Photograph by Betsy Dougherty

Keetje Kuipers, winner of the 2009 A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Award, discusses the origins of her poem “4^th of July,” which appeared in her book Beautiful in the Mouth, for Brian Brodeur’s blog How a Poem Happens. In the interview, Keetje not only shares with readers the inspiration behind the poem but also insights into her own writing process: “Because I often write in my head as I'm driving or hiking, sound and musicality are very present and motivating factors as I compose. Because I also consider almost all of my work as coming out of the elegiac tradition, I think of many of my poems, like this one, as songs of longing and loss and unquenchable desire.” Read more of what Keetje has to say about her poetry and writing here: