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What has working on Poetry Daily meant to you?
Poetry Daily has been a positive influence in my life. It’s been an inlet for meeting other people who think of and appreciate language the way I do. I’ve cherished listening to the editorial team's weekly conversations. It’s been an outlet for creative thought and a stethoscope to listen to the heartbeat of language moving into 2020 (a year I’m quite excited about for reasons I’m not entirely sure of other than it’s a whole second decade into the 21st century).
It’s given me a lot of confidence in my position as a member of Mason's literary community (especially as an undergraduate).
What do you appreciate about Poetry Daily's presence at Mason?
Poetry feels more immediate and real than it has before; it’s here, not some distant blue dot. I’ve been able to watch how, over months, poetry moves through our lives (from varied ranges of experience). Its presence at Mason has brought shape and physicality to poetry that I haven’t been able to experience so firsthand before.
I hope Poetry Daily's presence attracts more poets to Mason's BFA and MFA programs in the future!
What do you hope for the future of Poetry Daily?
I hope Poetry Daily continues the mission its name entails: a note of poetry each day for readers. That it might reach out through the editorial process and pluck one string, vibrate a rhythm into the hearts of our readers each day. I would like to attract more readers of all ages, which we are (Twitter is helping a lot with that, though I know nothing of social media).
I hope Poetry Daily might be an outlet of inspiration for anyone looking at some of the best contemporary poems we can find to publish.
John Cummings, BFA '20, received an AS degree in General Studies from Northern Virginia Community College before coming to Mason to study and produce creative writing. He believes that reading and writing help provide their recipients with an experience of radical transformation. When he isn’t busy, he spends time searching for things that fuel his creativity, such as daydreaming or going to see live music.