Even before the arrival of National Poetry Month (April), we were getting requests from you—our readers—to add more poets to the wordsmithing mix at YOU READ IT HERE FIRST. With pleasure, I’m happy to introduce Julie A. Sellers whose new release, Kindred Verse, was inspired by L.M. Montgomery’s much loved 1908 novel, Anne of Green Gables.

Interviewer: Christina Hamlett

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Q:  What inspired you to pursue poetry as a platform for creative expression?

A: I write both prose and poetry. For me, poetry is medium that allows me to capture images and sensations, often intangible or fleeting, in language.

Q: Did you write poetry as an adolescent/teen or did this passion ignite later as an adult?

A: I don’t remember exactly when I began writing poetry, but I do know it was before high school. I recall writing some humorous poems about family events or for family members at a young age. In high school, I wrote poetry and fiction regularly, and I took creative writing classes.

Q: What are three “essential” poems you think every child should read (and why)?

A: I read a wide variety of literature as a child, but these are some of my favorite poems:

• “The Duel” by Eugene Field – because of the fanciful images it paints with words.
• “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll – because of the sheer joy of sound.
• “A Visit from St. Nicholas” – because it’s always fun to imagine Santa Claus.

Q: What are three “essential poems you think every adult should read (and why)?

A: This is a tough one, because I bring two literary traditions to the table: an English-language one, and a Spanish-language one because of my profession as a Spanish professor. Some of my favorites in English include:

• “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost – because it speaks great truths in beautiful language.
• “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas – because I enjoy the perfection of form (a villanelle) and meaning.
• “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe – because my grandparents’ neighbor had the entire poem memorized and could deliver it in such a way as to give you a chill.

Q: Do you have a favorite poet?

A: I don’t have a favorite poet per se. I enjoy the Romantics in English, and the Latin American modernistas in Spanish. I’m also a fan of the Nuyorican Poets, Dominican-American poet Elizabeth Acevedo, and current Kansas Poet Laureate Huascar Medina. William Stafford, who was born in my home state of Kansas, is also a favorite.

Q: Tell us about your relationship with Anne of Green Gables and its influence on writing this poetry collection.

A: I first read Anne of Green Gables when I was fourteen years old. I had gone with my parents and older sister to Manhattan, Kansas for my sister’s college visit. By the time the day’s activities were winding down, I was tired and had already finished the book I’d brought along. We ended the day in a local bookstore, and my father told me he would buy me one book—probably to keep me quiet on the 90-mile drive home. I picked Anne, and I immediately discovered in her a kindred spirit. She was creative, imaginative, and could get lost in her thought—I had much in common with her. I read all of L.M. Montgomery’s novels, and they’ve held a special place in my heart ever since. A few years ago, I saw a call for poems on the theme of farsickness, and as I brainstormed ideas for a place to write about, I thought of Green Gables. I reread the novel, and I was struck once again by Montgomery’s poetic prose. One poem led to another, and the result was Kindred Verse.

Q: What comes first for you in the writing process of a new poem—the imagery, the theme or the words themselves?

A: It depends. Sometimes it’s an image, other times I sit down to write about a theme, and sometimes a snippet of the line comes to me first. The only constant is that I embrace writing as part inspiration and part intention.

Q: One aspect of this collection that makes it unique is the visual component. Tell us about why you included that element and how you selected the images.

A: I’m a very visual person. I learn best visually, and I remember in very clear and detailed images. As I was working on this project, I often returned to photographs from my trips to Prince Edward Island, and to others from my own Kansas surroundings for that spark of visual inspiration. Sometimes, the process was the opposite—I’d written a poem, and it reminded me of a photograph, or I took a photograph because I saw something that reminded me of a poem I’d written. Later, when I began working with Blue Cedar Press, they suggested the idea of illustrating my book, and I thought it was a fantastic idea. In truth, it wasn’t hard to identify the photos I wanted to use because I’d already been looking at and taking my own photographs along the way.

Q: In the 1908 novel by L.M. Montgomery, the fictional character of Anne Shirley is introduced as an imaginative young orphan who gets sent to the wrong home by mistake. How do you feel the individual reader can relate to both Anne Shirley and your poetry?

A: I’ve met kindred spirits from around the globe, and there is just something about Anne Shirley that persists across the years and creates that sensation that you know her. She inspires empathy on so many levels—as an outsider, as a creator, as a character who isn’t perfect. We can identify with her, and we are certain that Anne’s belief in the existence of other kindred spirits is accurate. Fans of Green Gables will discover glimpses of her experiences and worldview in my poetry, and also of what it means to be a reader of her story.

Q: What do you hope readers will take away from the experience of reading Kindred Verse?

A: I hope readers will find moments of insight, of beauty, of creativity and even humor in Kindred Verse. If it’s been a while since they’ve read Anne of Green Gables, I hope my collection will inspire them to re-read it. And if they’ve never read Anne, I hope they’ll feel inspired to read this unforgettable novel for the first time and discover a kindred spirit in her for themselves.

Q: What have readers from around the globe said about your work?

A: I’ve had positive feedback from readers around the globe—all across the U.S.A., Canada, the UK, Australia, Japan. I’ve heard of my book being gifted to friends and accompanying friends on trips to Prince Edward Island. Some have enjoyed revisiting iconic scenes from the novel, and others have been able to relate to being readers of Green Gables or even other famous books. It’s been rewarding to connect with readers of all walks of life because of my work.

Q: A high school English teacher of mine once made the assignment of “Use at least six words from the following list of ten and compose an original poem of any style or theme.” What fun to put this test to an actual poet during National Poetry Month! Here’s your list:

Swans

Shimmering

Lace

Keepsake

Willows

Redemption

Cloudburst

Clandestine

Portal

Moss

A: What a fun challenge! This list of words resonated with me, and as I pondered my options, I glanced around my home office and saw a clearance-sale print my mother found for me when I was in college. It portrays a woman in a white dress and hat reading beside a swan-filled lake with a basket of flowers and a parasol sitting beside her. It seemed to blend the age of Anne Shirley with the swan that is symbolic to the Hispanic-American modernistas I discovered in my studies of Spanish. I’ve always loved that print because of its soft hues and the way it seems to portray the different aspects of myself. So, this is an ekphrastic poem inspired by that print.

Keepsake

An ekphrastic poem after a clearance-sale print from the 1990s

Faded pastel hues

reflect the many walls

and miles

and dreams

we’ve shared,

a clearance find

turned portal

to my intersecting worlds.

She reads beside a shimmering lake,

this girl who could be Anne Shirley

in white organdy and lace,

a basket of sweet baby’s breath

and a frilly parasol forgotten

in the willows’ whispering shadows.

Swans draw her gaze

from the keepsake pages of a treasured book

to the graceful lines they write on water

and powerful wings in flight.

And here, between Anne and the cisne of the modernistas,

I find the threads of myself woven between worlds.

Q: What new projects are on your plate?

A: I always balance a mix of projects that range from academic research and publishing to fiction and poetry. Currently, I’m writing poetry regularly and submitting to contests and journals. I’m also polishing a couple of short stories, and I’m working on a longer piece of fiction—I’ll leave that as a teaser.

Q: What would readers be the most surprised to learn about you?

A: Readers might be surprised to learn that I am a Federally Certified Court Interpreter (EnglishSpanish). I interpret as my schedule allows.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

A:  I invite readers to visit my webpage and follow me on social media for information and updates on my activities and publications. Readers interested in talks on writing or readings from Kindred Verse can contact me by email. ([email protected])