Occasionally, when a writer who began writing with chalk on Chicago sidewalks and alleys and turned decades later to a computer in a Door County chicken coop, achieves something like a ‘reputation’ for his efforts, he’s called down from the mountain by certain groups, organizations, educational institutions to discuss his work and way of life.

I was fortunate to be called upon to testify early in my career, probably because one aspect of my survival (the freelance writer side of me) led to wide exposure in publications with large circulations like the Chicago Daily News, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun Times, Chicagoland, and Chicago Magazine, where much of my early work appeared over a period of ten to fifteen years. I suspect those early invitations to explain the secrets of one’s writing success were based on the premise: `If he publishes so much and so often in Chicago newspapers and magazines alone, he must know something or be someone.’

A false premise for sure. I was simply learning how to financially survive in America as a serious literary writer by trying to write as well as I could as a `gun-for-hire’ for reputable newspapers and periodicals. And when I wasn’t exploring my kind of first-person journalism (as it was called then), I was also learning to hone my skills as a short story writer, novelist, and poet-with experimental aspirations (the visual poem).

So this business of the tables being turned on me (from the writer interviewing others for newspaper stories, to the writer being interviewed) has been going on for more than thirty years. And I’m always delighted, it seems, to pontificate on matters of spreading the word (an ego-thing for sure), not to mention hopeful that I have grown better through the years at dispensing what might pass for one writer’s `wisdom.’

My most recent effort (November, 2004) involves a questionnaire by a student working on a Master’s degree at one of Wisconsin’s state universities who recalled a talk I gave some years before at the same institution and presently finds himself a member of a writing class, assigned the task of finding the answers to some pertinent questions about writing and publishing. As he stated in his letter to me:

“My attempt is to show our future writers what current writers/publishers are reading, writing, and looking for in today's poetry. Included are nine questions, but please feel free to add any comments when responding.”

“Of course,” I replied. “Send them on. But give me a week or so to get back to you.”

It took much more than I week. Too many other things on my mind, too many other projects at hand. I answered a questions or two a time, too hastily I’m sure. I lost track of it entirely for days. When I re-entered the field of questions, I tried to keep some overall direction and unity in my replies. I wish, now, I had done all of it at once. Concentrated more. Waited a few days, gone back to rewrite and shape the many thoughts running through my mind. But then, again, much of the success of interview depends on spontaneity. It’s a ragged narrative at best. Stop-and-start. Redirection. Erase--when you feel you’ve said something wrong or stupid.

Perhaps the real reason a writer remains intrigued by the questioning, looks forward to be interviewed at various stages in his life, (up to the very last minute),
is the chance to look back at where he’s been, discover where he’s headed, and most importantly of all, consider what he’s thinking the moment.

What styles and ideas in poetry do you find yourself publishing most?

I’M VERY WIDE-OPEN ON THIS, THOUGH I LEAN TOWARD THE CONTEMPORARY. AS LONG AS IT SAYS SOMETHING IN AN UNDERSTANDING, ALMOST CONVERSATIONAL WAY THAT MIGHT CHANGE A READER’S MOMENT, DAY, OR PERHAPS EVEN LIFE.

ONE OF THE MANY REASONS BUKOWSKI IS SO POPULAR
IS THAT SOMEONE WITHOUT ANY UNDERSTANDING OR LOVE OF POETRY WHATSOEVER (FACTORY WORKER, BANK CLERK, WAL*MART GREETER, MACHO-MAN, HOOKER, ETC.) KNOWS WHAT BUKOWSKI IS WRITING ABOUT AT FIRST GLANCE. WHAT’S MORE. CAN `FEEL’ THE IDEA IN THE GUT, HEART, MIND-ONE OR ALL OF THE ABOVE. THIS IS THE `AMERICAN IDIOM’ IF YOU WILL. SOMETHING `TALKY”, CONVERSATIONAL ABOUT BOTH SOUND AND SENSE, GOING BACK TO WHITMAN, ESPECIALLY. LATER, SANDBURG (THE PEOPLE, YES ). AND ON RIGHT UP TO THE PRESENT. WHAT YOU MIGHT HEAR AT A POETRY SLAM (NOT ONE OF MY FAVORITES). NOT TO MENTION RAP (ALSO NOT ONE OF MY FAVORITES). BUT IT’S OUT THERE AND IT MUST MEAN AND PROVIDE SOMETHING. WE ALL HAVE TO LISTEN MORE CAREFULLY. WHETHER WE’RE AHEAD OR BEHIND THE CURVE, IT EXISTS AND MUST BE DEALT WITH.

