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Lullaby for the Grieving: How Poetry Came to Meet My Grief

Lullaby for the Grieving: How Poetry Came to Meet My Grief

When I lost my father in 2021, I did not know how to see myself or my life anymore. I was a stranger to myself. As a poet, writing and reading had helped me find my way through other trials of life, and this time, although it was harder, reading poetry and allowing myself to write about my grief and the myriad emotions that I experienced in it started to form something of a mirror so I could see myself again. In this session, I’ll read some work from my newest collection, Lullaby for the Grieving and the work of other poets who have been a needed mirror. I will also share some elements of craft and form which were useful to me in articulating my experience. We will spend time writing and/or generating ideas based upon a few simple prompts.

—Ashley M. Jones

 

Ashley M. Jones is Poet Laureate Emerita of Alabama (2022-2026). She is the first person of color and the youngest person in Alabama’s history to hold this position, which was created in 1930. Jones is the author of four poetry collections, most recently Lullaby for the Grieving. She is the author of the essay collection WHAT THE MIRROR SAID: THE NECESSITY OF BLACK WOMEN IN POETRY, and she is the co-editor of WHAT THINGS COST: An Anthology for the People. Jones has earned fellowships and awards from many organizations, including the SouthArts, Academy of American Poets, the Rona Jaffe Foundation, and the Alabama State Council on the Arts. She was named the Southern Prize Finalist by SouthArts in September 2025. Her poems are published in many journals and publications, including POETRY, Academy of American Poets, The Atlantic, The Nation, and The Oxford American, and her work has been featured by outlets including PBS, CNN, The BBC, Good Morning America, ABC News, and the New York Times. Jones is the Associate Director of the University Honors Program at UAB, the executive director of the Magic City Poetry Festival, and she is a PhD student in English at Old Dominion University.

Learn more at ashleymjonespoetry.com

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Lullaby for the Grieving: How Poetry Came to Meet My Grief