In The Field: Conversations With Our Contributors—Jey Ley

“Relume” is a beautiful poem that blends this idea of fireflies and relationships. Where did this idea stem from?

Inspiration for the poem came from Dictee by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha. I first learned about the author and book four years ago from the Overlooked No More series by The New York Times. The obituary, four decades belated, acknowledges the life, work, and influence of an artist-poet who celebrated her ancestral heroines and experimented, heroically in my opinion, with poetic form.

Not mentioned in the feature is how romantic Cha’s writing can be. Near the end of Dictee, in a section titled “Choral Dance,” appears the relume quote. After reading it, I immediately took a picture of it with my phone. I knew then it would be an epigraph to a future poem called “Relume.” I held onto the quote for a couple years before developing an idea bank for the poem. I decided to research fireflies, discovering that they flash in unison to increase their chances of finding a mate. From there: the idea of partners rekindling their relationship.

How did you get comfortable with repetition and know when to use it? What emotions do you want to evoke when using it?

My use of repetition is sort of a default setting, a reflection of my meditative and minimalistic aesthetic, as well as perhaps a philosophical aesthetic that understands the limitation of words to convey meaning—hence, instead of bothering to clarify, I simply repeat myself. Going forward I hope to get more comfortable using, and not using, repetition.

There’s an italicized O twice throughout the poem, lending itself to drawing out the first tone of the word “open.” How did you land on this structure?

A couple years ago I started reading through the archives of The Antioch Review at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. I noticed that the journal used a zero “0” for the vocative O and found it amusing. Beginning my poem with the word “Opening,” I decided to put my own spin on the interjection.

I’m training myself to notice and appreciate subtle stylistic choices that have a visual effect, such as the logotype for Water~Stone Review that makes use of the tilde. This practice stems from my approach to creative writing. I attempt to present my poetry as visual art, and roughly a third of my published work could fall into the genre of visual or concrete poetry. I would not describe “Relume” as a visual poem; however, it does have an intentional visual aesthetic.

What are you currently working on?

I’m excited about new work forthcoming in South Dakota Review, The Louisville Review, and The Hong Kong Review. I’m also trying to position myself to attract a publisher for my first poetry collection. The collection will be romantic.