Moon Beams #13 - Katie Mannin
With the deep bench of service and love Dr. Katie Manning brings to the poetry community, from publishing eight books of poetry, teaching at Point Loma Nazarene University, and founding and editing the Whale Road Review, the priority she puts on growing community, and the joy to be found in connecting with others, stood out as a top priority for her in our conversation on “Moon Beams.”
This passion extends to Katie’s enthusiasm for proximity, for being with others in the physical act of writing.
When describing in-person retreats and workshops she’s been a part of and led, Katie’s smile got big, the energy in her voice rising when she described how she feels sitting with other writers, sharing long bouts of silence while tending to the craft.
“There’s something that’s so wonderful about being just in the company of other writers who are committed to doing the thing,” she told me. "We all do this weird thing, but we can do it together even though we are maybe working separately, that always makes me happy.”
For Katie, the kinetic nature of poetry as a personal practice applies to the genre’s contemporary scene as well.
Our chat went to many different places in this vein, including contemporary 21st century forms she teaches at Point Loma, and a highlight included honoring poet and activist Andrea Gibson https://andreagibson.org/), who sadly passed away on July 14th, 2025.
Katie shared one line from Gibson’s poem “Love Letter From the Afterlife,”, which is certainly worth reading in full:
“My love, I was so wrong, dying is the opposite of leaving.”
Katie’s latest book, Hereverent, is available for purchase now, and her latest publication at Helene Cardona’s site “The Creative Process” is very clickable here.
I’m grateful to Katie for the work she puts into uplifting new talent and readers to the world of poetry, and I’m excited to see what she does next in these realms and her own poetry as well.
Stay curious, laugh at gatekeepers whenever possible, and choose love, everybody.
