Contributor Spotlight: Jillian Weise
Jillian Weise’s poems “Of the Impending Mission“ and “Donna Haraway Manifesto” are featured in Issue 75 of the Bellingham Review.
What would you like to share with our readers about the work you contributed to the Bellingham Review?
“Of the Impending Mission” is a detective poem. I can hardly remember writing it, but I’m sure it had something to do with John Hollander’s Reflections on Espionage, a certain conference in Maine, and someone instructing me on how to write so that my book would become an instant bestseller.
Tell us about your writing life.
I write mostly at night and usually after midnight. If I write during the day, then I prefer moments when I am not supposed to be writing, such as when I’m in a faculty meeting, at a seminar or on the phone.
Which non-writing aspect(s) of your life most influences your writing?
What is a non-writing aspect of life?
What writing advice has stayed with you?
“Everything is theater.” – Fernando Pessoa
What is your favorite book (or essay, poem, short story)? Favorite writer(s)?
I’m quite taken by Constance Merritt’s “Invisible Woman, Dancing”.
What are you reading right now?
Person/a by Elizabeth Ellen.
What project(s) are you working on now, or next?
I’m working on a manuscript called “Cyborg Detective.” This differs from most cyborg/automaton/machine poems in that I am actually a cyborg.
Where can our readers connect with you online?
JILLIAN WEISE is a poet, performance artist and disability rights activist. She is the author of Translating the Body (2006), The Amputee’s Guide to Sex (2007), The Colony (2010) and The Book of Goodbyes (2013), which won the James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets and the Isabella Gardner Award from BOA Editions. Her work has appeared in A Public Space, The Huffington Post, The New York Times and other publications. Her heteronym, Tipsy Tullivan, hosts a show called “Tips for Writers” on YouTube. Weise is the recipient of residencies and fellowships from the Fine Arts Work Center, the Fulbright Program, the Lannan Foundation, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is an Associate Professor at Clemson University.
Featured Image: “cyborg” by Jaci XIII