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Behind the Words: Laura Eppinger
Laura Eppinger’s poem “Pomegranate” is a moment crystalized in time that leaves the reader to question the balance of the pain of living with the pain of never having lived at all. Eppinger lives in New Jersey and knows the Jersey Devil is real. You can learn more about her work here: lauraeppinger.blog . Devon Bohm: What struck me first and foremost about your piece is how it deftly turns a well-used image, the pomegranate, into something new. Was part of your intention in the piece to use the pomegranate in a new and unexpected way? For you, is the unexpected part of poetry as a whole? Laura Eppinger: I love this question! The description of a pomegranate as a...
Read MoreBehind the Words: Jacob Collins-Wilson
The oil rig as aphid. The diver’s child learning to dive. Jacob Collins-Wilson’s poem “On the Gulf in Alabama” is a two-part study of what stands, static, off shore, and what plumbs the depths, ever moving. Kelly Samuels: Tell me about the chosen structure, specifically the two parts. When did you decide to do that? How did it come about? Jacob Collins-Wilson: the two parts came about simply from time. i wrote the first part either during or right after i took a trip with my dad and his two brothers to visit my great uncle who lives on an inlet of the gulf. i love stars and the oil rigs are these false stars at night that i don’t like, but they also didn’t...
Read MoreBehind the Words: Lauren Camp
Lauren Camp is the Poet Laureate of New Mexico and author of five books, most recently Took House (Tupelo Press). Honors include a Dorset Prize and finalist citations for the Arab American Book Award and Adrienne Rich Award for Poetry. Her poems have appeared in Kenyon Review, Prairie Schooner, Blackbird, and Beloit Poetry Journal. She is an emeritus Black Earth Institute Fellow and was Astronomer in Residence at Grand Canyon National Park in 2022. Her work has been translated into Mandarin, Turkish, Spanish, and Arabic. And Lauren was also published in the sixth and eighth issues of Spry Literary Journal. Earlier this year, she was kind enough to be interviewed by...
Read MoreBehind the Words: Joshua Peralta
Oakland-based Joshua Peralta is celebrating the publication of his first book 3rd & Orange this past month. “First Days,” the opening chapter, appeared in issue 6 of Spry. Originally from Southern California, he has lived in the Bay Area since 2013. He teaches English and moonlights as a remote dispatcher and factotum for a small towing and transportation company in Orange County. His work has been published in a variety of genres in a variety of places. When he’s not writing, he likes to cook, drink good beer, spend time with friends and family, travel, and walk in the Oakland hills and regional parks. This interview was conducted via e-mail over lots of...
Read MoreBehind the Words: Meggie Royer
Meggie Royer not just a writer and poet, but she is also is a graduate student working toward her Masters of Social Work. Professionally, she advocates for survivors of domestic violence, but that doesn’t stop at the end of her workday. She also publishes Persephone’s Daughters, her literary and arts journal for abuse survivors. Royer’s poem Salmonella was published in our sixth issue, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to interview her and share more about her with our literary community. Erin Ollila: I’m always so interested in what sparks an idea for a poem. Where did the spark of inspiration for Salmonella come from? Meggie Royer:...
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