Odessa Grimm, in their own words, is a poet who writes from the places people usually avoid – the quiet, heavy corners shaped by memory, trauma, and heartbreak.
Their work is raw and honest; sometimes, according to Odessa, it can be “uncomfortable” because they don’t believe in softening the truth to make it easier to hold.
When did you realize your writing voice had developed into your own?
It wasn’t just a single moment – more like when I noticed I stopped asking for permission to write and be myself. I realized my voice had settled in when I could read something and recognize it as something I was actually proud of.
How do you decide what goes into a poem and what to leave out?
I try to keep what carries weight and brings emotions out. If a line is only there to sound pretty, it usually goes. If it hurts a little, I leave it in.
What would your younger self think of your poems?
I think my younger self would feel seen – maybe a little exposed. Probably surprised the things they tried to hide became the very material I write about. There might be pride there but also a quiet kind of grief, realizing that the reason why I’m writing is because we lost our best friend.
What is a line from a famous poem that haunts you?
A line that stays with me is from Emily Dickinson:
“Tell the truth, but tell it slant.“
It lingers because it understands something essential about poetry that truth can be too sharp to face.
Angling it, shaping it doesn’t weaken it. It makes it survivable, and sometimes, more honest.
Do you believe poetry has the power to shape the world we live in?
I do think it can shape the world we live in but not in loud, immediate ways. It works slower than that. It changes how people see, and once perception shifts, choices follow.
A poem can name something someone didn’t have language for before, and that alone can alter how they move through life.
girls like me stop blooming
when we are told
your anger is unbecoming
your brightness is too much
your mouth is a threat
so we grey
quietly
& rot
elegantly.
-Odessa Grimm
Isabelle Palerma
Isabelle Palerma 