CONTRIBUTOR SPOTLIGHT:
Interview with Mela Blust

Rappahannock Review Poetry Editors: We really love how you convey the complexity of the speaker and their child’s relationship in “of grief.” Can you explain your process in finding the language to convey that nuance?

Mela Blust: My relationship with my daughter is very strong. I don’t think it’s acknowledged how much we, as mothers, through teaching our children how to hold space and how to love, eventually find ourselves being held by our children, because they cannot help but return the safety and compassion they’ve come to know from us. She sees me.

RR: Another detail that moved us quite a bit were the lines talking about the whales and deers. Where did the inspiration to include the imagery come from?

MB: My, and my daughter’s, connection to the natural world, animals, the forest, is very strong. She grew up in the woods, and I’ve always found it’s where I go when I need to heal. In a world where we so often find ourselves sacrificing realness, I find beauty, strength, and inspiration in the simple, yet profound authenticity animals display. I often include imagery from the natural world because I am stunned by the aching beauty I find there.

RR: In your bio you note that you’re a mother, and of course complex motherhood is a major part of “of grief”? How would you say parenthood has influenced your writing overall?

MB: Being a mother has taught me more about love, about life, and about myself, than almost anything else. If anything has brought me to my knees, it is the vulnerability of motherhood. I write about my daughter so much, because she is so present in who I am as a person. She is literally in my cells. When I relate through writing, she comes through very naturally, and quite often, very urgently.

RR: How do you think poetry or writing overall can help process grief?

MB: Poetry has always been catharsis for me. It is a wail into the ether, in hopes that something will wail back, or at least, that the wail has left the body.

RR: Do you have any advice you’d like to share for any aspiring writers, artists, or gardeners?

MB: If you write, you are a writer. Let go of the imposter syndrome. If publishing makes you feel more validated, go for it. Don’t be thwarted by academia or gatekeeping or rejection. Rejections are badges of honor. Keep going.