Contributor Spotlight: John Sibley Williams
John Sibley Williams’s poems, “Imprint” and “Aperture” are part of Issue 79 of Bellingham Review. Subscribe or purchase a single issue through our Submittable page here.
What would you like to share with our readers about the work you contributed to the Bellingham Review?
Both poems, though “Imprint” in particular, were inspired by the ways the past (and people from our past) affect our identities. The Kate Chopin quote that introduces the poem helps frame this topic, providing a thematic anchor that allowed me to approach the poem more abstractly. I considered and questioned how my father, mother, and upbringing have impacted my current role of father, ending on a note of, well, fear that what I provide for my own children will never be enough. Will I become one of those “imaginary dead things” when my children become adults? Will I leave an imprint that’s more than merely “an oar upon the water?”
Tell us about your writing life.
Though each poem possesses its own unique demands, themes, and structures, my work is always heavily rooted in human attachments and disconnects: to others, to self-perception, to culture and politics, to nature, to language, to the past and future, to hurt and healing. Attempting to balance concept and emotion, my work is geared towards a generous, inclusive approach to discourse, to storytelling. I’m interested in the drama and tragedy of the human condition, the ways we define ourselves and seek meaning in our lives. The topics through which I explore these themes are greatly varied and derive from a broad range of passions: family, tradition, art, culture, history, politics, landscapes, and seasons. The structures I employ are similarly varied, from narrative to experimental to prose poems, according to which structure best conveys the poem’s specific goals. However, regardless of topic, I always try to express a sharable, universal experience by balancing concept with emotion and by focusing on layered metaphors and the innate musicality of language. I hope my writing successfully emphasizes form and sound, as rhythm carries a resonance beyond literal and figurative meanings.
Which non-writing aspect(s) of your life influence(s) your writing the most?
Without a doubt, parenting. I’m the father of twin toddlers, and not a moment of life or word I write isn’t heavily impacted by that role. Every emotion magnifies. Sheer terror for their future, if I am properly preparing them for the world. Unquestionable love, which starts with yet extends beyond them, engulfing everything I touch. Naturally, the landscape, the people I encounter, our political reality, cultural horrors, and various creative philosophies inspire my writing, but the responsibility of parenthood has changed me in ways I am still just realizing.
What writing advice has stayed with you?
There’s a reason “keep writing, keep reading” has become clichéd advice; it’s absolutely true. You need to study as many books as possible from authors of various genres and from various cultures. Listen to their voices. Watch how they manipulate and celebrate language. Delve deep into their themes and structures and take notes on the stylistic and linguistic tools they employ. And never, ever stop writing. Write every free moment you have. Bring a notebook and pen everywhere you go (and I mean everywhere). It’s okay if you’re only taking notes. Notes are critical. It’s okay if that first book doesn’t find a publisher. There will be more books to come. And it’s okay if those first poems aren’t all that great. You have a lifetime to grow as a writer. Do we write to be cool, to be popular, to make money? We write because we have to, because we love crafting stories and poems, because stringing words together into meaning is one of life’s true joys. So rejections are par for the course. Writing poems that just aren’t as strong as they could be is par for the course. But we must all retain that burning passion for language and storytelling. That flame is what keeps us maturing as writers.
What is your favorite book (or essay, poem, short story)?
If I had to choose one book as the most influential in my life and writing, it would have to be Man’s Search for Meaning by psychologist and Holocaust survivor Viktor E. Frankl. This seminal work frames much of my understanding of human nature, and I don’t think a day goes by in which its insights aren’t validated in my daily life. As opposed to abstractions like truth or beauty, that purpose, motivational drive, is the “meaning of life” that sustains us feels groundbreaking and true to life. Reading Frankl’s work, it’s as if the earth shifts beneath me. I would love to provide a list of hundreds of other authors I adore who have deeply influenced me, but a brief list would have to include Carl Phillips, Octavio Paz, Gabriel García Márquez, Franz Kafka, Jose Saramago , Paul Celan, Charles Wright, Federico García Lorca, and more recently Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, Ocean Vuong, and Jericho Brown. Gosh, that doesn’t seem like enough.
What are you reading right now?
As I tend to read multiple poetry collections simultaneously, bouncing back and forth between them to keep things fresh and surprising, my nightstand is always a bit crowded. I’m about to finish Admission Requirements by Phoebe Wang, an intimate collection of memoirish poems that speak to Wang’s unique experience as a Canadian citizen with Chinese heritage. I’m also currently reading Cutting the Wire: Photographs and Poetry from the US-Mexico Border, a powerful cultural collaboration between photographer Bruce Berman and poets Ray Gonzalez and Lawrence Welsh. And breathlessly awaiting my attention is Monica Berlin’s second collection, Nostalgia for a World Where We Can Live. I love her long, fluid lines and landscape-inspired voice.
What project(s) are you working on now, or next?
As I have two new books out this year (As One Fire Consumes Another, winner of the Orison Poetry Prize, and Skin Memory, which won the Backwaters Prize), I’m not working on a specific project at the moment. I’m just writing and writing, trying to push my own boundaries, stretch my comfort zone, and experiment with new styles and structures with the hope something fresh and authentic will come of it.
Anything else our readers might want to know about you?
Perhaps due to the stereotypes surrounding poets, people seem to assume all aspects of our lives must be elevated. If we spend decades working on our art and take what we do seriously, we must exclusively be admirers of high art. And perhaps that’s the case for some. But personally I’m a huge fan of horror cinema. There, I said it. Fear is one of our most primal emotions. It dismantles the walls we build around ourselves and tugs loose the masks we wear…socially and when looking in the mirror. Fear is authentic and universal. I’m absolutely terrified of dying and even more so of the knowledge my children won’t live forever. Being able to experience fear vicariously from the safety of my home provides a kind of catharsis. It helps me understand my own anxieties better, and it allows me to face them.
Where can our readers connect with you online?
My website and Facebook account.
JOHN SIBLEY WILLIAMS is the author of As One Fire Consumes Another (Orison Poetry Prize, 2019), Skin Memory (Backwaters Prize, University of Nebraska Press, 2019), Summon (JuxtaProse Chapbook Prize, 2019), Disinheritance, and Controlled Hallucinations. A twenty-time Pushcart nominee, John is the winner of numerous awards, including the Wabash Prize for Poetry, Philip Booth Award, Phyllis Smart-Young Prize, and Laux/Millar Prize. He serves as editor of The Inflectionist Review and works as a freelance poetry editor and literary agent. Previous publishing credits include: Yale Review, North American Review, Midwest Quarterly, Southern Review, Sycamore Review, Prairie Schooner, Saranac Review, Atlanta Review, TriQuarterly, and various anthologies.
Featured Image: “Different Worlds” by NASA
