Frank Bidart
For his use of language punctuation, and white space–and for his unwillingness to turn away from himself, from difference (especially in his long poem, “Confessional”). For his use of common speech.
Ai
For her use of persona poem and the stark, plain line and image.
Garrett Hongo
For his narration and his attention to history, and his way of helping me to understand my own past and memories.
Sylvia Plath
For the vulnerability of her work. For her darkness, but also for her awe of femininity and motherhood, which is so often overlooked in her work.
Satan Says – Sharon Olds
I toted this book around with me throughout high school after I discovered it in a writing workshop. This was the first time I realized you can use words like “shit” and “cunt” in your poetry and still make it fucking beautiful.
Born and raised in Westchester, NY, Jenna Lynch holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Maryland and an M.F.A. in Poetry from the University of Oregon. Her first chapbook, The Mouth of Which You Are, from Finishing Line Press, was released November 2018. Her poems have appeared in Forklift Ohio, Construction Magazine, Sundog Lit, and elsewhere. Jenna has received fellowships and residencies from the Norman Mailer Writers Colony and the Vermont Studio Center. She lives in Astoria, Queens.