Hi! Today I have Jasmine Smith on my blog with an interview for Poetic Justice. I read her poetry book, ;recovery and enjoyed it quite a bit/ I was really happy when she showed interest in this month’s event. Jasmine recently released her second book called painful broken sunshine. That title is everything to me. Painful Broken Sunshine is available for free on the Kindle for a couple days! Give it a try if you would like. I will add descriptions of both books below.
Poetic Justice is a month long event, beginning April 1st to April 30th in honor of National Poetry Month. Throughout April there will be interviews, guest posts, excerpts and other poetic posts. I hope you will follow along. To read the introductory post, read about my poetic background as well as the schedule for the month, you can find out more here.
How and when did you begin writing poetry?
Oh boy, I can’t remember when I first began writing poetry, but I remember having so many notebooks of different writings. I ended up throwing them all out when I graduated college. Turns out, that was a big mistake. I started truly writing poetry when my heart was broken for the first time. It was a toxic relationship and it would have never lasted, but I still felt devastated and didn’t have anyone to turn to. I ended up writing down my raw feelings and emotions and started to put my stuff online through a pen name. Eventually, I was confident enough to use my real name. That turned into my first poetry collection, titled ;recovery.
What do you think about this sudden height that poetry has become as far as social media and publishing?
Much needed! People need the words of others. The poetry community is so strong from what I have been able to be introduced to. Everyone seems welcoming and supportive. When I see someone get a publishing deal, I cry for them! It’s so exciting to share in their success. These poets are sharing pieces of themselves to help others and they don’t even know how many lives they have changes or touched. I wouldn’t have survived without the words of these fellow poets. They have helped me through the worst times of my life and are right there to celebrate the best times. Poetry is a genre all its own without the rules of yesterday. Almost anything can be poetry and that makes this genre so powerful. I am thankful to be a part of it.
If you were to describe poetry in one word, what would it be?
Astonishing.
What works are you currently writing? How did you come up with them?
I just released my second poetry collection titled painful broken sunshine which I have been working on for over 6 months. It’s actually FREE right now on Kindle if you want to check it out. This one is a more refined look over my lifetime. My first book was all about a girl who broke my heart and I wanted the second collection to be a more collective look at my life. There are a few trigger warnings at the beginning of the title so if you do read it, be sure to keep safe. I write about the pain of being abused as a child, being heartbroken, and finding true love. A huge part of the happier poems are about my current girlfriend, Chandler, who taught me so much about self love and what true love looks and feels like.
Some writers have to write with complete silence, others with music, some need a special beverage or go to their favorite spot to write. What is your writing process like?
My writing process is messy. It’s wake up at 2am with a thought that may be suitable for a poem. Other times it’s in the middle of my work day where I take micro-poetry breaks as I call them. Or in the shower. It could even be while driving. At this point, Siri hates that I always tell her to start voice recording. When I sit down to write, I don’t feel as though the words flow natural enough. My favorite poem was written while on FaceTime with someone and I paused them for a good 10 minutes to capture the poem. That’s what I love about my writing process. It’s so raw and natural when it comes to me and often times those are the best ones.
What poets would you recommend? (Feel free to leave social media links or books)
This question is so difficult for me. I have an entire dedication page in my new poetry collection for the poets I love. A few of them are:
Cyrus Parker, Amanda Lovelace, Gretchen Gomez, Shelby Leigh, McKayla DeBonis, Rupi Kaur, Sonshine Singh, Rudy Francisco, Cheyenne Raine, Trista Mateer, Melissa Jennings, Matt Banks, Leila Tualla, Ana Vowens, Fida Islaih, Laura Ashley Laraque, Melissa Trip, K.Y. Robinson, and soooo many more!!
If you have any poets I can start supporting, I’d love to hear your suggestions and if you write, send me links to your work. I truly believe we are stronger when we support and lift up our peers no matter how big or small their audience may be.
a collection of modern poetry surrounding the most vulnerable time – post-breakup. follow the journey of hurt on the road to recovery
– ;recovery
life’s a journey. there’s family, love, growing, heartbreak, and tragedy. this title explores the ups and downs of life’s journey. life is a painful, beautiful, broken piece of sunshine.
– painful broken sunshine
Jasmine is a self-published poet and an avid poetry reader.
Her debut poetry book is titled “;recovery” and she just released her second collection titled “painful broken sunshine”.
When she’s not bring up old feelings and putting pen to paper, she’s learning new things, spending time with family, and working a “day job”.
You can find her on social media with the following handles:
Twitter: jasmine_d_smith
Instagram: jasmine_d_smith
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