection that we all need.
LF: Do you remember writing your first poem?
JM: No, but it would have been before I was ten years old. I have written poems for most of the decades of my life although I've never been prolific. Making a living has always been a distraction. It seems like I was born with poems inside me like a hen with her eggs. Writing poems has been a requirement for being me.
LF: What are some of your favorite creative inspirations? Nature? Family?
JM: I am inspired by nature but rather than spring blossoms, I am inspired by the endurance and nobility of nature which suffers and still survives. I have written a number of poems about my son. These poems involve a bit of grief, as he is my only child who left home to join the army and all the perils that involves.
LF: Could you describe your creative process for writing poetry?
JM: My commute to work is different every day. I often see things as I drive that trigger poems. I watch people, not just because I am a counselor, but also because I was a late and last child and had lots to observe in my family.
LF: What are you working on now?
JM: I have a manuscript that simply needs to get off my desk.
LF: Why is poetry important in the world?
JM: Poetry is a form of human expression. As we become more wired I think we lose opportunities for reflection in the personal and primal way poetry affords. I also feel strongly that a robust relationship with language gives our thoughts and experiences more facets like a well-cut gem versus a smooth river rock. (Although I like river rocks quite a bit.)
LF: What do you hope readers take away from your poetry?
JM: I want to give them a piece of my mind. Sounds funny but as an observer I have kept a lot of my thoughts to myself. Now, watchout! People say my poetry is approachable. I am happy about that. I hope that my readers will feel a familiar connection with my experiences, a human connection that we all need.
