Betsy Sholl, the esteemed Poet Laureate of Maine, offers readers a glimpse into her remarkable journey to becoming one of the Maine’s most celebrated literary figures. In a recent interview, Sholl shared her deep affection for her adopted home state, her love for the art of poetry, and the unique experiences that have shaped her life and work.

Sholl’s arrival in Maine may be described as a journey, “How I got to Maine is a long story, but I can tell you what I love about it. I’ve lived my whole time here in Portland and I love that it’s a city on the edge of the sea, that it’s a small city and that over the many years I’ve been here it’s grown in diversity.,” said Sholl. Having lived in Maine since the late 1980s, Sholl has found profound inspiration in the landscapes, communities, and culture of this northeastern jewel. She expressed her admiration for Portland, the city she has called home for decades, with its unique position on the edge of the sea, small-town charm, and the steady growth of diversity over the years. “The art scene in general and the literary scene in particular is vibrant. There is salt in the air, the ocean nearby, delicious fogs,” Sholl said.

The sense of community in Portland and its surroundings is something that Sholl deeply cherishes. Sholl also highlighted the vibrancy of the city’s art scene, particularly the literary community that has flourished, providing a fertile ground for poets and writers alike. “I love the community here, the many people who volunteer and serve others, the many writers who support and encourage each other,” Sholl said.

Family, too, has played a significant role in Sholl’s connection to Maine. Her beloved children and their children have made the state their home, further strengthening her ties to this place.

Sholl recently made appearance at the Scarborough Library to share her poetry with the community. She read poems from her latest collection, “As If a Song Could Save You,” and some other pieces. She said she “always likes to bring one old poem out of the mothballs.”

Sholl’s journey into poetry began in childhood, influenced by her mother and grandmother. “Both my mother and grandmother read or recited poems to us. I was a stutterer, so writing became one way I could communicate fluently. Besides all that, I think I was drawn to the sounds of poetry, not necessarily end rhyme, but the rhythms and echoes of sound.” She recalled her childhood notebooks, filled with what she humbly referred to as “terrible kidlike poems.” As she progressed into high school, her literary interests expanded to include Russian novels, Middle Eastern poetry, and a wide array of poetic forms.

Creating a poem is a meticulous process for Sholl, often taking weeks, months, or even longer. The initial draft, she explained, is akin to a jumble of images, phrases, lines, and associations, an outpouring of whatever wants to surface. Sholl confessed that she often doesn’t know where a poem will lead her at this stage. She works on multiple drafts simultaneously, allowing her to move back and forth when she encounters creative challenges. “That way I linger, try things one way, then another, like one of those safe crackers in old movies, turning the dial this way and that, listening for clicks. Some poems come quickly, but often I have to put a draft away for a while, let it simmer on some back burner in my brain, until I can hear what’s going on inside it. After that, there’s the fine tuning—listening for how it sounds, what words are extra or too general, whether the tone is right, or the feeling. Making art is work—not physical labor, but you have to pay attention, stick with it, as long as it takes. You also have to let go and let the poem teach you,” Sholl explained.

When asked about her favorite poets, Sholl acknowledged the challenge of narrowing down her list, as different poets have played significant roles at various stages of her life. She said poets such as Yeats and William Carlos Williams influenced during her undergraduate years, followed by a period where she delved into the works of women poets to bolster her own confidence. Sholl’s reading tastes have also led her to explore poets in translation, particularly those from Asian and Eastern European backgrounds. She said her ultimate criterion for a captivating poem is the gripping power of language, its ability to surprise and transport readers in unique and unexpected ways. Sholl’s poetry finds inspiration in a myriad of sources. “Inspiration is a mercurial and mysterious thing. Sometimes what inspires me is having two incidents in mind that appear to have nothing in common, and yet I sense a connection and the poem’s job is to find it” Sholl said. She said sometimes, it’s the connection between two seemingly unrelated incidents, an evocative image, a single word, or a life experience that sparks her creativity. “Birds, music, spirituality, Thelonious Monk, Dante, family — there’s no telling what might trigger a poem,” Sholl said.

Regarding the direction of her current works, she said, “I wrote so many poems about grief after my husband died, I am trying to step away from those, or at least from poems that focus on my personal grief. I think the world is pretty troubling and haunting right now, so many of us are trying to find ways of talking about that.” Sholl has also found herself drawn to themes related to adolescence, perhaps reflecting her own experiences during a time of transition as a widow. Her commitment to social justice and her deep connection to music, particularly jazz, blues, and classical genres, frequently find their way into her poetry.

Sholl’s ability to craft poems that resonate deeply with readers has earned her numerous accolades, including the Four Lakes Prize, the Maine Book Award for Poetry, the Felix Pollak Prize, and the AWP Prize for Poetry. Her tenure as Poet Laureate of Maine from 2006 to 2011 and her continued contributions to the state’s literary landscape have solidified her status as a cherished figure.

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