• Home
  • Poetry Prompts
  • The Writing Life
  • Daily Poem-Subscribe!
  • Teaching Tools
  • The Press
  • Just for Patrons

Poetic Voices: Jessica Goodfellow and Michalle Gould

By Glynn Young 4 Comments

TSP poetic voices 1

For the next few weeks, we’re taking a look at recent (and some republished) works by poets perhaps not as well known as some but with unique and interesting voices and deserving of a wider audience. Today we’re considering Jessica Goodfellow and Michalle Gould.

Jessica Goodfellow

Jessica Goodfellow

Goodfellow’s The Insomniac’s Weather Report was first published in 2011 but reissued in 2014 by Isobar Press (in Japan). It’s her middle volume of poetry; A Pilgrim’s Guide to Chaos in the Heartland was published in 2006 and Mendeleev’s Mandela in 2015.

Her poems in Weather Report center on the natural elements like water, in all of its various forms and uses; and a series of 30 poems built around the idea of a fugue and its various definitions. In between are nine “flotsam and jetsam” poems; however, even calling the section that relates the poems to the water theme.

Here is one of the water or weather-themed poems:

InsomniacsWeatherReportRain

The insomniac flings pebbles at the clouds.
He says they won’t stop following him.
(If you keep secrets, you will drown.)

He howls obscenities into the wind.
He claims it goes right on talking about him.
(If you fail to keep secrets, you will burn.)

No one can convince him otherwise.
No one is awake.
(The patron saint of running water

Finally the rain runs itself dry
over the closed eyes of the insomniac
is also the patron saint of silence.)

The poems of The Insomniac’s Weather Report are filled with vivid and rich language; Goodfellow makes full use of the sounds of words to blend into the theme; one, entitled “Chance of Precipitation, ” has words and structure that sound like a steady rain on a metal roof. It’s a fascinating collection.

michallegouldMichalle Gould is a writer and poet who worked on the poems in Resurrection Party (2014) for some 15 years before publication. She currently works as a librarian in Los Angeles and is working on a novel set in England in the 1930s.

As its title (and cover) might apply, the poems of Resurrection Party are about death, and specifically, the artistic imagination engaging the meaning of death. The poems have allusions to Shakespeare, Hardy, the Bible, Greek mythology, Dutch painting, John Donne, the science writer Lewis Thomas, Matisse and Michelangelo.

ResurrectionPartyRiddle on Metamorphosis

To be human is to be like a cloud chalked into the sky
that some eraser could sweep off the blue board at any
moment
To be immortal is to be solid as a pear in an old Dutch still life
that would choke you if you tried to swallow it, no matter
how small your bite.
But what does it mean to be a cloud shaped like that pear?

There are two kinds of sacredness often ascribed to a saint’s
body,
either its lack of decay or its absence altogether from the grave
As you never see the skeleton, the clouds has no bones to rustle
but simply shifts: becoming a turtle or a tablet of bread, whose
pieces fall
Not to feed but to instruct, naked an particular in shape as we
must learn to be

Indeed, what does it mean to be shaped like a pear, and then change into a turtle or loaf of bread? Our short time on the planet is like that metamorphosis of the clouds.

Resurrection Party’s poems have an almost mediaeval sense to them – literary, more formal, reading like an after-dinner entertainment read at local baron’s court. They are also beautiful to read aloud.

Photo by Mike King, Creative Commons, via Flickr. Post by Glynn Young, author of the novels Dancing Priest and A Light Shining, and Poetry at Work.

Browse more poets and poems

Every Day Poems Driftwood

Want to brighten your morning coffee?

Subscribe to Every Day Poems and find some beauty in your inbox.

