Moon Beams #20 - Dustin Brookshire

To discourage a poet from exploring a particular interest feels like forbidding a section of sky to a bird, a limit imposed on an animal made to find the elevation, channels, and regions it needs to thrive.

To reel in the metaphor, hearing about an instructor doing just that to a new poet hits notes both unfortunate and tone-deaf, casting cold water on the inherent curiosity, experimentation, and freedom that is essential to growing one’s approach to the craft. 

When poet Dustin Brookshire shared that Anne Sexton marked his initial entry point to the world of poetry, a launch ramp as promising as any, he said that the vibe among educators, in his experience, directed him away from writing about pop culture.

This guidance was far from helpful, Dustin said, since, “my writing was suffering in a way, because I was fighting against what I wanted to do.”

But then, poet and instructor Beth Gylys brought about a point in Dustin’s life that he said he “called everything before Beth Gylys and after Beth Gylys.” 

Beth encouraged Dustin to chase down what fascinated him in order to find and expand his voice, specifically with Denise Duhamel’s Kinky.

“I just fell in love,” Dustin said.

The love is apparent with a resumé that, to date, includes four published chapbooks, a host of poems published and anthologized, no shortage of editing credits, and serving the community through establishing and leading several workshops, prizes, speaking engagements, and organizations dedicated to poetry, on top of fellowship and residency wins. 

We covered a lot in our conversation, including points of inspiration Dustin finds in collaborative work with fellow poets, including Kerry Trautman, “the light that is” Dolly Parton and the “angelic, generous person that she is,” and a moving passage from Corrie Williamson’s poem “A Brief History of Preservation” in her book Your Mother’s Bear Gun by River River Books.

Dustin’s most recent chapbook, Repeat as Needed, was published in May 2025 and is available now at Harbor Editions, “a collection of all emulations, clap-backs, or inspired-by.”

His debut full-length, For All Of Us Faggots, will be published in 2027 by Iron Oak Editions. 

I appreciate everything Dustin has done and is doing to support the poetry community in a variety of ways, and am looking forward to seeing how he continues to fight good fights and grow as an artist and leader.