Statement of Work

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A poet, professor, and editor, I am interested in the intersections between documentary and poetic craft. Engaging in both the personal and the political, my work is influenced by such poets and writers as Muriel Rukeyser, Anne Carson, Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, Vievee Francis, and Carolyn Forché. In the case of gender-based violence—particularly sexual assault and intimate partner abuse—the victim’s word is often the only evidence in a court of law. This leads, unjustly, to biases and limited resources for a victim’s legal protection. As a poet, I engage in deep research of archival material in order to explore potential for legislative change within the U.S. legal system, seeking to develop dialogue around victim protection, gender equity, and restorative justice. Considering poetic craft as form against silence, I see writing as a restorative act towards equity, justice, and understanding .

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Jenny Molberg is the author of three poetry collections: Marvels of the Invisible (winner of the Berkshire Prize, Tupelo Press, 2017), Refusal (LSU Press, 2020), and The Court of No Record (LSU Press, 2023). She edited the Unsung Masters book, Adelaide Crapsey: On the Life & Work of an American Master. Originally from Dallas, TX, she earned her BA at Louisiana State University, her MFA at American University, and her PhD at the University of North Texas. She has received fellowships and scholarships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Sewanee Writers Conference, Vermont Studio Center, and the Longleaf Writers Conference. Her poems and essays have recently appeared or are forthcoming in Ploughshares, VIDA, AGNI, The Missouri Review, The Rumpus, The Adroit Journal, Oprah Quarterly, and other publications. She is Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Central Missouri, where she directs Pleiades Press and edits Pleiades: Literature in Context.