THE AMERICAN POETIC IDIOM (AS I SEE IT) ALSO INCLUDES
NEGRO SPIRITUALS-WITH THEIR DIRECT LINE TO BLUES, SOUL, JAZZ,
AND NOW RAP. IT’S ALL A WONDERFUL MIX. I WAS IN EASTERN EUROPE AT THE TIME THE BERLIN WALL CAME DOWN, AND THE ONE POET WHOSE NAME CAME UP TIME AND AGAIN IN EAST/WEST GERMANY, POLAND, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, HUNGARY WAS BUKOWSKI. HE WAS EVERYWHERE.

HIS MESSAGE WAS GETTING THROUGH. WHY? BECAUSE HE WAS A DRUNKEN, CAROUSING, ARGUMENTATIVE, VIOLENT, WOMANIZING, WORKING CLASS SLOB? THAT MAY HAVE BEEN PART OF IT. AND IT WAS CERTAINLY PART OF A WRITER’S MYTHOS (WHETHER SELF-PERPETUATING OR DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND ONE’S CONTROL). BUT ASIDE FROM THAT, THE POET WAS REAL. HIS LIFE WAS AS YOU FOUND IT, AS HE LIVED IT AND MADE YOU FEEL IT.. HIS WORDS AND IMAGE WERE AS SOLID AS CONCRETE, AS COMMON AS BLOOD. AND THIS WAS, REMAINS, HIS BRILLIANCE.

BEAR IN MIND, I DO NOT EXCLUDE POETS IN A MORE TRADITIONAL VEIN POETS LIKE FROST FOR EXAMPLE. THE RHYMERS OF REASON AND MEASURE AND PLAYING THE GAME [LIKE TENNIS…FROST’S OWN METAPHOR] WITH THE NET FIRMLY IN PLACE. HE WORKS FOR ME AS WELL. AND IF I FOUND A YOUNG, CONTEMPORARY ROBERT FROST, WORKING THE LANGUAGE IN OLD FROSTIAN WAYS (AND THEY ARE OUT THERE), I WOULD BE MORE THAN WILLING TO BUY HIS/HER BOOK, OR EVEN PUBLISH A COLLECTION OF HIS WORK, SINCE I AM ALSO A SMALL PRESS PUBLISHER. THERE IS MUCH GOOD POETRY OUT THERE THESE DAYS-POETRY THAT DOES WHAT IT’S SUPPOSED TO DO

I’M NOT SURE I ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION IN REGARD TO IDEAS IN POETRY, BUT THAT’S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO ANSWER. POETRY CAN BE ABOUT AN IDEA AS SIMPLE AS THE SOUND OF A FOG HORN OR AS COMPLICATED AS LOVE. AS FOR STYLE, I KNOW WHAT I DON’T LIKE. I DON’T LIKE ACADEMIC POETRY; POETRY ABOUT POETRY, POETRY ABOUT LANGUAGE; POETS SO GODDAM SELF-ABSORBED THEY MUST CREATE THEIR OWN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TO EXPRESS WHATEVER THE HELL THEY WISH TO COMMUNICATE; POETRY WHICH IS A MIND-FIX RATHER THAN AN EMOTION SIMPLY EXPRESSED AND FELT.

