Jacqueline Suskin has been a poet all her life. It’s something she was born with, she says, and this passion for poetry has led her to build a career where people pay her to write poems about their experiences, their longings, their celebrations, and their desires.
In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, Jacqueline speaks with host Lynne Golodner about Poem Store, the entrepreneurial venture she created in 2009 by taking a typewriter to public spaces and writing spontaneous poems for payment; her seven books (plus the new one she’s working on); why she believes meaning is a choice and how being able to assign meaning to ordinary objects and experiences is what sets humans apart from every other creature.
In this episode, Lynne and Jacqueline discuss:
- Her latest book, Every Day Is a Poem
- How she works with people in one-on-one sessions
- What it feels like to write poems spontaneously & for commission
- Why she never keeps a copy of a commissioned poem
- How poetry is the conduit we need to ponder the depths in this crazy time
- How all people experience the same celebrating, grieving, longing and loving, and how everyone wants to connect to these experiences through language
Links and Resources;
- Jacqueline Suskin
- Poem Store
- Lynne Golodner
- Lynne’s Finding Your Voice at Midlife Writers Workshop
- The Hollywood Farmers Market
- Commune
- Typing poems in Oakland, California
Find Jacqueline Suskin:
Website
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Coming up next on the Make Meaning Podcast:
Lynne interviews Stephanie Steinberg, founder of the Detroit Writing Room and a former journalist, about the power of story to create legacy.
If you enjoyed this episode, you’ll like these other Make Meaning podcast episodes:
- Episode 117 – Steven Wingate – How to find your voice again & again
- Episode 103 – Katie Yamasaki – How to make murals for community expression
- Episode 79 – Laura Munson – How to find refuge in writing
- Episode 73 – Jim Reese – Why teaching writing in prisons helps everyone
- Episode 32 – A Poet’s Legacy: Lynne Golodner remembers Mary Oliver
- Episode 18 – Shady Ladies & Detroit Hustle with Amy Haimerl