All Natural Poetry
local poet Jeannie Roberts to release new book
Jeannie Roberts first got her inspiration for poetry at a young age. In middle school her interest grew considerably when one of her teachers helped make writing and the subject of English fun and interesting. From then on, Roberts made it her mission to create.
The early part of Roberts’ career began with poetry readings at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire. From there she began to build confidence after receiving many compliments from such people as Bruce Taylor, Eau Claire’s current poet laureate. With growing confidence, the Eau Claire woman began to send out manuscripts to publishers all over the nation.
It wasn’t until 2009 that she self-published her book Let’s Make Faces. A children’s book, Let’s Make Faces contains beautiful illustrations to match the rhythmic pattern of words, allowing parents and children to interact with the story.
“I wanted to create a physical reaction that went along with the book,” Roberts said during an interview. “I want to allow my stories to make connections between readers and listeners.”
One thing Roberts said she wished for people to take away from her writing is the relationship between the physical and the digital. Now that we’re in a technological era, Roberts worries that we miss out on the physical interactions we have with one another.
“Maybe that makes me a little old-fashioned,” she joked, “but that’s just how I am, I guess.”
Besides writing poems and stories, Roberts is also a visual artist. Drawing from 20th century greats such as Georgia O’Keefe and Emily Carr, Roberts’ visual works – much like her writing – primarily have nature-related themes.
In addition to her continued appearances at local open mics and poetry readings, Roberts has been busy working on her forthcoming book, Nature of it All, which consists of new poems that she has written since Let’s Make Faces. Roberts has continued to work with themes relating to nature in her upcoming work.
“Her first collection, Nature of it All, paints the poet in compassionate conversation with the landscape, animals and insects she meets in her everyday world, revealing a message of hope for all of us,” wrote Sandra J. Lindow, the 2011 winner of the Wisconsin Writers Association Jade Ring award for poetry, in a review of Nature of it All. Lindow went on to note that “every sound, every word, every image (is) as carefully chosen as brush strokes in an O’Keefe painting.”
Roberts wants readers to notice their surroundings more as well as to develop a better sense of the spiritual and meditative part of nature.
Roberts is extremely excited about the upcoming release of her book. “You don’t write poems for money,” she explained. “You do it because you love writing them.”
Roberts plans to continue writing and is currently composing another collections of poems to go along with illustrations she has been working on.
“I want to have it so that each poem, probably about 20 or so, has an illustration to go with it on the (corresponding) page,” Roberts said regarding her latest project. Roberts is revisiting the children’s book genre and the relationship between readers and listeners.
“This should be a book for reading before bedtime,” Roberts explains. “Like when a mother reads to her child before bed, and the best part is that they’re poems so you can decide whether to read just a few or many!”
You can purchase Jeannie E. Roberts’ new book, Nature of it All, online at finishinglinepress.com and amazon.com on Jan. 5. She will also be appearing at several poetry readings: 10 am, Saturday, Feb. 9, at Beaver Creek Reserve; 6:30 pm, Thursday, Feb. 21, in the Volume One Gallery at the Local Store; and 5 pm Thursday, March 21, at the Janet Carson Gallery (Eau Claire Regional Arts Center).
