A selfie of Jennifer Gurney by a lake surrounded by trees and mountains, next to the cover of her book 'Indelible Ink' featuring colorful abstract art.

I recently interviewed Jennifer Gurney, author of Indelible Ink: Postcard Poems and Paintings from the 2025 Postcard Poetry Fest. Let’s have a fun read!

The Fest and the Process

1. For readers who’ve never heard of it, what is the Postcard Poetry Fest, and how did you first get involved?

The Postcard Poetry Fest is an annual experience. Writers from around the world register for it and we each receive 31 names and addresses. During the month of August, we write a poem on the back of a postcard and mail it to a person on our list. In return, we receive poems and postcards from our group. As a writer and painter, both, I enjoy painting my postcards as well as writing the poems. It is a joy to connect with others from around the country, and in some cases, the world. Occasionally, we write a second or third postcard to someone we connect with. I stumbled upon this incredible opportunity on Facebook one summer and am hooked. I cannot imagine an August without it.

2. You painted all thirty postcards in one day and wrote all thirty poems the next. Why do it that way instead of one card a day?

Sometimes I set a challenge for myself to see what happens. This year I loved the flow of painting the cards on the same day and then writing the poems the next day. Last summer I completed a 24-hour poetry marathon that I loved. Sometimes less is more. And sometimes more is more. This was one of those times. Getting into the flow of painting and writing can sometimes take some doing. Once there, there is a beauty to the state of creativity. I love the shimmery feeling of hanging in the balance between real life and creativity.

3. What does a day of painting thirty postcards actually look like? Music, snacks, a mess on the table?

What a great question. I have a home studio where I typically paint. It is a spare room on the second floor. But for this excursion, I set up on my kitchen table where I could look outside to the patio, be near my Bose for great tunes and close to the kitchen for snacks and coffee. My cat was curious as to what the heck I was up to and hung close that day, keeping me company.

4. When you sat down to write, did the painting lead the poem, or did you sometimes ignore the image entirely?

I tend to look at the name of the person I´m writing to (and for) and their address. Sometimes their name gives me a spark and other times knowing where they live is the inspiration. When those fail, I look at the image on the postcard to see what floats to the surface. Other times, something comes to my mind entirely unrelated. And I go with it.

5. Every poem in this book is a true first draft. Was it hard to let them go out into the world unrevised?

That is a very astute question. As a Virgo, I tend to want things to be in order. Tidy. Accurate. But as a creative type, I am getting better at going with the flow. I am also half German and half Irish, several generations ago. I truly think they form the voices in my head. The German side says get to work. The Irish side says take a break. I laugh when I hear them dickering. So the creative and Irish side of my brain had to take over with the whole first-draft-letting-go business. Luckily it worked. I was tempted several times to fix things, but in the end first draft-ness prevailed.

6. Was there a card you wanted back the moment it hit the mailbox? Why?

Wow, I had never thought about that. Honestly, no. When I write and paint for others, it is truly theirs from the get-go. Reminds me of a powerful experience a few years ago. Our part of Colorado experienced a horrible fire called the Marshall Fire. Over 1,000 families lost their homes. The elementary school where I teach was hit hardest. Fifty-five families lost their homes. After searching for a way to help, I landed on a project I headed called Art Heals. I pulled paintings I had made together, collected art supplies to donate and hosted 10 events for people to come get free supplies, art and make art there. After I ran out of my own paintings, I painted daily, voraciously, for the Marshall Fire Families. In about six months I gave out 800 paintings to help cover the walls of temporary housing these families were then living in. Hearing their stories at the events, painting beside the children and giving away my art was one of the most poignant experiences of my life.

The Art

7. Your paintings are bold, layered abstracts. How do you decide when a piece that small is finished?

My sense of completion is changing and evolving over time. The past eight months, I have been working on a series of pieces called Pushing the Limits. I asked myself: what would happen if I keep going after when I normally would have stopped? The results have been transformative. I couldn´t love a painting of my own any more than this series. And I never would have produced these paintings if I hadn´t asked the question. I am finding a new normal of when to stop and when to proceed. It is a fascinating process. I´m nowhere near finished with answering this question.

