Home > Interviews > “The power I came into”: An Interview with jaye simpson
Interview by David Ly
2021 Dayne Oglivie finalist jaye simpson’s debut
it was never going to be okay explores intergenerational trauma, queerness, and Indigeneity through intimate and raw poetry and prose. What follows is a conversation between jaye and David Ly about the experience of breaking down years of silence into their first book.
I know you have roots in spoken word poetry. How does it influence your writing for page poetry?
One could argue that my roots are in oral storytelling, but that would only be half the narrative. I came across spoken word via a Jillian Christmas Youtube video in 2014. I never thought words could flow like that until then. I began to write for the stage, with flow, tempo, and audience in mind. I studied in the theatre for nearly ten years so I infused my own theatrics into each performance, eventually finding my own voice. I wouldn’t be here without Jillian though; I got the honour of meeting her through the local slam scene and now it’s just love. I write for my own voice and ultimately for me, and spoken word/oral storytelling set me free.