BETHANY JARMUL
Bethany Jarmul is an Appalachian writer and poet. She’s the author of two chapbooks, and her debut poetry collection Lightning Is a Mother is forthcoming with ELJ Editions in 2025. Her work has been published in many magazines including Rattle, Brevity, Salamander, and One Art. Her writing was selected for Best Spiritual Literature 2023 and Best Small Fictions 2024 and nominated for the Pushcart Prize and The Best of the Net. Bethany can be found on twitter or instagram: @bethanyjarmul
I welcome water & wind, / walk toward the soul of Storm until I reach a field of asters. / I lie down, spread my arms, embrace Storm / like a lover I once lost to a gust.
For me, nature is a source of both wonder & fear. This two-headed feeling extends into other areas/topics for me as well: motherhood, friendships, religion & spirituality, life/death. Many of my poems explore and wrestle with this duality. I don’t have an “approach,” so much as an obsession.
October 7, 2024