Stevie Edwards, PhD is the poetry editor of The South Carolina Review and an assistant professor in the Department of English at Clemson University, where she teaches creative writing, poetry, and women’s literature. She lives in South Carolina with her spouse and three rescue dogs: Tinkerbell, Peaches, and Rufus.
Stevie received her PhD from the University of North Texas and MFA from Cornell. Her poems have appeared in Poetry, American Poetry Review, TriQuarterly, and The Southern Review among others. She is the author of the poetry books/chapbooks Quiet Armor, Sadness Workshop, Humanly, and Good Grief.
- What are you currently reading and who is a favorite poet of yours? For the month of August, I read a poetry book a day as part of the #sealeychallenge. Today’s book is I Do Know Some Things by Richard Siken, one of my favorite poets. Some of my other favorite poets are Ada Limón, Natalie Diaz, Patricia Smith, Diane Seuss, and Marie Howe.
- What motivates and inspires your poetry? I tend to use poetry to process and reflect on my life, its sadnesses, rages, joys, and boredoms.
- What are major themes that consistently come up in your work? My work often has feminist themes and explores the topics of trauma and mental health.
- Do you have a few words to say to the next generation of poets? Don’t lose your voice to trends.
- Do you have any upcoming publications we should look out for? My fourth book, The Weather Inside,is coming out in Spring 2026 from University of Arkansas Press as part of the Miller Williams Poetry Series and was selected by Patricia Smith (one of my favorite poets!) for publication.
- That’s so exciting! What do you hope readers get out of The Weather Inside? One message the book carries is that it’s possible to start over, even when your life is in shambles. The poems in this collection hold space for discussing hard topics, like struggling with mental illness, alcoholism, and trauma. I hope I can make some people who are struggling feel a little less alone.
- Literary fun fact? When I was twenty, I helped write part of a law for the European Union on insurance and reinsurance reform.
Keep a look on our socials for the cover release and information on the publication of Stevie’s The Weather Inside!
