Moon Beams #8 - Jeremy Ra
Jeremy Ra is a force of nature, hilarious, talented, and allergic to dullness of any type, we don't go too far back, but far enough that he and I have kicked it and shared plenty of laughs and lively conversations around our shared passion for poetry.
Case in point for this episode of “Moon Beams,” flowers to the photographer Mei Xian Qiu for the beautiful background Jeremy brought into our conversation, a portrait she shot and etched with one of his poems, which was shared publicly at curator Carolie Parker’s “Fictional Press Poetry” show at the Bendix Building a few months back.
Among many topics we got into here, Jeremy spoke on how he wished the intimidation factor of poetry coming off as difficult, or simple journaling, could take a backseat to the connection, fun, and guidance to be found in so much of the genre.
"It's not just about feelings, and also it's not just about somebody trying to actually make you feel stupid, you know?” he said. “Poets are also on a journey with their readers. A lot of us are writing because we are trying to figure things out on our own as well."
Jeremy was also generous enough to share a geyser of a line from Robert Mezey's "There," a passage that, I felt, opened up the conversation into some interesting and candid territory:
"I taste myself
and I taste those winds, uprisings
of salt and ice, of great trees
brought down, of houses and cries
lost in the storm; and what breaks
on that black shore breaks in me.”
As always Jeremy is working on plenty of projects, but top of mind are screening for the 2026 Tufts Poetry Awards, and he was quick to nod to 2025’s winners, Jaswinder Bolina and Ariana Benson.
Two of Jeremy’s poems are also published in the recent "Poetry Goes to the Movies" anthology, and he was sure to nod to his many mentors and sources of continued inspiration, including Suzanne Lummis, Ron Koertge, Elizabeth Metzger, Nichelle Davis, Sylvia Plath, and Willard Spiegelman, whose CD box set was a major influence early on in his journey.
Many thanks and high-5s to Jeremy for making this a gold mine of a conversation, much more to come, stay creative and happy trails, everybody.
