Beth Boylan

Oyster River Pages: If you could add a prelude, an epilogue, or an addendum to your piece, what would it say?

Beth Boylan: I would thank poets Dara-Lyn Shrager and Rachel Marie Patterson of Radar Poetry for helping me workshop this piece at their amazing women poets' writing retreat back in November 2019.

ORP: What do you hope readers or viewers of your piece take from it?

BB: For me, this poem was about coming to terms with a period of great loss in my life (the loss of a partner through a break-up and then suicide, as well as the physical and emotional losses of a hysterectomy). I hope that readers can relate their own experiences to it but also feel delight in the images and language.

ORP: How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed your relationship to art and writing, either in the creation of it or the consumption of it?

BB: My writing life has blossomed during the pandemic, which is likely related to the fact that I have been self-quarantined with days upon days of solitude (well, with Mimi, my cat). I've really never felt closer to my writing, which is an unexpected "side effect" of this period. Having so much time is a luxury and a blessing that I will likely never have again, so I have done my best to take full advantage of it. I have filled these pandemic days with reading great books and drafting poems. As horrible a time as it has been, I have enjoyed so many of the incredible poetry readings and workshops that are being provided online right now--opportunities I would probably not have attended in person either because of distance or expense. A weeklong course with Gabrielle Calvocoressi. A summer-long course with Ellen Bass. I mean, come on, how can I not be changed for the better?

ORP: Do you believe that hope is a luxury, a responsibility, a danger, or something else? Why?

BB: Being able to experience hope is a gift--from somewhere far beyond, something divine. Even in my darkest, lowest moments, or just the most mundane of days, some tiny spark of hope has always ignited inside me. The key is to hang on to it but also to help those who don't have hope or have given up.

ORP: If you could choose one writer or artist, living or dead, as a best friend or mentor, who would it be? Why?

BB: This is a tough one, wow. Since I was a child, I have connected with and found solace in the work of writers and artists. So many. If I need to choose one, though, it would be Frank O'Hara. I first discovered his poetry in a college class and was gobsmacked by his use of concrete imagery and diction. Attending a small college in rural Pennsylvania, I also immediately connected with his love of New York, where I am from originally. I had never before read a poet able to elevate the ordinary in such a beautiful, moving way. This was back in the late 80s, long before he rose to new popularity, so I have dibs on him!

ORP: What do you think is the most essential advice that most writers and artists ignore?

BB: In Ellen Bass's online workshop, she gave us some really great advice, which was to write without worrying about what anyone else will think. Write, write, write, especially when you're feeling scared or hesitant to write down something in particular. This can be super challenging because poetry is so personal. I know I'm not the only one who often hesitates to "go there" or to write about people in my life. As Ellen said, though, write it down, that's what's important; then you can decide whether or not to share it.

Beth Boylan’s poems have appeared in a variety of journals, including Apeiron Review, Chronogram, Cooweescoowee, Dying Dahlia, Gyroscope Review, Jelly Bucket, Whale Road Review, and Wilde. She holds an MA in Literature from Hunter College. Raised in Westchester County, NY, Beth now resides near the ocean in New Jersey, where she spends her time writing and teaching high school English. Read her poetry here.