What:
I am a poet. I also write non-fiction, travel writing, and am an avid journal keeper. Most of my published work is poetry. I write much about the natural world, the National Parks, my devotion to the energy of the Earth, and the healing power of wilderness.
My first book To the 4 a.m. Light is a full-length poetry collection to be published March 26, 2021 by Finishing Line Press. It is available for pre-order now through January 29, 2021.
To the 4 a.m. Light addresses the celebrations and challenges of daily life; joy and grief, pleasure and pain, light and dark, connection and solitude. Poems also explore themes of the self, independence, reclaiming empowerment, and connecting to nature.
I have been working this particular collection (with vastly varying levels of focus) off and on since I was in graduate school at the University of Southern Maine in the Stonecoast MFA Program. This is where I met Linda, along with many other fabulous writers, who are still part of my creative support system.
Currently, I am working to refocus on a writing project I started last year about the time I spent working as a wilderness instructor at wilderness therapy treatment program for at-risk and trauma-affected youth. It took 5 years before I felt able to address this experience in a way that would allow me to write about it. It is developing into something that is part poetry, part nature writing, part memoir, part guidebook, part release. I am also working on a children’s book based on one of my poems called “The Bird Banquet”. To my delight, my mom, a very talented self-taught artist, agreed to illustrate it.
Why:
I write to understand myself and the world around me. Like most creatives, I have been this way my entire life. Writing and making art has always been the best way for me to reflect on and learn from my life and myself. A postcard I picked up at the AWP book fair years ago states it well: “I don’t know what I think until I write what I say.” This one reason why I journal. Writing is how I process. It’s not instant clarity to be sure, but when I allow myself to just write without controlling what comes out, I very often figure out what the issue at hand truly is. For me, journaling is like talking to a good friend. Sometimes, you hear yourself say something raw and honest out loud that you would never say to someone other than a close friend. Sometimes, it’s not until the words leave our lips that we realize their truth. The page offers me this safe space to reflect, respond, and regroup.
I love working with sound in my writing. The sounds of words and within words. I love that sound can create rhythm and it can break it. It can develop a mood, a landscape, a space for the reader to settle into.
I spend much time reflecting, pondering, considering, wondering, and imagining. I can easily become lost in my contemplation, following a concept or idea deep into the rabbit hole of myself. This is often where I find poems.
How:
When I don’t write, I go crazy.
No, really.
Well, at least I feel crazy.
I try to break up my writing days by spending time outdoors, taking walks, and doing yoga. I am so very grateful to live in the north woods of Wisconsin, in a little house on a ridge, with my husband. We have rolling, wooded land to roam, a small pond, marshes, and a developing network to trails. I also love to write outside when I can. I will pack up my foldable camping chair, lap desk, and journal and walk out into the woods until I find a nice spot to settle and take it all in.
We recently acquired a new room in our house, along with a new-to-me leather top desk. This new addition was the first major “pandemic project” my husband and I tackled when we were working from home in 2020. This new space has become my refuge, my writing den, my space to ponder. In between lines, I can stare out the window at the trees and birds and weather and it is glorious. It is also a short walk from the den to my crafting station in our basement, which is busting with art supplies and beautiful bits that will inspire. (Yes, I am a Collector of Things.)
I have always felt compelled to create. When I am stuck on the page, I often turn to another creative outlet. Anything from wreath making to stamping, to collage, to painting, to crafting, I seek something creative that will allow my mind freedom and space to explore.
Bio:
Adrienne S. Wallner (Jaeger) is a poet, photographer, and grant writer. She holds an M.F.A. in Poetry from the University of Southern Maine-Stonecoast and B.A. in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing from St. Norbert College. Her poetry can be found in The Aurorean, Stoneboat Literary Journal, Minerva Rising, Uncommon Core: Contemporary Poems for Learning and elsewhere. She lives and writes in Hazelhurst, Wisconsin, with her husband and road trip companion, Derrick.
Links
To read some of my travel writing, get a glimpse into my writing life, and check out upcoming events, please visit my website: www.inkinthebranches.com
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Reserve your copy of To the 4 a.m. Light here: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/to-the-4-a-m-light-by-adrienne-s-wallner/
As a special thank you, anyone who preorders a copy of To the 4 a.m. Light by Jan 29 will receive a one-of-a-kind bookmark for each book purchased. Each bookmark will feature a line of poetry from To the 4 a.m. Light handwritten by me. No two are alike. Bookmarks will be mailed via post in February.
Thank you for visiting Linda’s blog.
Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a writer, poet, and artist.
Learn more about her award winning novel, In the Context of Love.
Learn more about her picture book, Gordy and the Ghost Crab.
Learn more about her poetry chapbook, Security