Nocturne
Nocturne
New Book
NOCTURNE
Set in a technicolour world of dreams, ghosts, classical music, and Key West storms, Jodie Hollander's compelling second collection charts the emotional journey of the daughter of a professional classical pianist. These bold and arresting poems, rich with musicality, and fierce in their emotional honesty, chart the complicated repercussions of family dysfunction and musical obsession while traversing the landscape of the human condition and exploring the need for refuge in the natural world.
“In Jodie Hollander’s poems, it is always monsoon season. Things come crashing down from the sky - pianos, coconuts, kangaroos, telephone receivers - into a fragile world, and the poems look up from the debris, changed.”
“‘Nocturne,’ Jodie Hollander’s second collection following her stunning 2017 debut, ‘My Dark Horses,’ is certainly of the night - these poems chant and sing the scales of human experience against a backdrop of unknowable wildness. Her poems chime with the music of the spheres collaborating in a symphony that is both an aural feast and a reminder of the interconnectedness of all things. ‘Nocturne’ makes truly beautiful music.”
Readings & Workshops
Readings & Workshops
Courses
October 3 - December 12: Reading and Writing Robert Frost — Poetry School (Online)
Workshops
2024
January 9-January 30: Virtual Narrative Poetry, Lighthouse Writers
Jan 9 -April 2: Virtual Insects and Poetic Inspiration, The Poetry School, London, UK
January 13: Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop, Gifford Residence, Scottsdale, Arizona
January 27 & 28: Poetry in the Parks, Saguaro National Park, Arizona (West Entrance)
March 16: Humans in Relation to Nature, Sitka National Historic Park, Sitka, Alaska, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
March 21: Narrative Poetry, Sitka National Historic Park, Sitka, Alaska, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
March 23: Poetry of Place, Sitka National Historic Park, Sitka, Alaska 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
May 4: Poetry in the Parks, Poetry of Migration, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Arizona
May 7: Poetry of Grief and Healing Part 1, The Hugo House, 5:00 p.m. PST (Virtual)
May 11: Poetry of Healing, Sedona Art Center, Sedona, Arizona
May 14: Poetry of Grief and Healing Part 2, The Hugo House,
5:00 p.m. PST (Virtual)
May 17: Narrative Poetry, Flagstaff Public Library, 12:00 p.m. -
2:00 p.m.
May 18th: ArtX Workshop, Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, Arizona, 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
May 19: Poetry Workshop, Riordan Mansion State Historic Park, Flagstaff, Arizona, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
May 25: Poetry in the Parks, Poetry of Migration, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Arizona
Readings
2024
April 12: Northern Arizona Book Festival, Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, Arizona, 5:00 p.m.
April 27: Claremont Poetry Series, Claremont Public Library, Claremont, California, 2:00 p.m.
To see a list of past Events and workshops click here.
Poetry in the Parks
Poetry in the Parks
Poetry in the Parks is a project I began in 2018 with the aim of helping people to deepen their connection to public lands through poetry. During these free (NPS sponsored) poetry workshops, participants have the opportunity to explore the remarkable beauty of their public lands and write original poems. No experience is necessary to attend. The workshops are free and open to all.
Participating National Parks, State Parks, and National Monuments
Walnut Canyon National Monument, Arizona, 2018; 2019; 2022; 2023
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Arizona, 2019; 2023
Wupatki National Monument, Arizona, 2019
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Arizona, 2022
Montezuma Well National Monument, Arizona, 2022
Saguaro National Park, Arizona, 2022; 2023; 2023
Joshua Tree National Park, California, 2023
Asilomar State Park, California, 2024
Sitka National Historic Monument, Sitka, Alaska, 2024
Eugene O' Neill National Historic Site, August 2024
Press for Poetry in the Parks
KCAW — Poetry workshops draw inspiration from Sitka’s national park
Daily Sitka Sentinel — Noted Poet to Hold Workshop at Sitka Park
Pomona College Magazine — Poetry in the Parks
Western National Parks Association — Poetry and National Parks Connect
Arizona Daily Sun — Poetry in the parks: Poet Jodie Hollander visits Arizona’s national parks
Forbes — Poetry in Joshua Tree National Park
The Orange County Register — Making poetry in Joshua Tree
AZPM — Poetry in Our Parks
Arizona Daily Sun — Poetry in the Parks: Poet Jodie Hollander Visits Arizona’s National Parks
Interviews & Articles
Interviews & Articles
Interviews & Articles
Click on the titles below to listen or read:
Terrain — Intrinsic Beauty: An Interview with Jodie Hollander