You Might Also Like

  • Poetic Voices: Sheila Squillante and Jessica GoodfellowPoetic Voices: Sheila Squillante and Jessica Goodfellow
  • Poetic Voices: Elizabeth Onusko and Athena KildegaardPoetic Voices: Elizabeth Onusko and Athena Kildegaard
  • Poetic Voices: Joan Murray and Ellen KombiyilPoetic Voices: Joan Murray and Ellen Kombiyil
  • Poetic Voices: Sandee Gertz Umbach and Lori LamothePoetic Voices: Sandee Gertz Umbach and Lori Lamothe
  • About
  • Latest Posts
Glynn Young
Follow Glynn

Glynn Young

Editor and Twitter-Party-Cool-Poem-Weaver at Tweetspeak Poetry
Glynn Young lives in St. Louis where he recently retired as the team leader for Online Strategy & Communications for a Fortune 500 company. Glynn writes poetry, short stories and fiction, and he loves to bike. He is the author of Poetry at Work and the Dancing Priest Series. Find Glynn at Faith, Fiction, Friends.
Glynn Young
Follow Glynn

Latest posts by Glynn Young (see all)

  • “Chaucer: A European Life” by Marion Turner - December 3, 2019
  • Poets and Poems: Edward Holmes and “Bravery & Brevity” - November 26, 2019
  • W.H. Auden’s “September 1, 1939″ – The Biography of a Poem by Ian Sansom - November 19, 2019

Filed Under: book reviews, Poems, Poetic Voices, poetry, poetry reviews, Poets

P.S., with love

We hope you found something inspiring here today.

Why not keep it going—for you, and the world?

Plus, you'll get access to our totally cool book clubs!

Comments

  1. Maureen Doallas says

    April 21, 2015 at 10:19 am

    A great idea to focus the column on perhaps lesser-known poets! Lovely work by both of those you highlight today.

    Reply
  2. Bethany R. says

    April 23, 2015 at 2:16 am

    Thank you for highlighting these artists. I’m struck by how Goodfellow uses parentheses here.

    Reply
  3. Richard Maxson says

    April 24, 2015 at 6:12 am

    Glynn, thank you for highlighting these poets. Both make such imaginative and provocative images of their subjects. What perfect selection you chose to preview the books. I want them both!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Poetic Voices: Sheila Squillante and Jessica Goodfellow says:
    June 2, 2015 at 5:01 am

    […] April, we noted The Insomniac’s Weather Report by Jessica Goodfellow, published last year. She has a new […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Take How to Read a Poem

Get the Introduction, the Billy Collins poem, and Chapter 1

Free with tweet

Many of Our Dedicated Readers Become Patrons—How About You?

Welcome all the patron-only goodness, when you become a part of a place that brings joy to your world.

Follow Tweetspeak Poetry

Welcome to Tweetspeak

New to Tweetspeak Poetry? Start here, in The Mischief Café. You're a regular? Check out our December Menu.

Recent Comments

  • Tania Runyan on Poet Laura: Lauras Poetica
  • Tania Runyan on Poet Laura: Lauras Poetica
  • Will Willingham on Poet Laura: Lauras Poetica
  • Will Willingham on Reader, Come Home … to a Ritual to Read to Each Other

A Novel for Our Time

Thoughtful and hilarious, both.

A novel for our time.

If You Want to Partner With Us in a Simple Way

Featured In

We're happy to have been featured in...

The New York Observer

The Huffington Post

The Paris Review

Tumblr Book News

Categories

The Inaugural Poet Laura!

Poetry for Life? Here's our manifesto on the matter...

Poetry for Life: The 5 Vital Approaches

Help make it happen. Post The 5 Vital Approaches on your site!

Learn to Write Form Poems

Whether or not you end up enjoying the form poem, we've seen the value of building your skills through writing in form.

One reader who explored the villanelle was even featured in Every Day Poems!

How to Write an Acrostic

How to Write a Ballad

How to Write a Catalog Poem

How to Write a Ghazal

How to Write a Haiku

How to Write an Ode

How to Write a Pantoum

How to Write a Rondeau

How to Write a Sestina

How to Write a Sonnet

How to Write a Villanelle

Featured Literary Analysis

Poem Analysis: Anne Sexton's Her Kind

Poem Analysis: Adrienne Rich's Diving into the Wreck

Poem Analysis: Matthew Arnold's Dover Beach

Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

Order and Disorder in Macbeth

Tone in For Whom the Bell Tolls and Catch-22

Tragedy and Comedy: Why People Love Them

Was Hamlet Sane or Insane?