8. Tell us about the cover painting. Why did that one get to be the face of the book?

The vibrancy and fluidity of the cover painting stood out to me. I especially love certain color combinations, and this piece had several of them. But to be completely honest, it is my favorite painting in this collection. So it gets the prized position of cover. Don´t we all put our favorite in the best spot available?

9. You’ve painted the covers for all your poetry books. How do painting and writing feed each other for you?

There is a different kind of energy required for me to paint. I paint nearly every day, some days longer than others. Painting is a way to express my feelings and thoughts in a wordless format. There is a deep, physical element of painting for me. I love to paint big, sometimes 3×4 feet on stretched canvas, sometimes larger on flat canvas. I use music to help create the flow and I try not to look at a clock or my phone when painting so I can stay in that suspended state of flow. When I am adding layers to a former painting, or sitting to work on small studies, it takes less energy. But still takes energy. When I am writing, it is a way to communicate what is on my head, heart and soul in word form. I often write haiku-ish poems, which are only three lines. I also write prose poems which can be pages in length. There is less physical energy required for me to write, but still mental and emotional energy that is needed. I write almost every day. Sometimes to a prompt and other times whatever is on my heart. One of my favorite places to write is in nature, on the shore of my favorite lake. I also write on the back of envelopes at a red light. Poems come at all times of day and night and in every place imaginable. When I have something to capture them, they stay. I love having time to paint and write. What I love more than that is having the time to paint and write while I also have the energy to do so. Since I teach elementary school full-time and am very involved with other pursuits, the time does not always coincide with the energy. When they do, it is bliss.

The Poems

10. Reviewers have called this a book of summer: watermelon, fireflies, thunderstorms. Did you set out to write about the season, or did it just show up?

I think I write mostly about the life that I am living while I am living it. So it makes sense that during the summer, the poems would come out watermelon, fireflies and thunderstorms.

11. One poem pleads, “Summer, slow down.” What were you hoping to hold on to?

As a teacher, the summer goes all too quickly. When the calendar turns to August, I tend to get nostalgic that summer is nearly over. Don´t get me wrong. I love teaching and I love my students. But summer is my absolute favorite summer of all. So that one was just noticing that I was not done summering yet. (I´m still not and it´s October!)

12. Is there a poem in the collection that surprised you when you reread it later?

I think it has surprised me the most to hear what others have to say about my poems. This is the first time I have had others review my book. It has been delightful to hear what they find enjoyable. I also shared a few poems with my fourth-grade class on the day my advance copy arrived. Hearing their giggles and questions added a nice depth to how I view the poems. (They loved the ¨boyfriend¨ one!)

The Community

13. What was it like to open your mailbox every day and find postcards from strangers?

It was so cool! Every summer when the first one arrives, it is a sharp intake-of-breath moment.

14. Do you remember a card you received that stuck with you? Tell us about it, please.

My first card that referenced my poem I had sent them felt like connection.

15. Postcard poetry is very much a gift economy. What does it give you that publishing in journals doesn’t?

The fact that someone else wrote a poem just for me, and I just for them, is unique. In a world that values AI, plastic surgery and one-up-manship, this festival is the epitome of authenticity and generosity. It lifts my soul.

The Bigger Picture

16. With nearly 3,500 poems published, how does a project built on speed and no revision fit into your practice?

It is a once-a-year experience that I look forward to. To send my poems into the world and find poems in my mailbox is a gift.

17. What would you say to a reader who wants to try the Fest but is scared of sharing first drafts?

There is nothing to be afraid of. You have a poem on your heart right now. Just write it down on the back of a postcard. And add a stamp and mail it. Then do it again each day for a month. And you will find your voice in setting your poems free.

18. Why turn this exchange into a book? What did you want readers to take away from it?

I love this collection of short poems and small paintings. And I love this Postcard Poetry Fest. Pulling them together into a book is a way of honoring this community of poets and bringing a taste of summer into the world in book form.

19. Where can readers find you and Indelible Ink online?

I am hoping to have a website at some point in the future. For now, you can find Indelible Ink and my other books on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If you search ¨Jennifer Gurney poetry¨ or ¨Jennifer Gurney art¨ you can find other examples. I have a small Etsy site that is Jennifer Gurney Art. And my Insta is @pelican6527.