Grief is Not a Luxury Poetry is necessary and helps us process trauma and loss.
by Abigail Rollins
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n a year of prolonged isolation and trauma, poet Jessi Jarrin saw that she and her peers were struggling. While there’s been ample time for self-reflection, there’s also been a lull in motivation and space to express ourselves meaningfully. Jarrin is creating that space for herself with the launch of her poetry workshop, “Grieving is Good for You.” In this interview, she shares about the project, tragic women of the art world, liberating art, and the many facets of grief and poetry.
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What was your reasoning for titling your workshop “Grieving is Good for You?” I wanted people to know right off the bat that I write as a means to grieve. I never encountered a space within an institution where I could grieve properly. Thinking on this, I realized that everyone grieves from the beginning of our time on Earth. There’s always some sense of loss throughout our lives. But I’ve learned that while there’s a promise of grief in life, there’s not a promise of healing.
And I don’t like that. There is such disconnect between how we acknowledge grief and how we digest it. As writers and southern Californians, we’ve destigmatized mental health, but there’s a lot more to be done institutionally, systemically, and socially to facilitate healing. That’s how I see this workshop. It was never just a space to practice poetry and get feedback. I recognized that this community is grieving, and I wanted to create a space where all feel welcome, open, and comfortable to express what they feel, even if it’s sad.
“... while there’s a promise of grief in life, there’s not a promise of healing.” Some artists might say that theme is restrictive. How would you respond to that? I have to be careful when I am advocating for expressing grief. I want to encourage vulnerability, but I don’t demand we express ourselves in the same way. Grief does not look the same for everyone, and it looks like a lot of things for even one person. My advocacy stems from poets like Audre Lorde, who said, “Poetry is not a luxury.” PHOTO COURTESY OF JESSI JARRIN
