Joris Soeding grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he was part of a loving family and reveled in time spent with wonderful friends and neighbors. He enjoyed a childhood of imagination, and played in the many acres of woods near his home. His writing is inspired by his life experiences.
Joris began writing poetry on October 1, 1994, following a teenage breakup. He moved to Chicago in 1999 where he studied at Columbia College and continued to write in his urban surroundings.
“I typically write late in the evening at the dining room table. If the genre is not poetry, I am either journaling or occasionally drafting an essay. I am very fortunate to have an incredible family, a wife and two kids, that have provided me with countless memories, laughter, and poems. Usually traveling together will provide the inspiration, head space, and time. It may be a road trip to a new state or a flight to a faraway, unfamiliar city. Popular culture and collaboration occur quite frequently in my writing as well. I have penned lines with other authors and have taken to artwork, TV shows, or movies to provide me with plenty of fodder. I have written poetry chapbooks based on visual art, scary movies, or The X-Files.”
Joris says that after his parents passed away, his mom in 2021 and dad in 2025, memories with them resurfaced and ended up in journal entries and stanzas which accumulated into an eventual chapbook or full-length book. “Similar to that poem I began with in 1994, love and loss are consistent components in my poetry. The words that I seek provide a refuge for me and the dire need to write, reminding me to slow my perspective amidst my surroundings.”
Other loves in his life include teaching fifth grade, attending his kids’ arts and sporting events, dinners with his father-in-law, reading, movies, traveling, volunteering, running a private foundation, and taking care of two cats. Joris says he tries to search for goodness in others. He has a sweet tooth and loves coffee! His favorite poets are Sharon Olds and Walt Whitman. He resides and teaches in Chicago.
Joris has authored poetry chapbooks titled: Surfaces Diminished; Trees. Otherness. Instance; In Between the Places Where Night Falls; Yellow Shift and Unruly; Forty; and After Highland Park; a full-length book of poetry titled Home in Nine Moons; and a chapbook of essays titled In Twos. His writing has appeared in numerous literary works and he continues to contribute to the world of literature.
ON SEEING THE REVENANT, BY MYSELF
outside theater #3 a cab driver waits with the moon
while Hugh keeps warm in a horse carcass
remembering his son
I don't notice the white sky until the parking lot
ignition in three degrees Fahrenheit
drive toward it for the best photo
slanted, bottom half is shown
behind the grocery store for a clearing
inch slowly until rid of trees and signs
the window downed, zoom in
lacking pixels but try to take what I remember about it
I grab my boy at home, 1:11 a.m.
my turn for him to dream next to me
"I am here,I am here"
carry him downstairs and speak of how much he is cared for
he sputters, "I love you," with eyes still closed
on the orange futton I cover his shoulders with a blanket
~Joris Soeding
heartbybridge@gmail.com
A DAY WITH MY DAUGHTER
waking up jovial despite the rain
books from the crib to downstairs
the two of us, you without your brother
your mother knows these mornings better
five scrambled eggs with your fingers
pieces on your lap then floor
watching the garbage truck, waving and asking about its sounds
"I'm a princess" over and over
reading The Witch Lady, by Nancy Carlson, to me
Dora and a haunted gingerbread house--jellybeans, bats, bones
Tommy Dorsey on the radio to the grocery store
overcast while looking at pumpkins
~Joris Soeding
heartbybridge@gmail.com
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