Meet AWC Vice President & Program Chair, Jessica Jones

AWC: When did you start writing?

I was fascinated with literature from the moment it started spilling from my MeeMaw’s lips. She started reading to me when I was a baby and I still can’t get enough. She read to me so much that I memorized my favorite books. By age 2, I would sit with a book, recite the words from memory. Flip the page—repeat—flip the page—repeat. People thought I was a crazy prodigy who could read at 2 years old, but no, I had it all memorized.

I was so hooked that I started writing my own short stories in 1st grade. One was about a horse, and one was about a blue wedding dress. This was the ‘90s, before such things were popular. At 7, I thought it was incredibly hilarious to write about a literally blue wedding dress who was blue (sad) that she was different than everyone else.

I started writing poetry at 15. The angst of young passions left me confused, and swimming with hormones, and desperately trying to make sense of everything happening internally and externally. Poetry came pouring out. I did very little except pick up the pen. I quickly progressed to reading Langston Hughes and writing my own poetry responses. 

My poetry tends to be an outlet for my passions: relationships, social injustice, idealism. It wells up and spills out whenever it wishes.

AWC: What are you working on now and why?

I’m writing prose poetry and sestina right now. I’ve been concentrating on themes of loss because MeeMaw was just diagnosed with lung cancer and the only thing that makes sense is to write, and cry, and write some more. 

It’s interesting how often that’s happened—I think intense emotions tend to spill out into writing and the next thing you know, the computer screen is a complete blur and you’re doing everything you can to see the words as you type them. I remember writing my thesis for my English Master’s at the University of South Alabama. Since I was concentrating in Creative Writing, I  wrote a memoir with poetry at the beginning of each chapter and analysis at the end of each chapter. It’s collage style, with the central story focusing on my trip through Europe at age 16, and thematically related flashbacks throughout.

I began writing about Austria and how I bought my mom a souvenir with an Edelweiss because she loved that song in The Sound of Music. I thought that was the gist of it, until I found myself blubbering on about how my mother had always dreamed of visiting Austria and how I freaked out when she mentioned going with me and my school friends because she would totally cramp my style. It hit me out of nowhere that I was a selfish person—an absolute spoiled brat who had robbed her mother of her dreams when she’d done nothing but encourage mine. The tears flowed and flowed, and the writing was my most honest work.

Catharsis aside, funny stuff happens too, and I laugh out loud more than I cry. I remember writing the flashback that I titled, “Unbound Passion” and I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. I was 4 years old and I was absolutely in love with Matthew McKinley—a boy in my Kindergarten class. I thought he was so hot. I called him, “my hero” because I watched a lot of princess movies back then and some boy was going to save me from something and make me fall in love with him, no matter what. I saw him lining up for lunch one day, and I truly could not resist him. I ran across the room, knocked him down into a chair, and started kissing him all over the face quite energetically. He proceeded to toss his head quickly side to side and scream for me to stop. He resisted in every way possible, but I would not give up. My teacher, Mrs. Turner, quickly came over and lifted me off of him. She sent me down in the lunch line and tried, rather unsuccessfully, to stifle her uncontrollable laughter. much the same as I am doing, even now as I am typing out this interview answer.

So, I am writing these things now because I can’t help it. Just the same as always. These things come bursting out of me and I can’t help it. I would never change it for a moment.

AWC: Tell us about yourself in the daily.

I am the creative director for the City of Orange Beach. I live in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and am married with two step children. I teach, and oversee programming for children and adults in Orange Beach.

I also coordinate special events. It’s a southern thing, and since there’s something special and eventful worth doing all the time, it is one of my favorite aspects of my job. I am also the founder of a nonprofit, Poetic Presence.