SORRY, FRIEND, IF I CAN’T GET PAST THE FIRST FEW LINES, YOU CAN KEEP YOUR PONDEROUS POEMS TO YOURSELF. I WON’T READ YOU. I SURE AS HELL WON’T BUY YOUR BOOKS. I FIND MORE POETRY IN THE SOUND OF RAIN, THE LOOK OF REGRET, OR THE AROMA OF A GLASS OF SINGLE-MALT SCOTCH. SO, I SAY NAY TO THE JOHN ASHBERY SCHOOL OF OBFUSCATION, SHALL WE SAY?

LOOK, YOU HAVE ASHBURY WITH THESE OPENING LINES TO A POEM:

Something strange is creeping across me.
La Celestina has only to warble the first few bars
Of “I Thought About You” or something mellow from
Amadigi di Gaula for everything-a mint condition can….

AND YOU HAVE BUKOWSKI WITH:

Thou shalt not fail as a writer
because the vultures are waiting in the wings ready
to swoop down and sign their
“I told you so’s.”

SO WHO ARE YOU GOING TO RUN WITH? WHO’S TALKING TO YOU? AND WHO’S TALKING AT YOU?

SOMETHING I READ BY NOBEL PRIZE AUTHOR, J. M. COETZEE, AND HAVE TAPED TO MY DESK SAYS EXACTLY WHERE I’M COMING FROM: “In my experience poetry speaks to you either at first sight or not at all. A flash of revelation and a flash of response. Like lightning. Like falling in love.”

What publications do you attempt to support or send your poetry to?

I HAVE SUBSCRIBED FOR YEARS TO THE NEW YORKER. NOT EVERY POEM PUBLISHED THERE GRABS ME, BUT I’M FREQUENTLY HELD CAPTIVE BY A POEM IN ALMOST EVERY ISSUE. PLUS, I’M INTERESTED IN WRITING FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, AND THE NEW YORKER HELPS KEEP ME IN TOUCH WITH GREAT POETRY OUT OF SPAIN, POLAND, ISRAEL, THE CZECH REPUBLIC, SOUTH AMERICA, ETC. THIS IS A GOOD THING. ALSO, ON THAT LEVEL, I SUBSCRIBE TO HARPER’S, READ POETRY MAGAZINE OCCASIONALLY, AND PROBABLY BUY, ON THE AVERAGE, THREE BOOKS OF POETRY A MONTH. MY CHOICES BASED SOMETIMES ON REVIEWS (THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST, NPR, ETC.), SOMETIMES ON POETRY OF THE AUTHOR I’VE COME ACROSS IN MAGAZINES, BOOKS, CONVERSATIONS. SOMETIMES, IN USED BOOKSTORES ESPECIALLY, BASED UPON PULLING DOWN A BOOK OF POEMS BY SOMEONE I MAY HAVE NEVER READ BEFORE, BUT IMMEDIATELY FEEL: THIS POET’S FOR ME! HARD TO DESCRIBE OR ANALYZE. AND MAYBE NOT WORTH ANALYZING. LIKE COETZEE SAYS: “LIKE LIGHTNING.”

BEYOND THIS, I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CLOSE TO AND SUPPORTIVE OF THE LITTLE MAGAZINE AND SMALL PRESSES, ESPECIALLY THE POETS THEY PUBLISH. I CAN’T BEGIN TO TELL YOU THE NAMES OF ALL OF THESE, BUT THEY ARE MANY AND THEY REMAIN MY LIFEBLOOD MY LIFELINE TO MUCH OF THE POETRY I READ THESE DAYS. I OWN HUNDREDS OF THESE PUBLICATIONS, SUBSCRIBE TO AT LEAST A HALF-DOZEN NEW LITTLE MAGS EACH YEAR. I WOULD ALSO ADD THAT THE INTERNET ADDS YET A WHOLE OTHER DIMENSION WHERE POETS MAY PUBLISH, WHERE READERS WILL FIND AN UNENDING SOURCE OF GOOD POETRY THAT PLEASES.

