Photo credit
Kali Smith

Biography

Justene Dion-Glowa is a queer métis poet, artist, and facilitator born in Winnipeg and currently residing in Secwepemcúl'ecw. They are a Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity alum. They have spent over a decade in the human services sector. They have been writing since they were a child. Their first full-length collection of poetry, Trailer Park Shakes was released by Brick Books in late 2022. 

Micro-interview

Did you read poetry when you were in high school? Is there a particular poem that you loved when you were a teenager?

I was in AP English in high school, so yes, I absolutely read poetry. For whatever reason The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot came to mean a great deal to me at that time. I found the imagery incredible appealing, and the sense of not belonging, of writhing in the discomfort of being perceived at the same time really resonated for me. Earlier in my life it has been Edgar Allen Poe, who I read ravenously and just very much admired. I have so little tying me to these folks and their own identities, but for whatever reason I was drawn to them, and I think their influence lasts to this day, even if somewhere deep in my subconscious. 

When did you first start writing poetry? And then when did you start thinking of yourself as a poet?

I first started writing poetry at around the age of 10 or 11. I wrote my first poem about my mother's addiction. For me, it was a normal thing to discuss openly. My teacher read the poem and insisted I share it with the class, backstory and all. I was happy to do so. After this, he insisted that regardless of what others were doing in Language Arts, I would be writing and studying poetry. And I did. I wrote a whole book of poetry that year and I was so proud of it. I can't even imagine the look on my 11 year old face if someone had told me I'd have my own book someday - but here we are!

What do you think a poet’s “job” is?

It's interesting. I think we often lean on poetry at either the best or worst of times. We want poetry to uplift us by pointing out the beauty of the world or to relay to us that we are not alone in our torment. I think poetry's "job" is to connect us - to build community through vulnerability. 

If you had to choose one poem to memorize from our anthology, which one would it be?

I think perhaps April 30, 2014 by Louise Bernice Halfe - Sky Dancer. 

This poem is entrenched in landscape in a way I really look up to!

Publications

Title
Trailer Park Shakes
Publisher
Brick Books
Editors
Andrea Thompson, River Halen Guri
Date
October 1 2022
Publication type
Book
Poem title(s)
The Royal Albert Arms
Title
PUNK
Publisher
Kissing Dynamite
Editors
Christine Taylor
Date
2021
Publication type
Anthology
Poem title(s)
Bistro
Title
100 Words of Solitude
Publisher
Rare Swan
Editors
Phillipa and Simon Holloway
Date
2021
Publication type
Anthology
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