Reflections on the creative process of award-winning poet and English teacher Sarah Levine

This September, Williston faculty member Sarah Levine was recognized with a Poetry Honors award from the Massachusetts Book Awards for her 2024 poetry collection, Each Knuckle With Sugar (Driftwood Press). To learn more about how a busy teacher finds time to write such award-winning works, we asked Levine a few questions about her creative process.

Do you write at a set time of day?

It depends. I like to find pockets of time throughout the day to read and brainstorm. Every day looks different. Optimally, in the summer, I like to have late afternoons into nights to just write, especially at odd hours when the world feels asleep. New poetry and fiction do not happen every day. Summer and school year days are filled with deliberate choices: reading, revision, editing, drafting, email, continued correspondence, submissions, research, inspiration (long walks, people watching, spending time with other artists, and listening to music which triggers certain memories).

How do you collect ideas or phrases for your poems?

I have dozens of notebooks at this point filled with quotes and notes from books and things people say, memories, moments of dialogue and description, phrases that make me pause. I love language, especially syntax, the musicality and muscle of a sentence.

Is there a poem you love that makes you think, “I wish I could have written that poem?”

So many poems I love; but none I wish I wrote. Not my story. Not my voice. Just words and craft to admire and celebrate and learn from. There were collections that lived in my bag and beside my bed for years while writing my first book: Kingdom Animalia by Aracelis Girmay, Crush by Richard Siken, Bright Brave Phenomena by Amanda Nadelberg, The Lifting Dress by Lauren Berry, and Book of Questions by Pablo Neruda. A lot of Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath too.

Does teaching influence your poetry or creative process?

I am a teacher who writes, not a writer who teaches. During the school year, teaching and my students are the priority. I love teaching. I love building a community in the classroom where we all question, think, read, and write together. We become better together. I feel so blessed to have the ability to create my own curriculum and be able to teach in a creative, collaborative way. I receive so much inspiration from my students, from their curiosity, kindness, and authenticity.

What do you recommend to a student (or alum!) looking to improve their poetry?

Be prepared. Always carry a notebook and a pen. Pay attention to the world. Pay attention to yourself, your own antics and tendencies. Daydream. Ride in the passenger seat and gaze out the window. Don’t be afraid: It’s beautiful to slow down. Breathe. Remember this is your one wild and precious life. Embrace all of it. And read. Read a lot.

If you could spend a month anywhere to just write, where would you go and why?

I would love to go back to Martha’s Vineyard in the fall or winter. I’ve done a handful of residencies there and always walk away surprised, rejuvenated, and inspired.

Is there another book on the list of nominees you’ve read and recommend?

I have read books on the poetry and fiction lists and I am honored to be included! January Gill O’Neil’s Glitter Road was a tremendous book. I am in awe of these poems’ depth, beauty, and tenderness. This collection changed me like great writing is supposed to do. Also, a personal shout-out to a Western Massachusetts icon: Kelly Link and her The Book of Love. Kelly is a personal hero of mine. I’ve been reading her stories for decades, and I am forever in love with the way she builds a world and makes me never want to leave.

What’s the most poetic thing about Williston?

The geese.