I NO LONGER SEND POETRY OUT TO PUBLISH. I MISS THAT. BUT I’M
OCCUPIED WITH SO MANY OTHER PROJECTS, THAT I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET BACK TO IT. WRITING POETRY IS ONLY A PART OF WHO AND WHAT I AM AS A WRITER. AND MY APPROACH TO PUBLISHING IT IS
VERY DIFFERENT FROM MOST POETS. RATHER THAT WRITE AND PUBLISH A SINGLE POEM AT A TIME, I SEEM TO ENVISION, FROM THE VERY START, AN ENTIRE BOOK OF POEMS. THERE’S SOME LONGER, DEEPER ATTRACTION THAT TAKES OVER. ALSO, I’M INTERESTED IN THE EXPERIMENTAL, THE VISUAL-COMBINING WORDS AND IMAGES. THAT WAS THERE ALMOST FROM THE VERY BEGINNING IN MY BOOK, THE WATERCOLORED WORD. AND IT’S CERTAINLY THERE, IN PART, IN AN EXPERIMENTAL NOVEL I WROTE CALLED THE SECOND NOVEL (BECOMING A WRITER). AND IT’S CERTAINLY THERE IN SPADES IN THE LAST BOOK OF POEMS I PUBLISHED, PAINT ME A PICTURE, MAKE ME A POEM. SO RATHER THAT WAIT FOR THE INDIVIDUAL POEM, I SEEM TO WAIT FOR A CONCEPT TO DEVELOP-AND FINALLY TAKE OVER. I’M AT THAT VERY STAGE AT PRESENT. I SEE, FEEL, AND AM ABOUT READY TO BEGIN TWO NEW BOOKS OF POEMS. ALL I NEED IS TIME, TIME, TIME.

Where was your first poem published? How old were you?

I PUBLISHED MY FIRST POEM IN COLLEGE, AS I RECALL. I’VE BEEN MEANING TOO LOOK THAT ONE UP. I KNOW IT’S SOMEWHERE IN THIS MESS OF A COOP WHERE I WORK…THESE BULGING FILES...THESE STACKS OF BOOKS AND PAPERS EVERYWHERE. I GUESS I WAS 18? PRETTY OLD FOR A POET. BUT THEN: POETRY WAS NOT A BIG THING IN MY EARLY EDUCATION (PAROCHIAL/CATHOLIC GRADE SCHOOL…MAIN EMPHASIS: RELIGION. AND NOT EVEN THE BIBLE, WHICH OF COURSE IS FILLED WITH BEAUTIFUL POETRY). NOR WAS POETRY EVER MENTIONED IN MY BLUE COLLAR/WHITE COLLAR HOME, WHERE THERE WERE NO BOOKS AT ALL TO SPEAK OF, WHERE NOBODY READ, AND A VISIT TO THE LIBRARY WAS UNHEARD OF. I CAME TO IT, LUCKILY (AS MANY OF US DO) THROUGH THE GRACE OF A GOOD, PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER. AT LEAST A SPARK WAS SET OFF THEN. BY THE TIME I GOT TO COLLEGE, WHERE I WAS FORTUNATE TO EXPERIENCE A NUMBER OF EXTRAORDINARY ENGLISH TEACHERS, THAT SPARK SLOWLY TURNED INTO A FLAME…AND LATER, A FULL FLEDGED FIRE.

Site three definitive books that exemplify modern poetry to you:

THIS IS VERY DIFFICULT. I COULD SITE A HUNDRED, BUT JUST THREE? LET’S LOOK AT IT ANOTHER WAY. EASTERN POETRY PLAYED A BIG PART IN MY DEVELOPMENT. THERE WAS BOTH A PHILOSOPHY AND AN AESTHETIC AT WORK THAT I IDENTIFIED WITH, FOR WHATEVER REASON. AND MAYBE I REALLY CAME TO IT THROUGH A NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ZEN. IT’S ALL ONE AND THE SAME THING. ZEN INEVITABLY LEADS YOU TO THE INCREDIBLE ANCIENT AND LIVING POETIC ART- FORM CALLED HAIKU. EVERYTHING YOU EVER NEED TO KNOW TO READ, ENJOY, AND WRITE POETRY CAN BE FOUND IN HAIKU. I’VE TAUGHT IT ON EVERY LEVEL--JUNIOR HIGH TO UNIVERSITY LEVELS. IT’S PART OF EVERY BEGINNING WRITING WORKSHOP I’VE EVER GIVEN. SO, THAT’S ONE DEFINITIVE `BOOK’ AND PLACE TO BEGIN. AND IF YOU NEED A POET, START WITH BASHO. THE NARROW ROAD TO THE DEEP NORTH WOULD BE A GOOD BEGINNING. BASHO WILL LEAD YOU TO OTHER POETS, OTHER WORLDS.

