Joan Murray: “As I’ve always done, I write to discover what I know and feel and believe. Lately, I’ve been pushing these explorations beyond the boundaries of self-censorship. For example, I wondered if I could write an honest poem about my childhood religious faith—the subject I’ve long avoided for fear of being labeled or dismissed. I drew on an actual incident. It was a self-affirming challenge.” (web)
Joan Murray: “When I saw the photos of Layla Ghandour, the dead Palestinian infant, cradled by her mother and other female relatives, I was reminded of the iconic images of Christian art, with the woman mourners wearing robes. And when I read about the Israelis and Palestinians arguing about how much the infant’s pre-existing condition caused her death, I was reminded of my own daughter, whose death didn’t need any spin. I was nineteen then, a student of literature, and I began to question ‘truths.’ And when I saw in the same paper, the images of the president’s daughter celebrating, and Layla’s eighteen-year-old mother lamenting, this poem came to me.” (web)
Joan Murray: “I grew up on the Harlem River in the Highbridge section of the South Bronx—between the roars from Yankee Stadium to the east and the Polo Grounds to the west. My New York was a place of adventure (I walked alone through the dark of an abandoned subway tunnel) and for meeting interesting people (I helped shield a teen boy prostitute from the police). But my New York was also a place of anonymity, social divides, and inescapable dangers. I left New York in my thirties but still dream about it once a week: Either I’m lost there or trying to find my way back. As a poet, I thank New York for giving me a broad, detailed vision, an energetic rhythm, and deep introspection. Not surprisingly, it’s the setting of many of my poems, particularly in my first book and also my latest one.” (web)
Joan Murray: “I’m a narrative poet. Also a visual poet. And a rhythmic, aural, kinetic one. I like to vary my moves. And paint with a full palette. I was the kid who was always drawing. Poetry is how I draw now. I like how it extends my pleasures and dilutes my miseries. I like the way it lets me walk invisibly through other people’s houses and leave radiant messages on their walls.” (www.joanmurray.com)