“Pennsy Trail: Poems and Essays” by Steven Coffin features pieces inspired by the trail through Hancock County.
Editor’s note: The Daily Reporter will feature our “Neighbors” regularly, whether it be someone with an interesting hobby or profession, or a nonprofit group making a difference in our community. Here, Greenfield native Steven Coffin shares about his new book, “Pennsy Trail: Poems and Essays.” Coffin, 24, graduated summa cum laude in 2022 with a degree in English and literature and has since been writing books as well as freelance content writing for gaming websites and grant writing for nonprofits.
Daily Reporter: Why did you write a book of poems about the Pennsy Trail?
Steven Coffin: The trail has been an integral part of my life for as long as I can remember and it has gained further importance to me as I have used it to heal from and to grieve the loss of my grandparents and friends. I frequently use the trail to visit the grave of my friend, Sarah Overby, at Park Cemetery to sing to her. This has added a lot of emotion to my walks and runs on the trail and opened my eyes to the deep stories of the trail and the fellow travelers we pass on our journeys, and the tales and memories we leave behind in our footprints. I felt as if I owed it to the trail to write this book and owed it to myself to put the immense love I have for the trail into words.
DR: Tell us about the creative process.
SC: I wrote some of the poems included in the book while I was on the trail or during visits at the cemetery, though a majority of my work was done at night in the comfort of my home using inspiration that I found on the trail. I’ve been using the trail as a creative outlet for a long time now, pondering about the stories of the people I pass and taking in the vast nature that surrounds us. The ideas for some of these poems come from experiences that I had years ago, but I only found the right words for them recently.
DR: What do you hope people take away from reading the book?
SC: I hope my book helps people get a better understanding of the stories that surround them and help them find meaning in the little things in life. I hope it inspires them to put their stories out there for the world to see, either through prose or poetry. I would love to see a sort of revitalization of poetry in Greenfield and if I can contribute to that in any way through my books it would make my heart smile. James Whitcomb Riley is a central figure in the culture of our community and we do a lot to celebrate him through the Riley Festival, but we don’t spend many resources attempting to revive poetry and bring it to the forefront of our community, so I hope my work will inspire people to participate in the wonderful and vibrant form of literature that is poetry.
DR: Share a little about your first poetry book, “Pallbearer Dreaming”
SC: It offered a deep poetic dive into my lifelong battle with grief, both in its malleable state and in its times of unwavering stubbornness. It is dedicated to my friends and family members who have passed away and includes poems about my time with each of them, my ways of coping with their loss, and my time as a caregiver for my late grandpa since I was 11 years old. It has a mixture of happiness and hopefulness while not shying away from the true despair and devastation of the cruel crisis of loss. Some poems from “Pallbearer Dreaming” that mention the trail are included in “Pennsy Trail: Poems and Essays.”
To learn more about Coffin, visit stevencoffin.com; his books are self-published through Amazon.
To suggest a Hancock County resident to be highlighted in our “Neighbors” feature, email [email protected].