I WOULD CITE NATURE AS ANOTHER AREA THAT A POET NEEDS TO
TO OPEN UP TO AND TAKE DEEP INTO HIMSELF. TRY THE WORK OF ALL THE AMERICAN TRANSCENDENTALISTS…TRY WHITMAN’S, LEAVES OF GRASS. READ IT ONCE. TWICE. GO BACK TO IT FOREVER.

FROM THERE IT’S A FREE-FOR-ALL. THERE ARE SO MANY DIRECTIONS, SO MANY FINE POETS TO CHOOSE FROM. SINCE I CAME OUT OF THE CITY, SANDBURG CAUGHT MY EAR EARLY ON BECAUSE HE SO CAUGHT THE SOUNDS AND SOUL OF MY CITY, CHICAGO. I LIVE WITH HIS WORDS, WITH HIM, STILL RINGING IN MY EARS. AND SANDBURG LED ME TO NELSON ALGREN. YOU WANT POETIC-PROSE? WORDS AND LINES THAT SING ON THE PAGE? READ/ABSORB ALGREN’S LITTLE MASTERPIECE, CHICAGO; CITY ON THE MAKE. ALGREN’S GOOD FOR THE SOUL TO. THE WORLD OF HAVES AND HAVE NOTS. THE DISPOSSESSED. THAT’S WHERE THE POETRY COMES FROM: THE STREETS. NOT THE IVORY TOWER.

IT’S ALSO MY CONTENTION THAT TO WRITE GOOD, EVEN GREAT PROSE, YOU MUST FIRST UNDERSTAND POETRY. IT MUST BECOME PART OF YOUR BEING. FORTUNATELY, I LEARNED SOMETHING ABOUT THIS EARLY ON WHEN I BEGAN WRITING FOR BOTH THE NEWSPAPERS (TO SURVIVE) AND THE LITERARY MAGAZINES (TO DEVELOP MY ART) AT THE SAME TIME. I’M NOT QUITE SURE HOW IT HAPPENED-BUT IT’S ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I TRY TO IMPART (NOTICE, I DIDN’T SAY ‘TEACH’) WHEN I GIVE A WRITING WORKSHOP. A GOOD SHORT STORY IS A POEM. A GOOD ESSAY OR PROFILE REFLECTS THE SENSIBILITY OF THE POET AT WORK IN FORMING WHAT LOOKS LIKE HARD LINES OF PURE PROSE YET REVERBERATE WITH THE HEARTBEAT OF POETRY.

BY THE WAY, THAT WHOLE EASTERN INFLUENCE I MENTIONED INEVITABLY LEADS YOU TO THE POETRY OF WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS-THE IMAGIST SCHOOL” “NOT THE IDEA OF THE THING, BUT THE THING ITSELF.” (WHICH IS PURE HAIKU…ALSO PURE HEMINGWAY…ALSO PURE, PERSONAL JOURNALISM, AT ITS BEST). SANDBURG, WHITMAN, BOTH LEAD TO THE BEATS: GINSBURG/KEROUAC AND CO. NOT TO MENTION GARY SNYDER--NATURE AGAIN. AND ‘THE EAST’ AGAIN. IT’S A WHOLE LIVING, ROILING THING. SOME MAY SAY THEY HATE THE VERY WORD ‘POETRY’ BUT IT’S OUT THERE. WE BREATHE IT EVERY DAY. IT’S IN OUR BREATH, BONES, BLOOD, HISTORY.

