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FULL INTERVIEW:
- Who are some of your favorite poets, why? poems?
- Some of my favorites include Lao Tzu, Rumi, Kerouac, and Bukowski. Something about the universality and simplicity of each. Bukowski’s “We Ain’t Got Money Honey, but We’ll Always Have the Rain” is one I find myself drawn back to. Julian Beck’s “Revolution and Counterrevolution” is a great one too; I find I enjoy reading it at open mics and readings.
- Why do you write poetry?
- I would go crazy. Honestly. If I didn’t write poetry, I’d go crazy. Also, I sometimes feel I have some insightful, or entertaining, or ridiculous thought to share, and depending on how much I elaborate, I have a poem.
- Besides writing what are some other talents you possess?
- Breathing. I love breathing. Sometimes, so much so, it upsets my wife. I’m also more athletic than everyone expects. Before I was a poet, I was an athlete. I played sports consistently until the middle of high school.
- What inspires you the most?
- Everything. More specifically: Facial expressions, human bodies, personal and second-hand experiences, memories, thoughts, life lessons, the arts, revolution, and, of course, love and lust and suffering.
- What else do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?
- Yoga is a daily practice, as is meditation and pranayama (breathing exercises). I love anything sports, whether it’s playing or spectating. Currently trying to put the plans together for a company I look to start this year; having fun imaging that and putting it down on paper. And the usuals: being around my favorite people; listening to music; drawing with my compass and markers.
- What modern or contemporary poets do you most admire?
- Kerouac and Bukowski. Both speak to me on very different planes of existence. I love being caught in between.
- What does poetry mean to you?
- Poetry, to me, is a vessel for learning, for teaching, for seeing the world in ways that were once unimaginable. I consider myself a poet and a spoken word artist and consider the difference to be much like the difference between theatre and plays; while the quality of one regards what is written, the other regards the work when it is brought to life through voice and action.
- Tell us about your current efforts in the contemporary poetry movement. What nights do you host?
- Currently, I am host and producer of Soapbox Sessions, an open mic for all performers every Thursday Night in Los Angeles. The show has been running for 5.5+ years and is going strong. Looking to expand to become a resource for artists. We have recently started a Blog Talk Radio show for performers and artists to call in and discuss current events in the creative community, as well as share their work. We have many things in the works as well, but those will arise as that company I talked about comes further into fruition.
- Are you happy with the current poetry movement, do you feel poetry is getting the attention it deserves? How do you feel can we improve to promote poetry as a whole?
- Truth be told, I don’t believe Poetry will ever get the due credit it deserves. Just like many movies, novels, and video games wouldn’t exist without hours upon hours of Dungeons and Dragons, I believe many art works, teachings, plays, etc would not exist without the dedication of our fellow artists, past and present. I think the world wide consciousness and needs to change the way it thinks about ‘poetry’ and realize you can’t go anywhere without finding the styles and effects of poetry; whether it be marketing slogans, dialogue on television, or twitter feeds.
- What resources advice do you have for other writers.
- Don’t stop. You have something special to share. Find a local open mic and speak your truth. Big difference between writing and reading aloud, though both you’ll find out are inseparable.
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