A Conversation with Perugia’s Intern: Audrey Jiggetts
In January, Audrey Jiggetts completed an internship at Perugia Press, sponsored by the Praxis Program at Smith College. This is the second winter Perugia has been able to offer this internship, as a partnership between Perugia and Smith College. Jean Blakeman, Perugia Press board president, conducted an interview with Audrey about her experience as a Perugia intern and as a poet.
Q: What first brought you to poetry?
A: I’ve been writing poetry since before I knew that word. As a kid, I liked the concept of journaling, but I always wanted to do it “creatively,” as I called it. It meant that my entries weren’t always cohesive stories, instead focused on getting just the right words, images, or moments. In high school, I had a few teachers who broadened the horizons of poetry for me and showed me how vast and all-encompassing of a genre it can be. My senior year I got my first piece of writing published in an online magazine, which was a sonnet, and since then about half of my publications have been poetry. When I came to Smith as a sophomore in 2024, I joined Crush Magazine, the literary and arts magazine for students of color. Working on that magazine, I wear many hats, including running the magazine in the spring of 2025. I’ve gotten to read and edit so much poetry from my peers that I fell in love with the medium all over again. In the last year I have been focused on prose, but I’ve enjoyed working on poems in my free time and expanding the definition of poetry for me.
Q: How did you first encounter Perugia Press?
A: Perugia actually came to me through connections with Smith’s Boutelle-Day Poetry Center and Nine Syllables Press. Despite being from this area, I’m still learning about facets of the larger Western Mass writing community every day. So when I heard about this local feminist poetry press, I was like…where do I sign up? I had also spoken to another Smith student who interned with Perugia about their positive experiences, and I was super interested to get involved in any way I could.
Q: What were you involved with at the press?
A: This winter one of the big focuses of my internship was reading manuscripts for the 2026 Perugia Press Prize. I read close to thirty poetry manuscripts, which was something I had never done before, and I got to put in my two cents for what manuscripts I think deserve to move forward. It was a lot of pressure because all of the manuscripts were so well-written that I had countless notes for each one. Sometimes my notes weren’t even coherent or particularly observant, instead just like: “LOVE!” But the manuscript reading was an amazing experience. Besides that, I created a short poetry film for a poem from Holli Carrell’s Apostasies. Film is not my usual medium of creative expression, but I really enjoyed getting to be involved in any way with Apostasies, as that book touched me deeply. Finally, I worked on graphics for Perugia’s events at AWP 2026 and created writing prompts based on Abby E. Murray’s Hail and Farewell.
Q: What are some things that stay with you from the books you worked with?
A: In reading the manuscripts, I was struck by how much you can make poetry manuscripts your own. Some people took the opportunity to process current or past trauma, others were focused on capturing imagery, and still others played with unique narratives or forms to subvert expectations. I also appreciated how much work it takes to create a cohesive manuscript with 50-70 poems that can each vary widely. Overall, I have a new appreciation both for the poets who write the things I later hold in my hand, and for the behind-the-scenes work done by presses. Especially at small non-profit press like Perugia, where you know every person involved has put their all into producing the next book, the love really shows.
Q: Other than being Perugia’s intern, tell us a bit about yourself.
A: I’m a junior at Smith College, majoring in English Language & Literature with a Creative Writing emphasis, and a minor in Africana Studies. You’ve probably guessed already that my biggest hobby is reading and writing (I read 96 books last year), and if I’m not in class, you’ll likely find me working on short fiction for my Substack. Besides fiction, my areas of interest are Afro-American literature, Black history, and social justice. I like to be involved in as much as I can on campus, so I’m also a peer writing tutor for the Jacobson Center, an English Department Student Liaison, and the fiction editor for Crush Magazine. Thrifting, collaging, and hanging with my cat are other ways I fill my time. Oh, and I have a radio show on WOZQ, Smith’s radio station. Catch me on air on 91.9 FM!
Q: Do you have a favorite poet? Or a favorite poet of the moment?
A: Ever since I saw Holli Carrell speak this past fall at Smith, Apostasies has been at the top of my list. Carrell does a beautiful job of combining autobiography, history, and poetry into one book, and I’ve reread it multiple times since I acquired my own copy in November. I’m also a big fan of Richard Siken. His poetry is the type that feels like he’s somehow put a name to exactly what I’ve been feeling, even though we live two very different lives. I think about his collection Crush often. A few other names: Ocean Vuong, Andrea Gibson, Dakota Warren, Mary Oliver…I could go on and on.
Q: Perugia’s work centers on highlighting the work of women writers. Do you see a connection between the mission of the press and that of Smith College, where you are a student?
A: As a Historically Women’s College, I think Smith’s core goal is to give opportunities to an underrepresented group in academia, which aligns directly with Perugia’s mission. We live in a world where every space becomes more difficult if you have a gender identity that is not cis-white-straight-man, and so any institution that attempts to repair that damage is doing important work. I also appreciate how both Perugia and Smith promise to include gender-expansive identities, that may be overlooked in the fight for women’s rights/inclusion.
Q: How do you see poetry fitting into your life as you move forward?
A: Though I devote most of my time to fiction, especially academically, I cannot see a world where poetry is not threaded through every moment of my life. Working on a literary magazine gives me access to my peers’ poetry, which is such a privilege, and I’m also a big advocate of trying to squeeze in reading for pleasure as a college student (even if you’re an English major like me). Poetry is something I never force—it comes when it comes, and as a result I am always a thousand times more excited to work on a piece than if I was trying to crank it out. My goal for my relationship to poetry is like the ocean—ebbing and flowing, but constantly present.
Editor’s note: It’s been wonderful to work with Audrey Jiggetts this winter – a great match was made between Smith, Audrey, and Perugia Press! Thanks to Jean Blakeman for conducting this interview, to Smith for funding the internship through Praxis, and to Audrey for your inspired, creative, and engaged work this winter.