An Interview with Jasmine Griffin

Jasmine Griffin (she/her/they/them) is a black queer writer based in Cincinnati, and a teaching artist with Women Writing for (a) Change, Clarion West, Lighthouse Writers Workshop, and Hugo House. Jasmine previously held roles with Lighthouse Writers Workshop, the Mercantile Library of Cincinnati, and Carve Magazine. Jasmine was recently published in Sage Cigarettes, Writer’s Digest, midnight & indigo, Coffin Bell, Vast Chasm Magazine, Eunoia Review, Random Sample Review, Cincinnati Refined, Genre: Urban Arts, and Cleaning up Glitter. Jasmine received an MA in Creative Writing from Wilkes University. Jasmine is releasing a debut poetry chapbook Strange Religion in July of 2024 and is currently at work on her first novel, Blackbird at the Crossroads, which is set in New Orleans and steeped in Southern lore.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I grew up around books and stories both in the written and oral traditions. My mother read to me a lot as a child, and though he wouldn’t have called himself one, my grandfather was a storyteller in the oral tradition. Reading provided me a sense of escapism growing up and writing came naturally when I wanted to both find a way to express myself and create worlds that wanted to see that I hadn’t yet come across. I started primarily in fiction but poetry has always been a medium that allowed me to be vulnerable in a way that I am not always able to be outside of the page.

What inspired you to start writing this book?

This poetry chapbook was assembled over years of experiences. I spent a lot of time starting in my late teens and early twenties seeking identity and exploring my sexuality, seeking to define myself both on and off the page. I learned rather quickly that though I can’t be defined, I can still sort through my feelings on the page. This chapbook is very much so inspired by that journey and I hope it resonates with others who have been through similar circumstances and helps them feel less alone.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

Strange Religion as a title came naturally. The poems themselves are in a lot of ways a look at myself as a young queer person struggling with my faith, defining myself, mental health, and other traumas. I had to establish my own views on faith, myself, and my personhood outside of the perception of others. So the title is me owning myself in all of my strange but also acknowledging those experiences as I move forward from them.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

“River” by Ibeyi, “demons” by Hayley Kiyoko, and “Babylon” by SZA.

Describe your dream book cover.

It’s actually the cover it has, which I designed—jasmine flowers with a snake interwoven throughout. I think it fits the theme of the chapbook extremely well.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I have worked for nonprofits for a while now, and currently work at a museum and formerly at a literary nonprofit and library. I also am a teaching artist for Hugo House, Clarion West, Lighthouse Writers Workshop, and Women Writing for (a) Change. My readers probably don’t know that I actually love writing speculative poetry over the pieces in my chapbook. I have a full collection of speculative poems that I hope to see in print one day.

What books did you read (for research or comfort) throughout your writing process?

I read a lot of books for comfort but I leaned into reading poetry during the final stages of assembling this chapbook. A couple I would recommend are I Am the Most Dangerous Thing by Candace Williams and Black Bell by Alison C. Rollins.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

I don’t think there is such a thing as a perfect reader. We can’t really control how others perceive ourselves or our works. I also don’t want to restrict people too much on how they interpret the poems. I will say though, that I hope people feel less alone, feel seen in some way, feel heard as well, and that these poems give them permission to explore themselves, the good, the bad, and the unpleasant.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.