We recently connected with Alise Versella and have shared our conversation below.
Alise, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
My parents have not always been the easiest people to live with or to have grown up with. The relationships have often been volatile and hurtful. Four individuals under one house with different ways of being and differing opinions. That said, the older I’ve gotten the more I’ve come to understand my parent’s pasts. What made them who they are and how they are. That’s not to excuse their behaviours at times but as a way of finding empathy. Despite their past, they gave my sister and I everything they possibly could. And mentally I think they gave me this sense of strength and courage. An ability to stick up for myself and go after what I want. To be a woman who doesn’t take anyone’s shit and grabs, clawing, at her dreams. I talk about these themes a lot in my soon to be released full length Inaccurate Histories.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Alise Versella and I’ve been writing poetry since I was 12 years old. I first found it because it was the only way I knew to express what I was feeling. I was shy and wasn’t one for speaking up. So I would write letters. I would write them after arguments so I could get my point across sufficiently. I watched a ring of endless light one year and related so much with the character and her poetry writing so I started writing my own. My sophomore year of high school I took a creative writing class with Mrs. Jessop and she lit a fire in me that’s since become a conflagration. She provided me a starting point and ever since my life has presented stepping stones toward bigger things poetically. I was introduced to rebelle society by my best friend Amanda’s mom and that led Catherine Schweig of Woman’s Spiritual Poetry to my email and she asked me to submit some work to her blog. Which then led to 3 anthologies that are now part of the lunar codex and my first pushcart nomination. That led me to my publisher Golden Dragonfly Press and my first poetry collection When Wolves Become Birds. Which I was thrilled to have Francesca Lia Block edit and provide a blurb for. I started doing open mics and feature events on the NJ scene thanks to Chris Rockwell Mychal Mills and Damian Rucci. Jersey has a great scene happening we call ourselves the NJ Poetry Renaissance you should check it out! And I met my current boyfriend and fellow author and poet T.J McGowan through poetry we did the NYC poetry festival this passed fall at Governors Island. I’ve since seen my work in multiple journals and litmags online and in print receiving a best of the net in 2021. I have 3 more books due out this year and I’m excited to bring them to the world. My poetry is definitely big feminist energy. I write firstly for myself to overcome my doubt my grief the state of the world. To find strength and courage and in so doing I hope my readers find the same. Healing and hope despite the world we live in. And to learn to trust in our own capabilities.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
When I receive messages or letters or people come up to me after shows to tell me what poems have affected them or meant something to them. Or reminded them to keep going and be there most true badass selves. Or that they want a line tattooed on them! I save those messages and it makes my heart swell to think that just like the authors I love who helped me get through hard times that I’m somehow doing that for someone else with my poems. It makes the endless list of rejections or moments of self doubt hurt less.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I self published my first three poetry collections and my high school dream was to publish with a real press and to get accepted into journals And I slowly started meeting the creative community in my area and getting my footing and working on my craft and learning and taking classes and going to conferences when I could and now I’ve got so many publications under my belt and a press with me I adore and 4 new books with indie presses that I only dreamt of. High school me didnt even imagine the things that have since happened for me. So you just keep going you just keep learning and following the opportunities presented to you and you ride the wave and see where it takes you. You ask questions and you try to pay it back where you can.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.aliseversella.com
- Instagram: Alise0x
Image Credits
Becky Terranova TJ McGowan Justine Dean Vinny Noto