Friday 26 November 2010

Friday -One Stop Poetry Featuring Poet Jessica Kristie

With the holidays in the States our schedule is a bit askew. Adam Dustus is off shooting ducks or something so I'm (Moondustwriter) standing in with some fabulous poetry by Jessica Kristie
Just wanted to point out that Jessica is another talented lady who I met on - Twitter. If you aren't there, you should be.


Can you briefly tell me when you first started writing?
I began writing when I was about ten years old.  I was always a very emotionally in-tune little girl, and at an early age searched for some sort of outlet.  I believe I found this venue from a school exercise, then realized immediately it was freeing and very healing.  I wish I could say I have written continuously since then, but it has been off and on with a more consistent run the last five years or so.

What inspires you to write?
I have many inspirations and “processes” for writing.  There is certain music that rings to me as poetry. I play those songs to get me in the mood, and the place I need to be to write. Being a stream of conscious and emotional writer, the flow often needs to be stirred.  I have learned through the years to capture it better and even trigger it more than I was able to in the past.  I also find great inspiration in others writing and will often become inspired by even just a word.  Those moments I love the most and always hope I have a pen and paper close at hand.

What are your hopes and dreams with your poetry?
I just finished putting together my first collection of poetry.  It contains 50 poems and 5 prose poetry works.  I am submitting it to publishers along with a children’s book I wrote, that is currently being illustrated.  I also have a very exciting collaboration I am doing with a photographer. We are collaborating to bring to life a poem I wrote in 11 parts that tells a story.  It is more than just doing a photo to match the words; it is bringing the words out in a unique way. We hope to find a great venue to make it available to the public once it is complete. I am already working on a second manuscript of all prose poetry with hopes to also have it published in the future. 

What is your favorite genre?
Classics always seem to catch my eye from Frost to Neruda, but also find myself attracted to such wonderful poets as Maya Angelou. I continue to find that it is always the romance that pulls me in the deepest. Often it is darker, but romance just the same.  I do hold a place in my heart for the more humorous side of things. It always does me good to laugh and I try to - at least ten times a day.


While e-mailing Jessica,we discovered that we grew up relatively close to each other. My father lived in her home town until his death. We may just have to do a road trip to my favorite city (well one of them) San Francisco. Please enjoy Jessica's fine writing.


Tragedy’s Room

Today I want to put skin around my words
Turn sentences into limbs
And reach across the seas
Finding my way to your door

My blankets of consoling will never do this moment justice
History has been broken
A tear in life’s time table
“Why” lingers at the footsteps you watched from birth
Hands by your side that can’t seem to bring enough healing

This time

Trouble feels so beyond
What you can mend

Warmth can roam
Beyond our flesh
Far past aching bone
It will make its way back
Where darkness looms
Where loss and heartbreak

Now claim this room

Bows break future moments
Pausing time
Covering moons
Lingering in our present
Floating in the in-between

But hands do breathe volumes
When crashing into tragedies door
Look now and know
What strength they hold
Your grip
Your reach

Barriers breaking as we speak


This next poem is inserted into prose that Jessica posted. If you want to read the entire piece, please enjoy it on her blog.


~Nothing~

What poetic justice I weep from my pages
Yet I feel no sense of peace
Painting clouds with my finger tips across
an empty palette
A canvas that mimics hope yet whispers
only dreams

You can’t speak of change
When I Look at you and see the same
You can’t speak of love
When I can’t feel you break through me
I remember when

You speak of nothing

No words
No hope
No difference from one day to the next
Mediocre in this questionable decision

Maybe the hope is within a dream
Or maybe the needle has passed through
Now seamless
The two pieces have become

I remember when you told me
You would not give me up without a fight
When I walked away
You laid down so easy
And still you speak


17 comments:

budh.aaah said...

'Nothing' is so beautifully written. relatable and touching

Desert Rose said...

she is sooo amazing..talented,beautiful and her words touch me in the most sensitive way! so happy to read this interview and always looking forward to more sparkling spotlights..:)
love you Jess..xoxo!

dustus said...

Great spotlight on Jessica, both poetically and interview wise. Enjoyed reading about the influence of music on her writing, including the motivating factor it provides. She has an excellent way with words and I look forward to learning more about her upcoming collaborations.

Thanks, Leslie :)

Maureen said...

Wonderful post. Jessica's projects are exciting, especially the poetry-photography one, which could be an art-word exhibition in a gallery, a book, or digitized (a la Motion Poems).

Libithina said...

'tear in lifes timetable' so srong .. ripping .. halting abrupt .. / 'fingetips painting clouds' such imagery .. touching/reaching throughout .. really enjoyed Jessica ~ Great interview and spotlight Leslie Very Best wishes Jessica
~ Lib ~

libithina said...

'tear in lifes timetable' so srong .. ripping .. halting abrupt .. / 'fingetips painting clouds' such imagery .. touching/reaching throughout .. really enjoyed Jessica ~ Great interview and spotlight Leslie Very Best wishes Jessica
~ Lib ~

Claudia said...

jessica, you had me with your first poem in the first line...Today I want to put skin around my words...
loved it

thanks leslie for the spotlight

Future4Fina said...

I'm so proud of my soul sister and so glad to see how her work touches the lives of other people.

Jess is a blessing. One that I too found on Twitter.

If you have yet to visit her blog, go do it. You won't regret it.

moondustwriter said...

I love this job of meeting wonderful people and introducing them to others. Jessica is no exception.

Love your work Jessica

signed...bkm said...

Great work Jessica...and congrat's on projects ...two different and exciting pieces with so much to take away from both..Thanks Moonduster for introducing Jessica ..bkm

Anonymous said...

Thank you for all of the heartfelt comments. I am honored to be featured here with so many amazing and talented artists. Thank you One Stop for allowing us a place to enjoy each other! ♥

Marshy said...

this was a wonderful spotlight...a great interview and two excellent poems...the whole article was really well constructed...thanks to you both for this spotlight...Pete

Shashidhar Sharma said...

Dear Jessica
You are an amazing writer and knowing you through this feature is like getting to see my thoughts through a mirror...
I enjoyed your verses and great to have you featured here... Thanks Leslie

ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
Twitter: @VerseEveryDay
Blog: http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot.com

Emmanuel Ibok said...

Spotlighting Jessica was a great thing to do...Poetry oozes all over her and even her tweets shows it. Nice one, Moon and thanks for skipping the holiday to be here.

Cheers!

Emmanuel Ibok said...

Spotlighting Jessica was a great thing to do...Poetry oozes all over her and even her tweets shows it. Nice one, Moon and thanks for skipping the holiday to be here.

Cheers!

Helena Malheur said...

what an exceptional talent! Loved reading her wonderful poetry.

JD said...

Having only been fortunate enough to have a minimal amount of interaction with this tremendously talented woman, it did not take long for me to discover the person staring back at my words on their own monitor, was someone quite truly and quite brilliantly a gifted poet.

What highlights this most enviable and truly remarkable skill, is her apparent innate ability to speak to the readers of her work on an almost spiritual level.

Her words seem to be able to somehow instinctively convey what must truly be a genuinely caring person.

I am proud to be able to say that someone so uniquely special is someone I can call on as a friend.