Shakespeare Resources

Poetry Classroom: Sonnet 18

Common Core Picture Poems: Sonnet 73

Sonnet 104 Annotated

Sonnet 116 Annotated

Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

Character Analysis: Was Hamlet Sane or Insane?

Why Does Hamlet Wait to Kill the King?

10 Fun Shakespeare Resources

About Shakespeare: Poet and Playwright

Top 10 Shakespeare Sonnets

Book Promotion, Platform, Publicity

Author Platform: Where to Start

Ten Surprising Secrets to Make Your Book Go Viral

How to Host a Successful Book Launch

Simple Tips on Finding and Working with a Book Publicist

How to Get Your Poems Published!

Pride and Prejudice Resources

5 Amusing Pride and Prejudice Quotes

Infographic: Simpleton's Guide to Pride and Prejudice

10 Great Pride and Prejudice Resources

Happy Birthday Mr. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Playlist

Featured Top 10 Poems

Top 10 Chicken Poems

Top 10 Chocolate Poems (Okay, Minus 3)

Top 10 Fairy Tale Poems

Top 10 Funny Poems

Top 10 Laundry Poems

10 of the Best Love Poems

Top 10 Poems with Make or Break Titles

Top 10 Mirror Poems

Top 10 Question Poems

Top 10 Red Poems

Top 10 Rose Poems

Top 10 Summer Poems

10 Great Poems About Work

Children’s Poems, Children’s Books

Llamas in Pajamas and Ten Great Children's Poetry Books

A Children's Poem on the Playground

Come Again: Teaching Poetry to Children

Poetry With Children: What's in Your Journal

Teaching Poetry to Children: There Are So Many Blues

Take Your Poet to Work Day: Poet Treasure Hunt in the Library (Callie's Story)

6 Benefits of Reading Aloud to Your Children

Top 10 Children's Books and YA Books

Little Red Riding Hood: Graphic Novel

14 Reasons Peter Rabbit Should Be Banned (Satire)

Featured Infographics

Infographic: How to Write an Acrostic Poem

Infographic: How to Write a Ballad

Infographic: How to Write an Epic Poem

Infographic: Ghazal for a Gazelle

Infographic: Boost Your Haiku High Q

Infographic: Pantoum of the Opera

Infographic: How to Write an Ode

Infographic: Poem a Day

Infographic: How to Write a Rondeau

Infographic: Simpleton's Guide to Pride and Prejudice

Sonnet Infographic: Quatrain Wreck

Featured Playlists

Playlist: Cat's Meow

Playlist: Doors and Passageways

Playlist: Fairy Tale and Fantasy

Playlist: Purple Rain and Indigo Blues

Playlist: Surrealism

Playlist: Best Tattoo Songs

Playlist: Trains and Tracks

All the Playlists

They Bring Poetry for Life

Meet our wonderful partners, who bring "poetry for life" to students, teachers, librarians, businesses, employees—to all sorts of people, across the world.

About Us

  • Our Story
  • Meet Our Team
  • Poetry for Life: The 5 Vital Approaches
  • Contact Us

Writing With Us

  • Poetry Prompts
  • Submissions
  • Writing Workshops

Reading With Us

  • Book Club
  • Dip Into Poetry
  • Every Day Poems
  • Literacy Extras
  • Moms on Poetry
  • Poets and Poems
  • Quote a Day
  • VerseWrights Journal

Public Days for Poetry

  • Poem on Your Pillow Day
  • Poetic Earth Month
  • Poet in a Cupcake Day
  • Poetry at Work Day
  • Random Acts of Poetry Day
  • Take Your Poet to School Week—National Poetry Month!
  • Take Your Poet to Work Day

Gift Ideas

  • Give the Gift of Every Day Poems
  • Our Shop
  • Everybody Loves a Book!

Connect

  • If You’d Like to Easily Partner With Us—Donate
  • Blog Buttons
  • Put a Poem in Your Heart, Or a Story in Your Soul
  • Shop for Tweetspeak Fun Stuff

Copyright © 2019 Tweetspeak Poetry · Site by The Willingham Enterprise · FAQ & Disclosure

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkRead more