Poet from Sonoma Valley considered for National Book Award

Ada Limón, whose fourth book of poems, “Bright Dead Things,” is on the longlist for a 2015 National Book Award, grew up under the shadow of Sonoma Mountain in the Valley of the Moon. Even though she spends most of her time in Lexington, Ky., these days, the formative years she spent in the valley still echo in her work. In fact, she still spends part of the year living in Sonoma because the valley still owns her, she says.

Before the finalists are announced on Wednesday, Oct. 14 (winners will be revealed Nov. 18), we caught up with her.

Q: How did growing up in Sonoma influence you?

A: I grew up across from the Calabazas Creek in Glen Ellen and spent many days down in the creek playing with the dog and hiding out. I didn’t know I was going to be a writer, but I did always write. Growing up in the late 1970s in Glen Ellen and Sonoma did influence my choice, though.

It’s an area that has always fostered creativity, from Jack London to Maya Angelou. There’s a long legacy of writing and creating here. Not to mention how the sheer beauty can influence anyone to stop, breathe and pay attention to the smallest of wild things.

Q: Do any of the poems from “Bright Dead Things” relate to Sonoma County?

A: There are quite a few poems in the book that are set in Sonoma or Glen Ellen. “What it Looks Like to Us and the Words We Use” moves from Kentucky to the Sonoma Regional Park, and the “Long Ride” is primarily about the 40-acre horse ranch in Sonoma where my mother is the ranch manager.

The poems “Before,” “The Saving Tree,” “The Great Blue Heron of Dunbar Road” and “The Wild Divine” are all Glen Ellen poems.

Q: What was it like when you saw your name on the longlist for the National Book Award? What does this honor mean to you?

A: Well, to be honest, I was totally shocked. I was in the kitchen making breakfast and was reading the list off my phone right after it came out. I saw my friend Ross Gay on there, and I was telling my partner how good that book was. Then I saw Terrance Hayes’ book and said I loved and taught it all year, and then I just stopped.

My partner stood up from the kitchen table, and I just stared at him wide-eyed. I froze. It’s a huge honor, and what an amazing list to be a part of. This is a group of poets I deeply admire.

Q: What advice would you give young, aspiring writers from Sonoma County who someday dream of getting to where you are?

A: My advice would be to read as much as you can. Go to the libraries and local bookstores. Keep reading, go to readings, and keep letting yourself be sparked by other people’s work.

Secondly, my advice is not to worry about the “career of a writer.” There is not a career, really, there’s just the act of creating and time. Find a job you like, then write when you can. Don’t try to get anywhere too fast.

Just do the work, enjoy your life, and be kind to people along the way.

(Sebastopol-based poet Iris Jamahl Dunkle is author of “Gold Passage.” See her work at irisjamahldunkle.com.)