An Interview with Jessica Weyer Bentley, Poet
Of Rust and Glass in more than a publication, it is a community. Our people and their stories make us who we are.
In the case of Dream of Rust and Glass, we asked Midwest writers and poets to do just that: dream. These men and women ask the question, “What if?” and their answers take us to strange, surprising, and surreal new worlds. But who are they? In this Blog series, we are thrilled to introduce you to a selection of Dream’s contributors. It’s not often we lift the proverbial curtain, but these people are more than their work. They are dreamers.
To start us off, we’d like to introduce Jessica Weyer Bentley, one of our constant supporters from very early on. Her poetry is featured in both Dream of Rust and Glass and Made of Rust and Glass (our first literary collections), as well as in numerous other places online and in print. We asked her to tell us a bit about herself and her work. Here’s what she had to say:
Question: Besides writing, what is one thing you couldn’t live without?
Answer: I could not live without my amazing husband, Larry and two beautiful children, Laura and Joseph.
Q: What is your inspiration for your poem, “Starcatcher?”
A: In Dream, my poem was inspired by the mental health crisis we face today and the realization that the world is a beautiful but difficult place to thrive in.
Q: How would you describe your writing process?
A: My process is simply organic. The poem will come to me all at once like a voice in my head, and I write it down. Sometimes I get a full poem, and sometimes it is a single sentence that will come together with other work I have written down over time. I cannot simply decide to sit down and write. It does not work for me like that.
Q: Has reading influenced your decision to be a writer? What book(s) made you want to write?
A: Anything by Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, and Walt Whitman.
Q: If a genie could grant you 3 wishes, what would you wish for?
A: A cure for cancer especially childhood cancer, the end to violence all over the world, and the financial stability for every man, woman, and children on the planet.
Q: What’s the best (or worst) piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A: The best advice I was ever given was to always own up to your mistakes professionally and in your public life, apologize, and make it right. It speaks of great character.
Q: What other projects do you have in the works?
A: I am currently working on a collection of poetry entitled, Down Below Where the Canary Sings.
Q: Where can people find more about your writing?
A: Amazon.com you can find Crimson Sunshine. Also, on Alyblue Media you can find Crimson Sunshine, and my work is also featured in a few of their Grief Diary books, Poetry and Prose, and Hit by a Drunk Driver. I have many poems published in different anthologies as well.
Dream of Rust and Glass can be found in print/e-book anywhere you buy your books online. Follow the link below (click the cover), and delve into Dream to explore worlds created by some of the Midwest’s finest creative minds. Be sure to read Jessica’s poem, “Starcatcher,” and leave us a review when you’re done!
