Jennifer Perrine: “A writing teacher once told me that no one wants to read poems about pets, and I repeated that misguided advice for many years after I became I teacher myself. If I could go back and amend all those conversations, I would say that the world needs more poems about love, no matter what form that takes. I would also say, ‘Who cares whether someone else wants to read it? If you care about it, write it.’” (web)
Jennifer Perrine: “I fell in love with poetry by writing in persona. When I was a junior in high school, my English teacher assigned The Scarlet Letter and asked everyone in the class to write a response. She gave us several options, and among them was the chance to write a poem in the voice of a character from the book. I chose Pearl, Hester Prynne’s daughter, because she was so central to the story and yet hardly spoke in the novel. I discovered that persona poems were a way I could imagine—and help others to imagine—the perspectives of marginalized characters. In this series of poems, written as the status of immigrants is once again contested in public discourse, I was wrestling with how Lady Liberty, standing there on one of the literal margins of our country, might contribute to the current conversation.” (web)
Jennifer Perrine: “I love a poem that slows me down. So much of life feels like imposed haste; I want poems that give me no choice but to slow my pace. I often feel overwhelmed by the social pressure to be quicker, do more, multitask, but a good poem reminds me that I don’t really value that way of moving in the world.” (website)
Jennifer Perrine: “Several years ago, I supported my writing habit by working as an in-home social worker for children with developmental disorders, many of whom had been neglected or abused. I couldn’t stand the heat and had to exit that particular kitchen, but I continue to write poems inspired by what I witnessed as a way to honor those kids, as well as all the folks who continue to do the job for which I was so ill-suited.” (web)