Brenda Osbey’s office is peaceful. Natural sunlight is the only illumination in the room, and photographs of friends and family accent a wall lined with books.
These objects describe Osbey’s deep connection to writing, relationships and her Southern heritage.
Osbey, a University English professor, has been publishing poems since she was 19. Her early works were published in the “Callaloo” and “Obsidian” literary journals, and she has written four books of poems, including “All Saints: New and Selected Poems,” published by LSU Press.
Osbey also served as Poet Laureate of Louisiana from 2005 to 2007.
Osbey came to the University “on the heels of Katrina,” she said. She teaches poetry and a senior class in the African and African American Studies program as a professional-in-residence in the English Department.
“I enjoy it — the feeling one is at an institution and part of a big community,” Osbey said.     
Though she teaches at the University, Osbey is rooted in her hometown New Orleans, as she has been for much of her life.
“I am a New Orleanian,” Osbey said. “To me, New Orleans is the source of what I do and think.”
Osbey’s connection to New Orleans also permeates into her classes.
“She definitely brings it back to New Orleans,” said Paul Stumpe, English sophomore. “Her roots show in class.”
Osbey recently spoke at the Poetry Society of America’s “Remembering Katrina” event on Aug. 29. Poets were selected for their connections to Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans.
While New Orleans is crucial to Osbey’s development as a writer, she said New Orleans also greatly impacts her work and life.
Osbey began writing as a child. She describes it as a “natural development” while growing up in an artistic family. Her two aunts and grandmother sang opera, and her mother was also a singer.
Osbey said whether they were parents, teachers or other family members, mentors constantly provided her support as she honed her skills.
“I would learn later that was not the norm,” Osbey said.
Her essay, “Writing Home,” examines the role of family in her career.
Osbey completed her bachelor’s degree at Dillard University and her master’s degree at the University of Kentucky.
Osbey said she enjoys writing both poetry and prose, though she has been publishing poetry longer.
“They are closely related,” Osbey said. “The two forms are almost symbiotic.”
The process of writing poetry and prose differs to Osbey, however. Poems begin with a “snatch of conversation” or a series of words or images, Osbey said.
“There is something about essays that gives the appearance of effortlessness,” Osbey said. “It is like sewing when you don’t want the seams to show.”
But each work is different and the subject matter often determines the form, Osbey said.
Osbey said she also enjoys the opportunity to teach students about writing poetry or prose.
“Teaching is surprising,” Osbey said. “If you’re lucky, you see students go from complete disinterest to fully embracing writing.”
While students are typically more open to prose, both prose and poetry classes can promote engagement in the study of writing and literature.
“Literature enforces a love of the intellect,” Osbey said. “It shows what is possible.”
Osbey’s own love of literature shows in her classes, Stump said.
“She understands the material well, and she always knows the allusions and backgrounds to stories,” Stump said.
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Contact Grace Montgomery at [email protected]