Local poet publishes third book

Wrote entire 50-plus page book in Strathmore

At the age of 27, Jason Grist had what he calls an intense spiritual experience, which led him to discover his love for poetry.

“When that happened I had some newfound energy and that is when I started writing poetry,” said Grist, who is now 46. “It just came to me and so I just went with it.”

Grist has been writing poetry ever since that experience and has published three books. The first “Chasing Fall Colored Leaves,” was published in 2003, followed by “The Genesis of Fall,” which he published in 2007, and his newest book “In a Universe of Flowers,” was published last year.

Grist has also had his work published in a number of literary magazines such as Southern Oregon University’s OE Magaine, U.C. Berkeley’s Ruah, Small Brushes, Orpheus Magazine, The Poet’s Pen, Soul Fountain and The Aurorean, a poetic quarterly.

Grist, who majored in English at California State University, Bakersfield, said when he first started writing poetry “it just came naturally.”

“I almost feel like it [poetry] chose me,” said Grist when asked why he chose to write poetry out of all the other writing styles.

When writing poetry, Grist said he works best in the outdoors.

“I use a lot of nature’s imagery such as a tree changing colors in the fall or a sunrise or a sunset,” Grist said. “That is what inspires me, more of a rural setting.”

Having spent over 30 years of his life living three miles east of Strathmore, Grist said the small country town is where he drew most of the inspiration to write “In a Universe of Flowers.” In fact, he spent a year and a half writing the entire 57-page book there and also dedicated a poem to the place he considers home.

“Strathmore,” Grist said, is actually his favorite poem in the book.

“I believe it is uplifting and, in a sense, it is kind of an invitation given to the reader to come with me and follow me throughout the poem,” Grist said.

The last poem, Grist said, is also one of his favorites, which shares the same name as the title of the book “In a Universe of Flowers.”

Grist said there is a lot of humility reflected in the poem.

The lines, “And while some water/rushed out unknown to me,” Grist said, speaks to “whatever wisdom and knowledge that might be in the universe.”

In the last five lines in the poem, Grist said he tries to explain some of the wisdom that he believes is in the universe.

“When I say ‘Some circulated slowly/emptying out easy/into summer sun,’ I’m saying I didn’t understand everything, but I understood some things,” Grist said.

Nevertheless, when his readers read his poems, Grist said he not only wants them to understand the meaning behind them, but to also be touched spiritually by them.

“I want them to feel like the book was uplifting, that it was spiritually satisfying,” he said.

In addition to the scenery and landscapes of the great outdoors, Grist, who lives in Exeter, said he also draws inspiration from a number of other poets, including British poets Robert Burns, William Wordsworth, Gerard Manley Hopkins, W.B. Yeats and Dylan Thomas. As far as American poets and writers, Grist said Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Gary Snyder, Gary Soto, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau among others are some of his favorites.

Grist, who currently works as a substitute teacher for Porterville Unified School District, said he plans to publish at least two more poetry books throughout his career, but noted that he will never stop writing.

“I am in no hurry, but I am writing another book as we speak,” Grist said, adding that he has a couple of manuscripts finished for his next book, which he plans to release in another three to four years.

Grist said the best advice he can give to aspiring writers, especially poets, is to work on “finding your original voice.”

“Find what inspires you to write,” Grist said. “If the poem inspired and moved you I believe it will inspire and move your reader.”

“In a Universe of Flowers” is available for purchase at Book Garden in Exeter, 189 E. Pine St. The number is 592-2538.