Acclaimed Poet Shares Work with Students

Acclaimed Poet Shares Work with Students

Jennifer Espinoza holds her latest collection, I Don't Want to Be Understood, from which she read selected poems during the ULV's Spring Poetry Reading in Ludwick Sacred Space. (ULV Photo/ Alexavier Soltero)

Jennifer Espinoza shares her journey, creative process, and advice for student writers during the University of La Verne's Spring Poetry Reading

Poet Jennifer Espinoza brought an evening of student voices to a powerful close at the University of La Verne's Spring Poetry Reading, held in Ludwick Sacred Space.

Born in 1987 and raised in Riverside, California, Espinoza is a trans woman whose work is known for its emotional intensity and exploration of identity, mental health, and belonging. Espinoza's work has appeared in Poetry, The Nation, and The Paris Review. She was invited not only for her literary impact, but for her journey, one shaped by resilience and self-discovery. Her latest collection, I Don't Want to Be Understood (2024), was named a finalist for the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, further cementing her place as a powerful voice in contemporary poetry. Reading selections from the book, she invited the audience into her world with a voice that felt both deeply personal and widely resonant.Students also stepped forward to share their own original work, offering glimpses into their personal experiences through poetry.

In a conversation following the event, Espinoza reflected on her writing journey, the role of personal experience in her work, and what she hopes readers take away from her poetry.

Q. A lot of your poems engage with gender and trans identity. How has your relationship to writing about these themes changed over time?

Espinoza:
"I think that it has to do with the ways that I was writing about gender and being trans. I was starting to take the steps towards transitioning and a lot of my poems were sort of diving into that very deeply personal experience.

As time went on and it became more of a normal thing for me. I thankfully found my poetic voice wandering towards different places like nature or writing about the city or day-to-day struggles. Ultimately, it's the same as the older poems, in the sense that I'm taking individual experiences and trying to find beauty and truth within them.

But I think now that I've kind of found myself in terms of the whole transition and gender thing, and that's become a normal part of my life. I'm able to step out and find more beauty in other places."

Q. What do you hope readers take away from your work?

Espinoza:
"I don't think about it in terms of delivering a specific message. I just want people to have an experience, to feel something, and to be moved in some way.

Every reader brings their own life experiences into a poem, so what they take away will always be different. My role as a writer is to create something that moves me first. If I don't feel anything when I write it, I let it go. I'm the first test, if it resonates with me, then there's a chance it might resonate with someone else."

Q. What role does personal experience play in your writing?

Espinoza:
"I think personal experience acts more like a mediator than the source. When I'm writing, it often feels like I'm channeling an impulse, something outside of me, and translating it into words.

That impulse can get filtered through my personal experiences, which shapes the poem, but even when something is autobiographical, it's usually about something larger. Thespecific moment or memory becomes a way to access something bigger. It's almost like the experience is just the entry point to finding the beauty."

Q. What advice would you give to students who want to start writing?

Espinoza:
"Read a lot and write a lot. And don't be afraid to write bad poems.

For every poem I've published or felt proud of, there are hundreds that will never see the light of day. That's part of the process. The more you write, even the bad ones, the closer you get to something meaningful."