Jami Attenberg talks poetry

The #1000WordsOfSummer founder shares her thoughts with The Comma!

Hello, My Friends.

Y’all are in for a treat and we all deserve a treat these days. I’m currently bed-bound in Houston with Covid and a heatwave lording over this weekend. Pedialyte Freezer Pops are saving my ass, I tell ya’. FUN TIMES. But enough about moi.

Let’s jump to the treats because I need some goodness and maybe y’all do, too.

Author and generous soul Jami Attenberg graciously agreed to answer some poetry questions for The Comma this week. If you’re like, who is Jami Attenberg? First of all, how are we even friends and second of all, you know who she is! You’ve seen me post on Instagram about her #1000WordsOfSummer project since 2018. Her newest novel (her 10th!!!!), A REASON TO SEE YOU AGAIN, comes out September 24th - so happy early birthday to me!

But just in case you need a reminder…

Jami Attenberg is the New York Times bestselling author of nine books, including The Middlesteins, All Grown Up and a memoir, I Came All This Way to Meet You: Writing Myself Home. She is also the creator of the annual online group writing accountability project #1000wordsofsummer, which inspired the recently published USA Today bestseller 1000 Words:A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round. Her tenth book, publishing September 24, 2024, is A Reason to See You Again. She lives in New Orleans. You can find her online regularly at Craft Talk.

(Jami’s dog, Leo, is a very good hype man.)

Okay, so let’s get to the questions - and Jami, thank you thank you thank you for your time, energy, and attention!

1) When did poetry first come into your life? Was there a particular poem that was shared with you early on that made you say "AHA, I connect to these words/these words mean something to me!"?

I feel like Sylvia Plath was the gateway poet of a lot of teenage girls of my generation, particularly because there was The Bell Jar-Ariel one-two punch, both fiction and poetry as access points, not to mention the mythology of her life. Plus she was someone who was studied, meaning our high school teachers took the time to break down her poetry for us alongside, if I'm remembering correctly, works by Robert Lowell and a slew of old white guys. (Not to dismiss Lowell, but you know what I mean.) She was offered up as a tantalizing personality as much as a great poet. And then for her to speak so boldly and even with humor of suicide in Lady Lazarus? I am not trivializing depression or suicide, but simply to say that there was a curiosity or fascination or even a sense of relief for some when reading that poem.

2) Is there a poem or collection that you go back to for comfort, inspiration, or creative stimulation?

I usually answer Ada Limon or Morgan Parker when asked to recommend a poet, but also I've been revisiting Lucille Clifton's Mercy a bit lately. Each poem just feels like a simple truth, one after the other. These days, I am thinking of "monday sundown 9/17/01", a poem which acknowledges Rosh Hashanah, as we are approaching the High Holidays but also closing in on a year anniversary of the terrible conflict in Gaza. "i bear witness to no thing/more human than hate." But also she leaves us with even the idea of paradise. It makes me reflect for just a second on the idea of peace.

Anyway, obviously, poems can be sad--and many of them are--and still offer us comfort.

3) Which poets/poems are you currently reading or have just read? Who would you recommend to reluctant poetry readers, people who want to read poetry but are scared they aren't smart enough for it? (I hear this complaint/confession a lot.)

I just read You by Rosa Alcalá and really loved it. I just found the voice so fresh and witty and open, and the conceit of direct address to herself was appealing to me as a novelist.  I was really captivated and also frequently moved by it. It's possible in part because we are about the same age, and I connected with how she looked back and around herself. But every poem felt like a perfect little meal to me, and I suspect it's a book I'll return to again.

By the way, I found that book at Unnameable Books in Brooklyn (they have a great poetry selection there) when I was on vacation this summer, and I believe it was a bookseller's pick. I think asking for recommendations at a bookstore is really the way in to finding more accessible or current-feeling collections of poetry. Those booksellers really have their finger on the pulse. I would say to those who are intimidated: don't be afraid. There are so many innovative and thriving poets out there wanting to communicate with you--aren't you interested in hearing what they have to say?

**4) Bonus Questions if you want them: has any of your fiction or non-fiction work been especially inspired by a poetry collection?  Is your new book inspired by poetry in any way?  

It depends on whether or not you think Stevie Nicks is a poet (I do), but one of the main musical influences of this book is the music of Fleetwood Mac, Rumours era, and particularly the song "Silver Springs" which is referenced in the book, playing on a radio, but also just very felt as an aesthetic, a vibe, and an emotional state. I have certainly read lots of poetry collections as part of my inspiration and research for my work along the way, but this is on the forefront of my mind.

Thank you so much, Jami! I loved your thoughtful answers and the poems you linked to as well.

Readers, your assignment if you choose to accept it: read all of Jamie’s recs!

And in honor of Jami’s answers, I’m sharing some poetry-in-motion. Here’s young Stevie Nicks singing WILD HEART.

Steve Nicks - Wild Heart - Live Demo - 1981

Until October, stay wild, stay healthy, get a copy of Jami’s new book, A REASON TO SEE YOU AGAIN, and read damn good poetry any chance you can.

Yours from Texas,

Kayla