Hey everyone I was just interviewed for an article in the Orion Gazette. I'm pretty stoked about it! Here is the article written by Kayci Woodley.
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Jared Bohland has book published
by Kayci Woodley
From jotting down notes in junior high, to publishing a short story in one of his college classes, 2005 Orion High School graduate Jared Bohland has always had a love for writing. That love paid off for Bohland, as he has put his poems and lyrics into print in his book titled Oh God: What a Beautiful Mess.
With inspiration from a college professor at Western Illinois University, Bohland gave writing a more serious look. His Writing II professor, Barbara Ashwood, urged him to pursue his dream. After writing a short story, “Where’s PawPaw” in her class, the story was published in Western Voices as a scholarship essay and gave Bohland a jumpstart to his writing career.
“It wasn't until college, after "Where's PawPaw?" had been published that I considered writing more seriously,” Bohland said. “It was at this point that I gathered all of my writing from over the years and realized that I could easily put together a book.”
In December of 2008 Bohland’s book of poems, Oh God: What a Beautiful Mess was published through PublishAmerica, home to over 30,000 authors.
Oh God: What a Beautiful Mess includes 42 poems about a variety of subjects including relationships, God, heartache, lust, sin and self-relfection. One of Bohland’s favorite parts of his book includes a three-part poem about his relationship with his wife, Katie Carpenter Bohland, when they were first dating.
In a metaphoric way, his wife, then girlfriend, Katie is depicted as a city in which he lives. At first, Bohland describes the love for the city, when the couple first started dating. In the second part he writes about destroying the city, during a period when the couple had a falling out. The third portion of the series is a metaphoric description of rebuilding the city when Bohland and his wife are together again.
Reading his poems, no one would imagine that the author had any trouble with creative writing as a child. However, growing up in Orion, Bohland says he struggled with writing academically, and that it was his personal lyrics and poems from middle school and high school that he actually included in his book.
“I always had a love for writing in my own style,” Bohland said. “But all of the deadlines and specific rules made it hard to love writing.”
Although Professor Ashwood played a major part in the jumpstart of Bohland’s writing development, life experiences are what most of his poems focus on.
“My inspiration springs heavily from life experiences, the writing styles of certain biblical letters, and music,” Bohland said. “I began my particular writing style originally by writing song lyrics.”
Twenty of the poems in Bohland’s book were written before college. One poem titled “Tension” was written in high school about the risks of love and relationships.From the simplicity of asking a girl out for the first time, to getting older and finally being married, Bohland realized that the poem not only related to high school and young relationships, but to all relationships.
“My message is not only to show that God is love despite all the pain this world has to offer, but also that we all share similar experiences despite our backgrounds or beliefs,” Bohalnd said.
One of the main life experiences that Bohland writes about within his poems is his relationship with God. Through his growing relationship and trust in God’s great plan for everyone, the title Oh God: What a Beautiful Mess was created.
Bohland didn’t publish the book in hopes of selling thousands of copies. He simply wanted to get his message out, and share his faith and relationship with God with people who want to hear about it.
“I was never out to sell a million copies,” Bohland said. “It was always about following through with a dream and being able to share both my creation and the message it carries with everyone.”
Bohland has completed manuscripts for two other books and is working on two more. Renovating the Temple is the first finished journal-style book about mental, spiritual and physical health. The second book, The Journey, is a follow-up to Oh God: What a Beautiful Mess and is similar to it in that it includes poetry and lyrics with a variety of themes throughout.
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Jared Bohland has book published
by Kayci Woodley
From jotting down notes in junior high, to publishing a short story in one of his college classes, 2005 Orion High School graduate Jared Bohland has always had a love for writing. That love paid off for Bohland, as he has put his poems and lyrics into print in his book titled Oh God: What a Beautiful Mess.
With inspiration from a college professor at Western Illinois University, Bohland gave writing a more serious look. His Writing II professor, Barbara Ashwood, urged him to pursue his dream. After writing a short story, “Where’s PawPaw” in her class, the story was published in Western Voices as a scholarship essay and gave Bohland a jumpstart to his writing career.
“It wasn't until college, after "Where's PawPaw?" had been published that I considered writing more seriously,” Bohland said. “It was at this point that I gathered all of my writing from over the years and realized that I could easily put together a book.”
In December of 2008 Bohland’s book of poems, Oh God: What a Beautiful Mess was published through PublishAmerica, home to over 30,000 authors.
Oh God: What a Beautiful Mess includes 42 poems about a variety of subjects including relationships, God, heartache, lust, sin and self-relfection. One of Bohland’s favorite parts of his book includes a three-part poem about his relationship with his wife, Katie Carpenter Bohland, when they were first dating.
In a metaphoric way, his wife, then girlfriend, Katie is depicted as a city in which he lives. At first, Bohland describes the love for the city, when the couple first started dating. In the second part he writes about destroying the city, during a period when the couple had a falling out. The third portion of the series is a metaphoric description of rebuilding the city when Bohland and his wife are together again.
Reading his poems, no one would imagine that the author had any trouble with creative writing as a child. However, growing up in Orion, Bohland says he struggled with writing academically, and that it was his personal lyrics and poems from middle school and high school that he actually included in his book.
“I always had a love for writing in my own style,” Bohland said. “But all of the deadlines and specific rules made it hard to love writing.”
Although Professor Ashwood played a major part in the jumpstart of Bohland’s writing development, life experiences are what most of his poems focus on.
“My inspiration springs heavily from life experiences, the writing styles of certain biblical letters, and music,” Bohland said. “I began my particular writing style originally by writing song lyrics.”
Twenty of the poems in Bohland’s book were written before college. One poem titled “Tension” was written in high school about the risks of love and relationships.From the simplicity of asking a girl out for the first time, to getting older and finally being married, Bohland realized that the poem not only related to high school and young relationships, but to all relationships.
“My message is not only to show that God is love despite all the pain this world has to offer, but also that we all share similar experiences despite our backgrounds or beliefs,” Bohalnd said.
One of the main life experiences that Bohland writes about within his poems is his relationship with God. Through his growing relationship and trust in God’s great plan for everyone, the title Oh God: What a Beautiful Mess was created.
Bohland didn’t publish the book in hopes of selling thousands of copies. He simply wanted to get his message out, and share his faith and relationship with God with people who want to hear about it.
“I was never out to sell a million copies,” Bohland said. “It was always about following through with a dream and being able to share both my creation and the message it carries with everyone.”
Bohland has completed manuscripts for two other books and is working on two more. Renovating the Temple is the first finished journal-style book about mental, spiritual and physical health. The second book, The Journey, is a follow-up to Oh God: What a Beautiful Mess and is similar to it in that it includes poetry and lyrics with a variety of themes throughout.
