L.I. Henley :: Jennifer K. Sweeney :: Dear Question, A Conversation

In this space, we regularly invite West Trestlers to celebrate the work of other West Trestlers or to be in conversation with each other about their art, poetry, and life. Of course, we were very excited to share more about Dear Question: A Conversation, as Jennifer K. Sweeney was one of the founding advisors for WTR, and we are big fans of all she does. We're also thrilled to be introduced to L.I. Henley, and we had no idea that their conversation would be such a beautiful window into their book. We hope you enjoy the beauty as much as we do—and if you do, let them know. Leave a comment, buy the book, send a note, write a review. Give them a holler on social media. Now, without further ado  ... 

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L.I. Henley was born and raised in the Mojave Desert of California. An interdisciplinary artist and writer, her books include Starshine Road (Perugia Press Prize, 2018), the novella-in-verse, Whole Night Through, and several chapbooks including her recent collaboration with poet Jennifer K. Sweeney, Dear Question: A Conversation.  Her essays on pain, illness, and the Mojave Desert have won the Arts & Letters/Susan Atefat Prize, the Robert and Adele Schiff Award, the Oran Robert Perry Burke Award, and Terrain.org’s 15th annual nonfiction prize. “A Blur on the Spine,” originally published by Southern Humanities Review, is a notable essay in The Best American Essays 2024. She teaches in the English department at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

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Jennifer K. Sweeney is the author of six poetry collections: Redwood Communal (forthcoming, 2026), Foxlogic, Fireweed (Backwaters Press/Univ. of Nebraska), Little Spells, How to Live on Bread and Music, and Salt Memory. The collaborative chapbook, Dear Question: A Conversation, with L.I. Henley, was recently published by Glass Lyre Press. The recipient of many awards including a Pushcart Prize and the James Laughlin Award, she teaches poetry at the University of Redlands in California. ​

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