Interview with Jeffrey Heath: Exploring the Depths of Emotion and Experience

In the world of poetry, few voices resonate as deeply as those who are able to intertwine personal experience with universal themes. Today, we sit down with an accomplished poet whose journey into writing has been shaped by both early passions and profound encounters with creativity. From the vibrant landscapes of heartbreak to the quiet observations of daily life, Jeffrey Heath’s work reflects a rich tapestry of emotions and insights.

But first, who is Jeffrey Heath?

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Jeffrey Heath’s Books

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• Can you tell us a little about your journey into poetry—what first drew you to writing?

I remember writing little stories as a child, but my poetry journey really began when I was 13, and it started with writing song lyrics. I was learning to play the guitar and could sing, so I thought I was going to become a musician. Later in high school, I got involved with an underground student newspaper and began publishing short poems. It took off from there.

• Who are some of the poets or writers who most shaped your voice?

Oh, so many, but it all started with E. E. cummings. His influence still shows up in my writing, along with his themes of love and nature. I was really into the modernists, Eliot and Yeats in particular; then Ginsberg and the beats. On the more contemporary side, Mark Doty and Louise Glück are strong influences for me today. And of course there were the slam influences—Patricia Smith, Andrea Gibson, Saul Williams.

• How do you usually begin a poem: with an image, a line, or an idea?

I’m a very visual person, so it’s usually an image. I think that comes across in the book as well—poems that spawned from just looking at a tree out the window or watching cottonwood seeds float through the air. There are several pieces that reference paintings or painters. I often find myself building around a central image or two when I’m putting a piece together.

• Do you have any writing rituals or habits that help you get into a creative state?

Getting into that creative state is part inspiration and part motivation. For inspiration, I explore as much as I can—going for a walk through the city or out in nature, finding unknown places and experiences, and taking the time to soak it all in and observe. On the motivation side, I make the habit of writing anywhere and everywhere. I capture lines in my notes app all day, then set aside dedicated time to edit and refine. I also give myself a goal of getting a solid 1-2 poems drafted each week that I can workshop or test out in performance.

• What does the title Entropy Loop mean to you, and how did you settle on it?

In physics, entropy is the tendency toward disorder and decay. It’s why heat disperses, bodies age, and time moves only one direction. I was playing with that time concept in my mind, thinking about how memory and trauma can make time seem non-linear, and how we can naturally cycle through that. For example, in the way we recover from grief or through patterns of behavior that repeat in relationships. It became, for me, a really interesting juxtaposition of this law of irreversibility with the human compulsion to circle back.

• Were there particular themes or motifs you felt compelled to explore in this collection?

Certainly, themes of grief and loss, love and memory, acceptance and transformation. The compelling motifs for me are this blending of the domestic with the cosmic—to try and capture that expanded sense of scale that ordinary objects have on the mind; and exploring looping constructs through things like cycles, recursion, orbits, spirals, tides, and so on.

• Which poem in the book was the most challenging to write—and why?

It’s either the title piece itself, or sometimes for completely different reasons. Entropy Loop, the poem, is the longest, densest, and most abstract piece in the book. There is a lot going on in that one, and the challenge was to keep it from collapsing under its own weight or spiraling out of control. It was such a fun challenge though, and I enjoyed the experiment of it. Sometimes, conversely, is the most raw and vulnerable piece. The challenge there was dealing with a lot of contradictory feelings I didn’t want to have, and trying to pull that off in a cohesive, understandable, and relatable way.

• What do you hope readers take away from Entropy Loop & Other Poems?

Many of these pieces were cathartic for me and helped me process difficult times in my life over the years. My hope is that it in some way helps readers to do the same—to know they are not alone in what they may be feeling and that it’s okay to sit in grief, spend some time there, process and reflect. These are all universal things that we go through as humans, and I just hope it resonates on that level.

• Are there new projects or themes you’re excited to explore in your next work?

I’m most excited about taking some time to experiment for a while. I’ve been working in cycles for a bit and want to intentionally break out of that. I find lately I’m writing more about mental health, climate and social justice, and kind of these digital corners we’ve painted ourselves into. I’ve got a couple of projects brewing in the back of my mind, but I’m more about what comes organically. So we’ll see where it leads!

• What advice would you give to emerging poets trying to find their own voice today?

First: read, read, read. The more you read as a writer, the more (and better) you write. And diversify your input—there is such a wide range of amazing poetry today, and even if you are, say, a “traditional” poet, there is value in seeking out the abstract and experimental. Second: take the time needed to focus and hone your craft; it is from that place that voice emerges. And lastly: write, write write! Do it as much as you can and don’t ever stop. The world today needs poets as much as ever.

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Thank you, Jeffrey Heath, for taking the time to answer these questions. Your insights are greatly appreciated. Wishing you all the best in your future endeavors!