LEST ONE SUSPECTS THIS IS A MEN’S CLUB ONLY-NOT TRUE. NOT BY A LONGSHOT. THERE WAS, OF COURSE, AMY LOWELL-OF THAT SAME SCHOOL OF IMAGISTS. AND WHERE WOULD AMERICAN POETRY BE TODAY WITH OUT EMILY DICKINSON, WAY BACK THEN? TRY ANNA AKHMATOVA FOR A FOREIGN TOUCH. AND OUR OWN LATIN AMERICAN GAL, SANDRA CISNEROS, WHO ADDS SUCH A BOUNCY LATIN STYLE TO OUR OWN (AN OLD) AMERICAN VOICE. SHE MAKES IT ALL NEW AGAIN.

Site three poets that you recommend or think we should be looking out for:

I PROBABLY HAVE CLOSE TO A THOUSAND BOOKS OF POETRY IN MY OWN LIBRARY/ I COULD THROW THE NAMES OF THREE POETS AT YOU THAT YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD IN YOUR LIFE. SAY THE ROMANIAN POET, PETER GHELMEZ. BUT WHAT GOOD WOULD THAT DO OTHER THAN CONFUSE YOU? IT’S BOTH IMPOSSIBLE AND UNFAIR TO LIMIT MYSELF, TO SUGGEST ONLY THREE POETS. YOU’VE GOT TO FIND YOUR OWN POETS. LET THEM FIND YOU. IF YOU DON’T READ-WIDELY, YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS ENTERTAINING THE NOTION OF BECOMING A SERIOUS POET. READ EVERYBODY. KEEP THE ONES YOU LIKE, THE ONES YOU CAN LEARN FROM, LEAVE THE OTHER FOR LATER-OR NEVER. KEEP MOVING. KEEP READING. KEEP LINKING POETS AND IDEAS. LET ALL THE COLORS RUN LIKE A WATERCOLOR…KEEP SPREADING, REACHING. ABOVE ALL, KEEP LIVING. EVENTUALLY EXPRESSING YOUR OWN LOVE FOR WORDS, FINDING YOUR OWN WAY TO EXPRESS YOUR LIFE IN FEELINGS

Are there any poems you wish you had written and why?

NO. I’M JUST GLAD THAT SO MANY GREAT POEMS WERE WRITTEN.

Of your poetry, which is your favorite poem?

THERE ARE SOME VISUAL POEMS I’VE DONE, POEMS WRITTEN ON MY WATERCOLORS, ESPECIALLY A SERIES I’VE DONE IN HOMAGE TO THE GREAT, UNFORTUNATELY LITTLE KNOWN AMERICAN POET, KENNETH PATCHEN-THESE ARE AMONG MY VERY FAVORITES. MOST OF WHICH I NO LONGER OWN.

What direction do you think good poetry is going and why?

I THINK I ALREADY ANSWERED THAT. I THINK IT’S GOING IN A NUMBER OF DIRECTIONS-INCLUDING ‘SLAM,’ `RAP,’ AND ‘SONG’, ALL OF WHICH ARE WORTH UNDERSTANDING, ENJOYING…AND MAKING PART OF YOUR OWN WORK, IF YOU ARE SO INCLINED. THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER DIRECTIONS OUT THERE FOR ANYONE TO PURSUE THESE DAYS, INCLUDING THE TRADITIONAL APPROACHES AND FORMS. FIND THE WORDS AND FORMS THAT MAKE YOU COMFORTABLE-AND ALIVE. BEAR IN MIND, YOU NEVER CHOOSE THE DIRECTION ANYWAY. THE DIRECTION CHOOSES YOU.

If you could say anything to aspiring young poets, what would you say?

I THINK I’VE PRETTY WELL SAID IT. FOR SOME, IT MAY BE A HOBBY, A PASTIME. FOR OTHERS, IT’S A LIFE. ONLY IF POETRY IS YOUR WHOLE LIFE, DOES IT REALLY MATTER.