Forbes — Poetry in Joshua Tree National Park
The Orange County Register — Making poetry in Joshua Tree
CPR News | Making Colorado history more inclusive through poetry
KNAU Public Radio | PoetrySnaps! Jodie Hollander: Prairie Smoke
Interview with Liverpool University Press | Nocturne: An Interview with Jodie Hollander
Western National Parks Association | Poetry and National Parks Connect
Napkin Poetry Review | Where Craft Meets Courage
Arizona Daily Sun | Poetry in the Parks: Poet Jodie Hollander Visits Arizona’s National Parks
Interview on Arizona Public Radio | Poetry in the Parks, starts at minute 7:31
Colorado Public Radio | Fort Collins Poet Jodie Hollander Finds Inspiration Outdoors
The Kenyon Review | In Memoriam: Robert Mezey by Jodie Hollander
Interview with KNAU Arizona Public Radio | Poetry Friday: Poet In Residence, 'My Dark Horses'
Portland Mercury | Jodie Hollander’s Poems Surmount Emotional Milestones
The Voice of America | The High Window Journal’s Featured American Poet: Winter 2017, Jodie Hollander
Interview with KDNK Community Radio | Poetess Jodie Hollander
Interview on KGNU Boulder | Colorado poet Jodie Hollander
The Denver Post | Staff Pick: “My Dark Horses” by Jodie Hollander
Colorado Public Radio Interview | Poetry Collection Takes On Mother-Daughter Strife
Interview with WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio Interview | Making Music out of Words
Bath Spa Alumni Interview | The Rhythm of Life as a Poet
Vail Daily Interview. | Bookworm of Edwards hosts poetry writing workshop Thursday
Publications
Publications
Selected Publications
KNAU PoetrySnaps!: “Prairie Smoke”
Drunken Boat: “Horse Swimming”
Poetry Magazine: "Avenue of Plane Trees," forthcoming spring 2024
The Friday Poem: "Evening on the Porch”
The Harvard Review: “Geiger Key”
The Sun: “In the Freezer”(forthcoming)
PN Review: Two Dream Poems, fall 2022
The Poetry Review: Dream #1 Liebestraum fall 2022
Oxford Poetry: "Japan in the Spring" fall, 2022
Literary Matters: "Hands," "Viola" "Glacier Lilies" spring, 2022
Shenandoah: "Mother's Parrots" winter, 2022
The Hudson Review: "Mouse" fall, 2022
Poetry Northwest: “Rosebank Cottage,” winter 2022
Poetry Wales: "Horse," winter, 2022
The Colorado Review: "Her Singing Horses"
Poetry London: "Green Beans" fall, 2021
New Welsh Review: "The Little House," "Chicken Soup"
The Moth: "The Marigolds"
The Los Angeles Review of Books | Robert Mezey: Four Uncollected Poems (with intro by Jodie Hollander)
The Kenyon Review | In Memoriam: Robert Mezey by Jodie Hollander
Poetry Wales: “Crow,” “After the Storm”
The Poetry Review: “Storm”
The Dark Horse: “A Bell from Kathmandu”
The Hopkins Review: "The Sock Off," "Uluru"
Alaska Quarterly Review: "Outside Accra"
The Poetry Review: "Corn on the Cob"
PN Review: "And what if in the end he's Just a Bird," "Two Horses," "The Worry Book"
Quadrant: "Vegetable," "Visiting the Horses"
The Yale Review: "The Potato Plants."
Liverpool University Press: (Pavilion Poetry) My Dark Horses, April 2017.
Tall-lighthouse Publishing, The Humane Society, November 2012
The Best Australian Poems of 2015: “Oblivion.”
The Best Australian Poems of 2011: “The Humane Society.”
PN Review: “Caprice for Violin:” “Mother’s Tomato Plants,” “Mother’s Wrists,” Winter 2016
The New Criterion: “Ruts.”
The Rialto: "Horse Bones," "History Class," November 2016; “How to Fry a Chicken,” June 2015
The Manhattan Review: “A Box,” Fall 2016
Westerly: “Zero Hour,” Fall 2015
The Poetry Review: “He’s,” Fall 2015; “Splitting and Fucking,” Summer 2014
Australian Book Review: “A Box,” Fall 2015
Drunken Boat: “Draft of a Dream,” issue 23, 2015
The Evansville Review: “The Sound of Scissors,” Winter 2015
Verse Daily: “My Mother’s Will Emailed in pdf,” June 5, 2014
The Dark Horse: “Oblivion,” Spring 2014
The North: “The Metronome,” “Migraine” Spring 2014
The Raintown Review: “Speaking With the Dead,” Spring 2014
Stand: “Dream of a Burning Woman,” “Talking in Lamu,” “The Family Freezer,” Spring 2014
The Reader: “The Talking Tree,” “Taking my Mother to England,” Fall 2013
The Manchester Review: “The Humane Society,” Romancing Herself,” Fall 2013
Ambit: “Green,” “Skyping with my Mother,” Fall 2013
The Warwick Review: “Little Serenade,” “Mother’s Persian Rugs,” Fall 2013; “Migraine,” “My Mother’s Will Emailed in pdf,” Fall 2011
Poet Lore: “Metronomes,” Spring 2012
Poetry New Zealand: “The Glass Elephants,” Spring 2012
Poetry Ireland Review: “Victoria Park,” Fall 2011
Awards & Residencies
Awards & Residencies
Residencies & Awards
August-September 2022: Vashon Artist Residency, Poet in Residence, Vashon, Washington
February 2022: Visiting Writer at the Key West Literary Seminars, Key West, Florida
November 2020: St. Croix Residency
June 2020: Storyknife Writers Residency, Homer, Alaska
September 2018 - January 2019: Poet in Residence, Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, Arizona
