Wren Jones is a writer and outdoor enthusiast often found / lost walking the ravines of Toronto. A recent graduate of The Writers Studio program at Simon Fraser University, her poems have been published in Pine Row Press, Untethered, Arboreal and other wonderful journals. Wren’s middle grade novel, The Real Dealio, was a finalist in the 2021 CANSCAIP/ Writers Union of Canada’s National Writing for Children contest. You can visit her work at wrenjones.ca
Read Road Remains in the January 2024 issue.
Do you have a collection of poetry or even a single poem that acts as a touchstone?
I was introduced to Tanja Bartel in my course at SFU last year. Her collection “Everyone At This Party” was a great example for me of a strong voice that mixes narrative, humour, honesty and edge. I also love Mary Oliver’s poetry and while I have tried – and not really succeeded – at writing nature-based poetry, it’s a touchstone in how to skillfully capture both the small and particular, and the vastness of human experience, at the same time.
What are you working on now?
I’ve completed the final edits on a chapbook, “Rewilding in Progress”, so starting to send it out to contests, small press publishers. I’m writing what is turning into a series of poems about my dad’s journey as a child evacuee from England to Canada during World War Two. Also writing a stand up piece which I’ve promised myself to try out this year. Yikes.
Are there other art forms that inspire or inform your poetry?
I work in mixed media and collage and that informs my poetry, and my poetry has been informing the art I make – with text from a poem being a jump off into my art. I recently did this patching and altering art project using an old sweater of my dad’s. Doing that gave me a title to a poem I’d written a while ago, about our relationship in his last few months. I called the poem Mending.
How do you make space for poetry in your daily routine?
I have a morning practice that I do most days: early walk in a park nearby, come home, sit down immediately and write for 20-30 minutes. Sometimes I will read a poem before I go and then I walk with that rhythm in the background. Sometimes that’s all the new writing I do in a day, and writing first thing makes me a nicer person during the day. I work on editing in one or two block hours later in the day and do submissions and admin stuff two afternoons a week.
What are you reading or watching or listening to lately that intrigues or inspires you?
Reading: A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines. Its authenticity and sadness did me in and inspired me at the same time. Reminded me of the value of telling a simple honest story.
Listening: The National. I let the lyrics wash over me and try and figure out why I love them so much. What is working so well in them for me?
Podcast: Poetry Unbound by Pádraig Ó Tuama’. Season 7 just dropped.
Have you ever received advice (or has there been something you’ve learned on your own) about writing or revising poems that has made you a better poet? What was it?
So much. These are a few of the questions I ask myself when revising that I learned from workshops or mentorship with others: Rob Taylor, Betsy Warland, Fiona Tinwei Lam.
What’s the heartwood of this piece? Does it start with a strong image? Are there mixed metaphors going on that I need to clear up? Read it out loud, several times! Does it flow? Make sense? Be willing to turn it back into prose and play around with it – try new forms, re order it, etc. Get rid of words you don’t need.
And number one: get someone else, or a few people, to read it and give you feedback on some of the above questions.
Do you belong to a writer’s group? If not, where do you find poetry community and feedback?
Yes, I’m in three writing groups. In two of them, we take turns bringing prompts/poems and then write together for a while and thank each other when we read. For me, knowing I’m bound by time and reading my work gives it a great energy. Some of those writings become poems. It’s also a great placeholder if I’ve had a busy couple of days and haven’t written. I can take the thing that’s been percolating and wanting to get out and let ‘er rip.
In the other group, we bring our poetry to read and give feedback on. I also try and get to readings when I hear of them – in person or online. With a couple of other poets, we exchange a poem every week or two then meet up and give feedback to each other.