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“In my writing, I’m trying to resurrect the way I grew up hearing language,” says the poet Linda Susan Jackson. “How do you explain ‘Don’t trade a monkey for a black dog’? How do you find a literal translation? I remember saying that to my son once, and he said, ‘Mom, just answer this: Am I the monkey, or the black dog?’”
Jackson is interviewed at length in the Summer 2025 issue of Brilliant Corners, where she discusses the formidable women in her family, her relatively late introduction to poetry, as well as the music that has shaped her life and writing.
As usual, the conversation was conducted by the journal’s founding editor, Sascha Feinstein, Ph.D., Professor of English at Lycoming College. “Years ago, Linda Susan submitted four poems to Brilliant Corners,” Feinstein said. “She hadn’t published any poetry at that point, but I was completely taken by the raw, compelling musicality of her verse and accepted all four.”
Her first poetry collection, What Yellow Sounds Like (a finalist for the National Poetry Series), is largely influenced by the singer Etta James. A second collection, Truth Be Told, focuses on the character Pecola Breedlove from Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. Jackson has received many honors, including fellowships from the Cave Canem Foundation, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and, most recently, the Delaware Division for the Arts. A retired professor of English at Medgar Evers College/SUNY, she lives in Delaware with her husband.
“Years ago, Linda Susan submitted four poems to Brilliant Corners...She hadn’t published any poetry at that point, but I was completely taken by the raw, compelling musicality of her verse and accepted all four.”
The issue also features poetry by Billy Collins, Diana Lueptow, Betsy Sholl, and Michael Waters. Jamey Gallagher and S. Alexander Scott contribute short stories, and Aaron Gilbreath offers a meditation on guitarist Grant Green: “Stretching Out: A Close Listen to One of Jazz’s Greatest Guitar Solos.” The vibrant cover art is a quilt by Carole Harris.
Brilliant Corners is a biannual journal that highlights an exceptional collection of literature and art pertaining to jazz. Founded in 1996, the journal bears strong ties to Lycoming College, with contributors such as Feinstein, who serves as the managing editor, and Gary R. Hafer, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of English at Lycoming College, who serves as the production design editor. The publication is funded in part by the College, the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, and private endowments.
A subscription costs $12 per year ($18 for international orders), and checks or money can be sent to Brilliant Corners, Lycoming College, 1 College Place, Williamsport, PA 17701. More information can be found at www.lycoming.edu/BrilliantCorners or on Brilliant Corners’ Facebook page.