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Ansonia resident Tim Stobierski.
ANSONIA – Writing about relationships – the highs and lows – helped Ansonia resident Tim Stobierski cope with his feelings of loss, longing, and isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stobierski, 33, took pen to paper and, before he knew it, wrote 60 short poems about a relationship that he compiled into his first full-length book of poetry, published by Antrim House Books.
The finished product, “Dancehall,” dubbed “a queer love story in five acts, following the arc of a relationship from its earliest days to its final, somber conclusion,” was released July 3.
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The cover of Ansonia resident Tim Stobierski's poetry book.
A 2007 graduate of Ansonia High School, and 2011 graduate of the University of Connecticut, Stobierski said he hopes readers walk away with a sense that love is universal, and that his words make people feel something.
In “Dancehall,” Stobierski reflects on his own experiences as a queer man to tell a queer love story, but the poet says the feelings expressed are universal.
The Valley Indy recently spoke with Stobierski about his poetic endeavor.
Valley Indy: What inspired you to write this poetry collection?
Stobierski: I have to be honest in saying that when I wrote these poems, it wasn’t because I sat down to write a book. For me, writing poetry is how I make sense of the world and of my own emotions. In a lot of ways, it’s like a compulsion. I write poetry because I need to. I wrote the vast majority of these poems during the height of the pandemic, when I was overwhelmed with feelings of loss and longing and loneliness that came with the lockdown and the sense that the world was falling apart around me. I wrote these poems to get those emotions out.
Valley Indy: When did you first become interested in writing poetry?
Stobierski: I started writing poetry back in sixth grade as a part of a school assignment. I enjoyed it, but looking back I have to admit that it wasn’t very good. At the time, I believed that good poetry was defined by complicated words and rigid structure.
It wasn’t until I attended UConn that I really started to shake off those habits and beliefs. I credit that to Sharon Bryan, a poet/visiting professor. In our first few lessons, I remember that she told me the assignments I was turning in weren’t poems, they were mimicry. I was mimicking other poets and writing what I thought poetry was. Over the next few weeks, she helped me forget everything that I thought I knew about poetry and pushed me to try new things.
Valley Indy: What message do you hope resonates with readers?
Stobierski: I hope that anyone who reads the book will feel something. I hope that the poems will trigger an emotion, a reaction. I think that is the power of poetry, and it’s what I aspire to when I write. I’ve done my job if I can make you feel something. Beyond that, I hope that readers can read this book and come away with the sense that love is universal.
Valley Indy: What poets inspire you?
Stobierski: The poets that have had the biggest influence on me are the ones that I studied under while at UCONN. More indirectly, I’m inspired by poets who have the ability and bravery to speak truth to power- contemporary queer poets like Ocean Vuong, Sean Frederick Forbes, Jericho Brown and Andrea Gibson. Poets who have the ability to make their readers feel some kind of emotion, even negative emotions, like Wisława Szymborska, Maya Angelou, Margaret Atwood and Billy Collins.
Valley Indy: Where can people buy your book?
Stobierski: You can buy it on Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com, BookShop.org, and a number of other online booksellers. If you want to support your local bookstore, you can call them up and ask them to order you a copy.
When Stobierski isn’t writing poetry, he works as a freelance writer and marketer, writing articles for businesses in the financial industry. He’s also a cat person, loves curry and coffee.
Correction: an earlier version of this story contained a typo in Tim Stobierski’s name.
