As the author of two collections of poetry and two chapbooks of poetry, what first drew you to the medium of poetry? What has kept you writing throughout the years?

I first began writing poetry when I was a fifth grader. My first poem was dedicated to an elementary school teacher I admired. Also, I was a frequent visitor in my father's study at home where he maintained a library full of great books -Richmond Lattimore's translations of the Greek plays, his Iliad and the Odyssey, Cyrano de Begerac, the poetry of Byron, Shelley, and Tennyson. I learned to read widely and thoroughly. I've been writing poetry all my life. I believe that I have a clear message and a vision to share with the world. It's not just about seeing that tree or that cloud and expressing a vision in metaphor. As an African American woman poet, I have learned that my survival is intertwined with the lives of other women like me who need my contribution to the canon of African American literature.

What does your creative process look like? What is your favorite part about writing poetry?  

Being a poet and writer is a challenging and often daunting task. As a poet, I always begin my poems with their title that captures the essence of what I want to express in the poem. I've been influenced by the poetry of Lucille Clifton, Audre Lorde, and recently Ada Limon. Poets whose work elevates the ordinary, everyday to the universal. I enjoy being inspired by our foremothers and seeing just what happens when I put the pen to paper. I read and digest my inspiration. I like being original, though. The privilege of making language new.

In your poem, "Collage — after Romare Bearden", you take us through a specific period of time in Harlem, where "crisis and opportunity" abounded, as well as jazz and the "original Charleston." What first sparked the idea for this poem within you? 

I've always held a fascination with the time of the Harlem Renaissance - the poets, the artists, the dancers. The Harlem Renaissance marked a period of cultural wealth and fertility for African Americans. I wanted my poem to capture the prevalent tone and even the climate of that rich time which has been the subject matter of so many contemporary poets, writers, musicians, artists and scholars

You separate this poem into four distinct sections: gathering out of star-dust, moon-dust, sky-dust, and song-dust. What is the significance of these sections? What influenced you to divide your poem in this way?

The structure of "Collage" is a symphony in the style of Duke Ellington who composed so many influential songs during the time of the Harlem Renaissance. There are four movements in my symphony. I wanted to create rhythm and musicality through repetition. Also, I wanted to acknowledge the touch of the Divine upon the fate of those gifted artists and thinkers who shaped and led this time. I wanted the poem to be a harvest. A gathering of images to unite our memories of those great artists.

As both a poet and novelist, what is it about poetry specifically that you find lends strength to a particular story? Why did you choose to tell the story in "Collage — after Romare Bearden" through poetry rather than prose?

I am familiar with the visual and artistic work of the collagist Romare Bearden. While I was working in cloth, paper and fabric, I often imitated his style in my own collages. I wanted this poem to be a collage as itself echoing the texture and color of a Bearden work of art in poetry. I don't believe that I could have captured his style as well in prose.

What do you hope readers can take away from this poem, as well as your work in general? 

From this poem I want readers to know that our contemporary African American artistic expression, our literature, our music, or visual works, all have emerged rooted in the traditions of the Harlem Renaissance. From my work in general, I want readers to know the story of the struggle that has been both my personal and public life as a poet and novelist. My work has not been easy, but I always wish to share the rewards of originality and creativity with my readers.

Read Beth’s poem, “Collage — after Romare Bearden” in dulcet Literary magazine, vol. One, Issue No. 1.