Undergrad published book of poetry
Jacob Thomas used to think poetry was useless. He assumed poems were poor children’s rhymes or elegies that make it on the cover of funeral programs. But after attending a poetry workshop in May 2009 at USU, Thomas discovered that poems were much more than that.
“I found out I loved it. I loved poetry,” Thomas said. “With my background in writing and writing stories just for fun, I was able to translate that into writing poetry. Little did I know that a few months later I would be a published author with a poetry book.”
The junior in English teaching had to attend the workshop for his major. It was a week-long course that lasted all day. Thomas said the class spent the days writing poems and reading them in front of one another. By doing so, he was able to get constant feedback and learn a few tricks of the trade.
“That served as the basis for everything and it was just one week,” he said. “It changed everything.”
After receiving a lot of positive feedback and feeling like his works were well-written, Thomas said he had the resources and wanted to be published.
Thomas’ collection of poems, “The Shades of Memory,” was completed last November and became available for purchase in January. “The Shades of Memory” contains nearly 50 poems that explore life in hindsight.
“I think everyone has those moments in life where they think, ‘Holy cow, how did I get here?’ or ‘What are the events that led me to this place?'” Thomas said. “Those kinds of poems, the ones that are deep-thinking, not necessarily sad or depressed but contemplative, are moments when you are thinking. That is why it is shades of memory: it is thinking and remembering.”
Thomas said the title came from the first poem in the book. He said he remembers sitting with his dad in an empty school gym. Thomas’ dad leaned over and said, “Think of all the ghosts that are here.”
“Obviously he wasn’t talking about the phantoms, but the memories that place had experienced,” Thomas said. “So much of our lives are spent living in memory. When we remember times with an old friend, that’s a shade, or a ghost.”
Many of Thomas’ other poems represent the experiences of historical figures, such as Tsar Nicholas II, Harry Truman and Alexander Hamilton. Thomas said he believes poems are worth researching and with many poems involving historical details, he must spend the time doing research.
“There have some instances where the ideas have come, but I need to double-check before I start rewriting history,” he said.
In the book, many of the photos were taken in the Logan Cemetery, including the Weeping Woman statue that is featured on the book’s cover. Thomas also had a friend do many illustrations throughout the book.
“Shades of Memory” is dedicated to Thomas’ grandma. She passed away while Thomas was serving a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and she was buried in Logan Cemetery.
“One of the poems is about me visiting her headstone,” he said. “It goes in with the theme of the book because the only way I can visit my grandma is through memory. When I am at her headstone I think of her and what she would say.”
The book was published through Xlibris, an online self-publishing company that helps would-be writers get into the publishing market.
“If I would have gone through a traditional publisher, I probably would not have been published because I am a no-name,” Thomas said. “It was perfect for me because I didn’t have to go through a screening process. I was able to just say I wanted to publish this book and we were able to do it.”
Thomas said he is proud of his book and hopes there are many more to come.
“I’d like for a lot of people to read what I write,” Thomas said. “It’s neat that someone in India can read what I write here in Utah.”
– courtnie.packer@aggiemail.usu.edu