Mollie Jackman is a Columbia, MO author whose debut book is “Ornithomancy.” The book offers poetry and illustrations that explore loss and how we get through it. Jackman is a graduate of Lindenwood University with an MFA in writing who runs a freelance business as a writer/editor and has a job as a full-time copywriter. She was kind enough to take the time to be interviewed via email.
Daniel Boone Regional Library: The title and several poems relate to birds. Can you tell us more about this theme in your work?
Mollie Jackman: Absolutely – it’s an interesting story. My interest in the connection between birds and spirituality goes back at least a decade. I remember learning that cardinals are supposed to represent the spirits of loved ones coming to visit you, and had a very distinct moment while I was walking my dog where a cardinal flew by and I felt this inexplicable feeling that it was my great grandfather visiting us. After that, I experienced a string of loss each time followed by an experience with birds.
My childhood best friend’s brother passed away, and that day a blue heron flew right over my house (I didn’t live near any bodies of water, and had never seen this before.) A beloved teacher of mine passed near that time as well, a few years after losing her husband to cancer. That day, the first four power lines I drove under on my way to work each had a pair of doves sitting together – which to me felt representative of them being reunited in some way in the afterlife.
I’ve always noticed crows around when I’m feeling particularly anxious, and taken them as a sign to watch my surroundings and be aware of what’s happening in my spiritual life.
But vultures are the biggest one for me – I’ve been drawn to them ever since moving to Columbia and constantly seeing the hoards of them near their nesting grounds at Capen Park. Once I began my MFA in poetry, I started to research more about their meaning and found that many cultures believe that vultures and other carrion birds act as kind of spiritual messengers between our world and the afterlife, or underworld. The way they fly without flapping their wings represents a coasting on this spiritual highway of sorts, that connects our world to what comes after. In fact, there’s a poem in the book in which a vulture flies up right next to my car, and another where I come upon one in the middle of the road that takes off in flight right in front of me. These are both real moments I experienced during periods of loss, and there was something really magical about them and that connection. That’s when I started to think of them as my guides to navigating those moments and staying connected with those I’ve lost.
DBRL: You are good about giving the reader context for things referenced in your poems. What motivates your commitment to making your work accessible to the audience?
Jackman: Thank you! I think in this culture where insta-poets have become so popular, the interest in poetry has grown. But in American schools, we learn so little about form and meaning in poetry. We learn haiku in elementary school as an “easy” type of poem to write, when in actuality it’s one of the most nuanced forms and deserves so much respect.
Throughout my education I’ve always felt there’s this wall around poets and poetry, where it’s thought of as more of an academic pursuit than say fiction or memoir. People think there’s a “right way” to read a poem and don’t trust their own interpretation of it. But I heard a quote once about how poetry really just has two functions: to take a grand concept (like life and death) and express it in a small, relatable way, or to take a simple moment (like drinking your morning coffee) and express how much it actually means in a larger context.
I have very few friends and family who I’d call poetry readers, and I want to see that change. I want people to understand that however you read a poem, that’s the right way. It’s kind of the beautiful thing about the form, it may mean one thing to me and something completely different to a reader. But that’s incredible!
Through publishing this book, I’ve tried to work with visual artists in hopes that we can work together to make poetry feel more accessible to readers. And some pieces that were based on news stories or other forms of media, I felt it was the most concise way to explain the backstory of how the poem came to be. I was heavily inspired by a favorite writer of mine, Nils Michals. In his book “Come Down to Earth,” he has a whole section of poems based on news headlines or interesting cultural phenomena, and there’s an index in the back explaining the story.
I also sell prints of many of the illustrations in the book, as well as the cover art and merchandise like mugs and shirts (designed by One to One Print Shop here in Columbia.) This is another way I hope to make my work more accessible – and in reality, to supplement the cost that went into creating it. If you see me at an event and you aren’t a poetry reader, or don’t have the cash to purchase a book right now, there’s still something for you, and we can have a great conversation about your experience with poetry!
DBRL: The poem called “Keepers” alludes to the process of poetry creation itself. Can you tell us more about your writing process? What makes a poem a keeper for you?
Jackman: “Keepers” is an interesting one — and while it’s one of my least favorite poems in the book, it felt relevant to keep it. When I wrote it, I was sitting in the back of the old blue Subaru I talk about in several poems. I needed a few more pages for my thesis and wanted to change up my writing environment, but it was during the heart of the pandemic so I got creative with my locations. I laid out a blanket in the back of my car, and sat in a parking lot at Eagle Bluffs conservation area. I brought some of my favorite poetry books with me, and was reading through them to search for inspiration to finish out my own work. I sat there for a few hours reading and writing, and as I left, there was a huge dust cloud approaching down the gravel road. It was an ambulance, and I researched later that evening to find out what the emergency had been. A man had been lost or fallen on the trail, and he ended up being OK after paramedics arrived. But I thought how interesting is it that I came out here literally looking for a poem and this situation presented itself on what could have been a really ordinary trip to a beautiful location.
I don’t know if I really have a “process” other than trying to pay constant attention to everything around me. Whether it’s seeing an older man walking into a cemetery with flowers and telling myself the story I think led up to that moment, or listening to the sounds of rain on different surfaces, just trying to describe what’s happening in my mind in those moments. If I’m really struggling to find inspiration or motivation, I turn to other writers. I read new poetry books or return to old ones, or listen to songwriters, or even watch a movie. I find inspiration in anything that expresses an idea in a unique way.
DBRL: How did the illustrations come about for the book? Was there some collaboration with the publisher as to what they would be?
Jackman: As you mentioned before about accessibility, I knew from the beginning that I wanted illustrations in this book. For me, illustrations are a way to give a gentle nudge to a reader and help them picture the poem as I saw it in my head. But it’s also a way to provide context for poems that speak to specific geographic locations or historical/mythological references. To my luck, my sister Maggie Jackman is a very talented visual artist – you can find her work at https://www.artifactstl.com/ – and I knew that with the amount of references from my childhood, she would be the only artist who could capture the images.
Off & Running Publications does have connections with illustrators, though, so if there’s a writer thinking about contacting them for help with publishing, this is something they can do!
DBRL: Read anything good lately you’d like to recommend?
Jackman: I set a goal to read 25 books this year — I’m not sure if I’ll make it there yet but I do have a few recommendations based on recent reading.
“I Do Everything I’m Told” by Megan Fernandes is an excellent modern poetry book that’s already inspired a few new poems from me. There are some pretty adult themes in this one, so I’d only recommend it to mature readers but I’ve enjoyed it a lot. In poetry, I’d also recommend “Worldly Things” by Michael Kleber-Diggs. And for anyone new to poetry, check out “A Plumber’s Guide to Light” by Jesse Bertron. He does a great job of creating poetry out of the everyday.
As far as other genres, I’ve been slowly working my way through “Rosewater” by Tade Thompson (I’m a big fan of sci-fi and have been reading a lot of books set in Lagos, Nigeria lately.) I’ve also been reading a lot of John Marrs, Mira Grant and Hugh Howey. But my last rec would be “The Light Pirate” by Lily Brooks-Dalton. It’s a really moving story of a girl who finds her power in the near future of our climate crisis. I’d call it a must-read.
DBRL: Where can readers get a copy of your book?
Jackman: You can find “Ornithomancy” on Amazon and many online booksellers, but you can also order it directly from my website at https://mjackman.myshopify.com/. If you order directly from my site, you can request a signed copy of the book and order merch like mugs, prints, t-shirts and sweatshirts! I offer shipping nationwide, and free local delivery for anyone in Columbia!
