From the City to the Lakes: An Interview with Dionne Custer Edwards

Tomorrow is the official start of the 2019 Sun & Moon Festival, and the Ohio Poetry Association is honored to host Dionne Custer Edwards as a workshop leader! Click here to learn more about Dionne and her workshop, "reWrite."

In the following interview with the Ohio Poetry Association's treasurer, Sayuri Ayers, Dionne shares her insights on the craft of poetry and the natural world.

SA: May you tell us about a memorable experience you’ve had with the natural world?

DCE: A few summers ago, my family and I went to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We spent time on Lake Michigan and on Lake Huron. I loved getting my three kids out of the city to breathe different air and to move with a different rhythm and pace. I loved staying on the lake and watching the sky change over the water in the mornings and evenings. So beautiful.

SA: Is your poetry influenced by the natural world? If so, please tell us how.

DCE: Not all of my work is influenced by the natural world, but I do write a lot about nature and the environment.

SA: If you could introduce yourself to others through a poem, which poem (yours or one by another poet) would you choose?

DCE: I like “blessing the boats,” by Lucille Clifton. I also often return to the poem “Harness,” by Jane Hirshfield.

SA: What element(s) of craft do you focus on in your poetry?

DCE: I often pursue sound and rhythm.

SA: How would you encourage poets who are navigating the current political/cultural climate? Is there a poem that has helped you?

DCE: I encourage poets to continue to read, write, and exist on this earth as best as one can. Be safe. Be well.

Comments

Poetry Spotlight: Karen Schubert - Poetry of Hybridity (podcast transcript S2, E4)

Jeremy Jusek: Welcome to Poetry Spotlight presented by the Ohio Poetry Association. I am your host, Jeremy Jusek. And with us today is Karen Schubert. Karen Schubert Karen is an author, co-founding director of Literary Youngstown, and multi-genre talented writer who has published poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, reviews, interviews, and any other views you might consider. She's published six books, and her prose poem collection I Left My Winds on a Chair was the Wick Poetry Center poetry winner. Her awards include the William Dickey Memorial Broadside Award, an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award in Poetry, and has held residencies at the Headlands Center for the Arts and the Vermont Studio Center. To learn more about Karen, please visit karenschubertpoetry.com . Karen, thank you so much for joining us. Karen Schubert: Oh this is such a kick, thanks so much for bringing me on. I’m honored and chuffed. JJ: Thank you! The pleasure’s all mine. Do you wa...

CREATING POETRY CHAPBOOKS

Adapted from a workshop delivered for the AOCI W.R.I.T.E.R.S. Group by Chris Minton What is a chapbook? Chapbooks were originally known as "street literature" because they were primarily sold on the streets by traveling salesmen known as chapmen. These small, inexpensive booklets contained a variety of content like ballads, folk tales, and religious tracts, and were a popular form of reading material for the common people, particularly those with limited access to more expensive books (for example, in rural areas). Today, chapbooks are normally used by poets to accomplish a speciﬁc objective, which may include: To create a sample of their work for publishers or other parties To target a speciﬁc, interested audience To get their work into circulation quickly To make it more aﬀordable (for both the author and reader) To create enough work over time to warrant a full-length collection To demonstrate their commitment to the craft To give as gifts to family and friends Features of...

2026 Ohio Poetry Day Contests Now Open for Submissions

Our friends at the Ohio Poetry Day Association have announced their annual contests! May 15, 2026, is the deadline (postmark) for two dozen contest categories. Categories include humor, formal poems, parody and more. As always, a “Welcome Aboard” category for first-time submitters and an art category to design the cover art for the 2026 Best of Ohio Poetry Day anthology are also open to submissions. Below is a copy of the submission form, which provides full contest information. Ohio Poetry Day 2026 will take place in October in Toledo, Ohio. Stay up to date on event information, including the event date, location, and agenda, by getting your name and address on the OPD mailing list. To do so, contact: Amy Jo Zook 3520 State Route 56 Mechanicsburg, OH 43044 Checks for all contest fees and purchases should be made payable to: Ohio Poetry Day . For questions, call (937) 834-2666. Click and download the image below to view it at full size.

Ohio Poetry Association Blog

Search This Blog