Jon Conley
Poetry | Cleveland State University | Class of 2022
Jon Conley’s Deadheading is a testament to the care, attention, precision, and intensity that Jon has developed over years of poetic practice. This is a wonderfully distinctive and moving collection of poems, recreating a series of encounters with local scenes and landscapes, an investigation into the possibilities of observation and the deliberate quieting of the self. In Jon’s work, each word matters. Poetry is a form of presence. This writer’s commitment is a gift. —Hilary Plum
About Jon
Jon Conley is a writer and musician from Cleveland. Read his work at conjonley.tumblr.com
JON'S FAST FACTS
What’s on your nightstand right now?
It is very crowded:
Memory Rose Into Threshold Speech – Paul Celan
Moby Dick – Herman Melville
Ark – Ronal Johnson
Stone Lyre – René Char
For the Good of All, Do Not Destroy the Birds – Jennifer Moxley
Pity the Beast – Robin McLean
Cold Hand in Mine – Robert Aickman
Complete Works – Lorine Neidecker
Books of Blood 1-3 – Clive Barker
What are your favorite words? Why?
Most with a double o. Ventriloquist is a nice word, too. Socially, vocally, dynamically, and for sheer usage, it’s fuck. Of all types, I like the preposition best.
Do you have any eccentric habits/strategies to get you started writing? What are they?
No, not really. Life, if lived, is a maniacal thing. In its entirety it is an eccentric buildup to writing.
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English Department
Cleveland State University
2121 Euclid Ave., RT 1815
Cleveland, Ohio 44115