Ahja Fox is a mother, educator, and the Poet Laureate of Aurora, Colorado for a four-year term. She has editorial, hosting, and teaching experience and has published in various online and print journals, including some anthologies. Her current work involves running the Muse Mentorship, putting together a community-made poetry exhibit, doing lectures and workshops at various grade schools and Aurora Public Libraries, all while also working on her debut poetry book, dis/articulate. Ahja was a CAAPP Book Prize Finalist in 2021 and a GASHER Press First Book Scholarship Finalist in 2022.
What’s the best writing advice you ever received?
Anything can be turned into a poem. It’s simple. Maybe a cliche? But it is the only thing that has suddenly made sense many years later. It was this phrase that opened me up to erotica, that made me feel validated in writing so many mom poems. I found ways to autopsy and rewrite my trauma. I’m writing futures that seem realistic enough to explore. It sounds so simple, it might go over a budding poet’s head (as it did mine), but as you develop the craft of poetry, you see how invaluable that fact is.
How have you found writing community among Colorado creatives and how does it (potentially) differ from other writing communities?
I feel fortunate in that I believe the writing community found me.
All it took was one friendly, inviting person from the quilt that is this Colorado writing community to reel me in. That person (*cough*cough* Steven Dunn) introduced me to a writing group of other fabulous writers, a few reading series, resources, opportunities, chances to connect with my people/other writers and most importantly a responsibility to lift another voice (shout out to the Art of Storytelling days). I also found community through my college days at Arapahoe Community College and University of Colorado, Denver. Since then, I have forged a special bond with complete strangers over the course of seven months through a program called Community Literature Initiative. This is all to say that it is possible to find that community anywhere, and in any way really, and that each gold coin you come across will serve you in a different way.
What do you love about living in Colorado?
I feel like Colorado is a never-ending time of discovery. I was born and raised here and still learn something new nearly everyday. There is so much history, language, and community to tap into. It may be easy to get bored if you aren’t looking, but research and ask questions as simple as “who has the best coffee here?” and you will find a rabbit hole to plunge down. As a forever learner and researcher at heart, I love that I get to choose my own adventure each day.
What are you reading right now and/or what is inspiring what you are currently working on?
I am traveling everywhere lately with Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong and Here There Was Once a Country by Venus Khoury-Gata, because I am annotating them for future use in a multi-week workshop.
Outside of that, I’m actually circulating and exchanging 8-10 books at a time these days as a new way to expose myself more broadly and openly to other poetry. I read a handful of poems from each of the different books each day, and as I finish one, I bring in a new book (or if my heart just feels compelled to begin another one, we do the switcheroo). It has been very cleansing to my poet-heart. At the time of answering this question, some of my selections include: The Möbius Strip Club of Grief by Bianca Stone, Real Phonies and Genuine Fakes by Nicky Beer, and Turning to Wallpaper by Heidi Wong.
Another thing that’s been greatly inspiring me in unsuspected ways is putting together this “manuscript making” playlist of songs that have pushed my pen in the past. I’ve been listening whenever I revise and it brings me back to the place where I first wrote many of the poems. Listening to a lot of those songs has me also generating new poetry, so it’s been a lovely experience.
What will you be reading at the event and what is meaningful about this selection?
I’m one of those “allow the weather to drastically change the moment” types, so I know I’ll change my set list up to the final moment!
What I can say is that I plan to read a variety of old and new poems. I believe reading series like this are great spaces to showcase what you know, tread the ground of what you don’t know, and practice both the same. I’ve been working on a debut poetry book, so I know I’ll have some of those to share and writing is hitting me in strong, awe-spiring spurts so I’m sure I’ll have some chicken scratch sheets up at the mic with me too.
Reading Den 
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