I discuss my forthcoming chapbook, The "H" Word.
What is the title of the book?
The title of my forthcoming chapbook is The "H" Word.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
At the end of a year, as winter approaches, I begin to reflect on my work, and I begin to brainstorm the projects that will keep me occupied and hopefully buoyant until spring.
The idea to assemble a chapbook arose out of the knowledge that I tend to get depressed during winter, and, of course, the slight nudging anxiety I experience during periods when I am only writing poems and the next big project has yet to present itself, which I suppose is called work ethic. Mine keeps me constantly in motion.
The specific idea for the book... In 2011 and 2012, I experienced a positive change in my thought process and general outlook, a more clearly defined sense of self and purpose, and knowledge through the pursuit of an education in sociology that helped me to hone my ideas and better investigate and interpret the social issues that for several years served as prevalent themes in my work.
With these changes, my work had naturally developed a visible narrative. Not only that, but I also knew that I had reached a fundamental creative turning point, and that it was time to graciously wrap up the past several years with a selection of previously published poems that detail my development. The older poems in The "H" Word deal with social and cultural themes: negligent and abusive parents, youth alienation, personal failure in the struggle to achieve recognition or at least a meaningful service to the world, the generation gap, and effects of the disintegration of the family unit.
The few newer poems in The "H" Word deal more universally with the development of personal faith, the transition from youth to adulthood, love, death and tragedy, and the idea of advancing faithfully through seemingly insurmountable circumstances. I carried over the youthful energy and humor that was formerly implemented to treat social subjects and now use it to sublimate seemingly ordinary observations.
What genre does your book fall under?
Free-verse poetry.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
I would like Marc Maron to play my part. He would be well-suited to evoke the intense, anxious, righteously angry young man bit, with the necessary prescription of satire and general humor, which served collectively as a redeeming force for me. Marc Maron understands the struggle for personal redemption and a modicum of inner peace through art--especially dark humor, which is a thread throughout the book.
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
An excerpt from one of the newer poems, "Halves" seems pertinent:
How many times can one
Bisect a single element,
Before its remnants cease to be;
Of all the algebra quizzes
You failed in the eighth grade,
All morning trains To and From
Chicago to collide head-on in Ohio,
Yet no one was asking
For posterity's sake
Who the dispatchers were
To have let this happened.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
The manuscript stretches roughly over a three year period. The older poems date back to mid and late 2009. The newer poems were written in mid 2012. The sense of continuity is due in part to the fact that most of the older poems were revised at intervals over a three year period, before they saw light.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Richard Wilbur said "there's always some impulse in the American writer to set out for the frontier in some sense, to head for the savage, the original, the uncivilized, to stand loose from whatever actual coherences people may try to thrust upon him." I recently read that bit and feel it crystallizes what I have tried to describe about my approach to art, which is more of an impulse than a conscious choice.
How this impulse is transmitted through the American experience is a fascinating idea to explore, and which begs deeper exploration. As it relates to the writing of The "H" Word poems, I was exploring broad social subjects and experiences I rarely saw represented in music or poetry to my satisfaction, but which seemed unavoidable. You see drug addicts and suicide cases. You see families who cannot afford to bury their loved ones. You see that the sweeping, catastrophic consequences of paternal absence make it a public safety issue.
You see in certain social circles that each person you meet who is your age has a more tragic personal history than the last. You see motivational posters that say, "Do the impossible: graduate." Then you have all these other people who, when these subjects are broached, say, "Don't know what you're talking about" or who only want to approach social issues by implementing vague policies or who want to say "Well, so-and-so grew up this way or had these experiences and he turned out fine!" and other dismissive statements that conveniently disconnect present social circumstances from the actions and attitudes of previous generations.
For me, these subjects seemed to be the frontier. I realized early that it was my responsibility and the responsibility of others like me to communicate these experiences so others do not get the false impression that cell-phones and iPads made everything OK. I see the contrast between incredible technological advancement and social atrophy, only now I am much less angry about it. I want to empower people.
The change in my work from darkness to lightness, which serves as the loose narrative in The "H" Word, came from my almost religious dedication to the study and composition of poetry, which taught me how to equally appreciate the beautiful and the ugly. The record of American history is more moving than any novel I have read.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
With The "H" Word, I hope to at least inspire laughter in the reader and, at best, without proselytizing, a consideration for the social and cultural issues that are presented in the poems.
As I review my old work with fresh eyes, I see clearly what friends and readers have told me, which is that these themes are presented from a fresh, youthful, and energetic perspective--not dry and stale, as artful presentations of "issues" risk being unless treated skillfully. The exuberance and humor rescue the book from that plight.
Is your book self-published or represented by an agency?
I will self-publish The "H" Word through Brass Seahorse Books, a small publisher I am creating for my work and maybe for the works of a few others. The book will be available in print as well as in free e-book form.
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