May-June 2018: The Studios of Key West, Key West, Florida
January 2018: Artist in Residence, The Morris Squire Foundation, Santa Barbara, California
January 2017: Escape2Create, Seaside, Florida, Artist in Residence
September 2016: Artist in Residence, The Morris Squire Foundation, Santa Barbara, California
May 2016: Varda Artist’s Residency, Sausalito, California. Click here for an article Jodie wrote about her experience on the SS Vallejo
February 2016: Rivendell Writers Colony, Lisa Percy fellowship, Sewanee, Tennessee
April 2015: Artist in Residence, Stanley, Idaho
February-March 2015: The MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, New Hampshire
October-November 2014: Chateau de la Napoule, Nice, France
January 2014: The Betsy Hotel, Writer-in-residence, Miami, Florida
July 2014: Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Amherst, Virginia
June 2014: Cil Rialaig Arts Foundation, Kerry, Ireland
March-April 2013: Hawthornden Fellowship, Midlothian, Scotland
August 2012: Wilfred Owen Association, Full bursary at Ty Newydd Centre, Wales
July 2011: Grace Marion Wilson Trust, Rosebank Writer’s Bursary, Australia
2007: Fulbright Fellowship for Study of Literature and Education in South Africa
2005: National Endowment for the Humanities, Award for Study of Dante in Siena, Italy
Reviews
Reviews
Reviews
Review in Artemis Poetry.
Review from poet Juliano Zaffino:
“A torrent of shocking and revelatory poetry simmers between the covers of My Dark Horses , pulling the reader in with the very first poem, “Splitting and Fucking”: “My mother, / poor woman / somehow she was / always the victim / of splitting and fucking.” Talented, unpredictable, and dangerous, this mother is a malevolent force of nature, pitting her children against each other, ridiculing her husband, and “always the victim” of her bad decisions, lusts and passions.” Read the review by Erica Goss at Pedestal Magazine
“The poems in this collection, both blunt and lyric, stoic and tender, roll over the palate like the flavors of a complex dish." Read the review by Donna Vorreyer at Rhino
“Jodie Hollander’s powerful debut collection is as hypnotic and rich as a dream, taking as its epigraph Rimbaud’s assertion that “A thousand dreams within me softly burn”, and returning to the word “dream” repeatedly, balancing dreamscapes with vividly realized portraits from life.” Read the review by Suzannah V. Evans at The Times Literary Supplement
"This is a technically competent, enjoyable collection...You will feel your humanity strengthened by reading it." Read the entire review at The High Window
"My Dark Horses offers no easy solutions but rather, hard-won understanding." Read the entire review at The Poetry School
"The past also preoccupies Jodie Hollander’s compelling My Dark Horses, which traces the troubled relationship of the poet with her mother. The collection returns, obsessively, to the mother – the trauma she inflicts and the trauma she suffers – and in doing so throws events and objects that seem innocuous into sharp relief. ‘The Red Tricycle’, for example, sparks recollections of Hollander’s mother being sexually abused by her father, and the poem imagines how ‘she held her mother’s big body / in her skinny white arms’. This is a heart-rending example of how Hollander charges even the plainest of lines with violent meanings: in its child-like simplicity, ‘big’ envelopes the poem in the consciousness of the abused child and emphasises the horrific inversion of a traumatised daughter having to comfort her own mother." Read the review by Stephen Grace at The Compass.
The underlying emotional urgency of Jodie Hollander's poems is undeniable - but it's their tone that makes them unignorable. This meeting of searing family dysfunction and poignant metaphor with her matter-of-fact American vernacular strikes sparks.
-Susan Wicks
These poems bristle with the contained energy of conflicts that continue to shape who we are and impel what we do. The collection moves satisfyingly from wry observation – “at least nothing important got burnt / like Mother’s cello, or Father’s Steinway piano” (with its telling capital) – towards the uneasy peace of accepting that “destruction will do what it will do” and the discovery that poetry has the power to lay ghosts to rest – “I sat back, and watched what was here.”
-Andrew McCulloch, The Times Literary Supplement
These poems are full of situations redolent of grief and loss; yet they are far too vigorous to be depressing. The effect… is not of despair, but of rising to the occasion.
-Meg Crane, The Wilfred Owen Association
Online reviews at Sphinx Reviews
Excerpt below:
"This slim, elegant pamphlet is American poet Jodie Hollander’s first collection. I found it hauntingly sad and emotionally powerful."
Email List Sign Up
Email List Sign Up
Sign up with your email to hear about Readings, Workshops or Events!