Each week we will be connecting with our contributors showing where they have been, where they are now, and what’s up for the future.
Name: Lesley Wheeler
Title of Piece published in Sweet: “Feeling Good”
Issue: 10.1
Find her:
One might usually find Lesley “in some corner of Lexington, Virginia, trying to get some reading or writing done”. Check out more on her website https://lesleywheeler.org/.
What are some major accomplishments you have had since your Sweet publication?
In January I had a poem featured on Poetry Daily, and in February an essay—that felt like a rare conjunction! I also gave a craft talk and a reading as Visiting Faculty at the very first residency of the brand-new Randolph MFA program. Director Gary Dop is doing terrific work there and I was honored to be a small part of it.
Can you tell us about a current/ongoing project that you’re excited about?
I hope “Feeling Good” will be part of a poetry collection with the working title Turning Fifty in the Confederacy, which is probably self-explanatory. In addition to figuring out the transitions of middle age, I’ve been thinking hard about where I live. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson haunt my campus and my small town.
Who is your favorite author?
Emily Dickinson!
What is your favorite sweet?
The sweet she craves most often, sadly, is Giapo’s chocolate-hazelnut sorbet in Auckland, New Zealand, but she is willing to consider substitutes.
Thank you, Lesley, for taking the time to reconnect with us. We look forward to seeing more of your work in the future!
