Honoured to be one of the featured poets on Damien Donnelly’s “Eat The Storms” Podcast in the stunning company of Matthew Smith, Anna Saunders and Devon Marsh.
Month: October 2020
Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: Ryan Norman
Wombwell Rainbow Interviews
I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers three options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger, or an interview about their latest book, or a combination of these.
The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.
Two anthologies that feature Ryan’s work
Ryan Norman (he/him)
is a writer from New York living in the Hudson Valley. Inspired by the landscape, he writes what he feels. He is a contributing editor of creative nonfiction with Barren Magazine. His work has appeared in From Whispers to Roars, XRAY Literary Magazine, Black Bough Poetry, Storgy Magazine and elsewhere. You can find him on Twitter @RyanMGNorman and an updated list of his publications at Linktree: https://linktr.ee/RyanMGNorman
The Interview
I started writing poetry when I was in high school from what I can remember. I was just playing around with words and sounds and meter. All of my early poetry was form. My first poem was published when I was 16, and it is about mythology, informed by Ovid, but about my life. Both mythology and autobiographical themes still dominate my poetry many years later, although I no longer write in verse or follow forms. Sometimes iambs pop into lines every now and again and the occasional couplet, but I write free verse. Poetry has always been a way for me to tell my story even if it is hidden behind mythologies.
2. Who introduced you to poetry?
It’s difficult to pinpoint who introduced me to poetry. I suppose my earliest encounter was books my family read to me when I was very young. Dr. Seuss. Does that count? If not then, later in the school library I have a memory of the librarian reading Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, although none of that inspired me to write poetry. I was writing stories at young age.
3. How aware are and were you of the dominating presence of older poets traditional and contemporary?
It’s difficult not to be aware of these famous poets. I’ve read them willingly and for class assignments. In my early years of writing, while I was finding my voice, if I’ve truly found it, I imitated the styles of both traditional and contemporary poets.
4. What is your daily writing routine?
My daily writing routine doesn’t involve much writing. There are days when I note things. There are days when I write. Other times I just think about writing as a sort of brainstorming process. I need to feel inspired to write. Most of what I write comes from a stream of conscious practice. Some of it is deliberately written with line breaks.
5. What subjects motivate you to write?
I write what needs to be released from my mind. A lot of what I write about is confessional or, at the very least, autobiographical. I write about mental health, relationships, moments in time, mythology. If it involves my experience, I will write about it. Essentially, it is whatever I need to get off my chest at the moment. If it isn’t too revealing, I will pursue publishing that. Even if it is revealing, I will pursue publishing, because I believe in high stakes writing. It’s something I find interesting.
6. What is your work ethic?
I’ve always worked hard for what I have. My work goes through several rounds of edits until I’m happy with it.
7. How do the writers you read when you were young influence your work today?
I would say my biggest influences are Plath and Whitman for different reasons. I’ve always been interested in Plath for her skilled phrasing, and that is putting it very simply. I most closely relate to confessional poetry, and if you were to read my poetry or essays, for the most part you would notice that I toy with stakes. When am I sharing too much? Is what I’m portraying uncomfortable for readers? I’m by no means comparing myself to Plath, someone I find immensely talented. She is just an influence. As for Whitman, I do take influence from Leaves of Grass in particular. It was a very influential collection I read when I was young, but I in no way have the meanderings of a transcendentalist. But I do have a poem coming out called ‘Breaking Ground’ that is a little in the school of transcendentalism, but much more brief than a Whitman musing.
8. Whom of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?
I honestly do not read modern poets. Shame on me. I support friends’ work.
9. Why do you write, as opposed to doing anything else?
Writing is the easiest way of expressing myself. It is something I have excelled at, not to say I’m an excellent creative writer, but as a means of communicating my ideas, writing is the best way for me to get my point across. I was naturally drawn to writing.
10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”
Certainly, you can learn the technical aspects of writing. Take a workshop. Take a class. If you want to pursue something you are passionate about, go for it. Practice. Find people to read for you who will be honest. Just write.
11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.
I’m querying a chapbook. I’m planning a new chapbook. I’m working on a collection of essays. I would love to find a place that takes hybrid collections, because I have an idea for an essay/poem collection, and I’m always working on a memoir. There are things going on that are sometimes overwhelming, but I will get through my ideas one checkmark at a time.
A Mother’s Monologue While Heartache Eats Her Daughter – A Poem by Busamoya Phodiso Modirwa
A Mother’s Monologue While Heartache Eats Her Daughter
Oh my child. What will I do with you now?
Of all the things flowing
in
my
blood,
picked
you ^ this heart.
This heart that sometimes caves; an abandoned grave
After days
of having thoughtless flowers laid over it.
Words spoken over it —but never asked how it is doing.
This heart collapses; embraces the soil that buries it like a lover.
Even when the lover is a heavy thing that hurts
This heart gets hurt and dresses the wound with a smile.
When disaster strikes this heart wears a Red Cross
uniform and askswho else needs a life jacket.
This heart forgets it is not a life jacket it still spreads thin around lovers
who only know how to hold it to survive never to love.
My child
there are a lot of things this heart can do
but pulling…
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“The Ninth Garden” (9 vs. The Garden of Night) by James Schwartz w/ a painting by Moira J. Saucer
The Ninth Garden (9 vs. from the Garden of Night)
1.
I have been wrong before.
Finding silence at the door.
Slumped over in defeat.
Forgetting my frantic feet.
2.
I have been right as rain.
Reeling, dealing carried pain.
Years ago, on this day.
Mother was sent away.
3.
No more would I ever play.
Another Mother gone away.
Such a small square of stone.
Can make one feel so alone.
I am weary and I tire too soon.
Gazing at the buttery shards of the moon.
My step falters in the garden of night.
I have not the strength left to fight.
4.
The light of mourning son.
Felled by distance done.
Held by morning sun.
Night chases where I run.
The night is old: I scream, I scream.
I am youth: I dream, I dream.
The night is cold: I cry, I cry.
Tonight I die, tonight…
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Four Poems from ‘Magnifying Glass’ by Sue Finch
Siren Song of My Mother
The siren song of my mother calls me;
her long notes pierce the unfocused night.
I am weighted, but pulled towards the sea.
Slices of waves jewelled under lunar light
shine, before clouds shroud her as I begin to swim.
Riding the waves the music brings calm;
I want to sit with her, limb touching limb,
as sea salt stiffens the hairs on my arms.
Separated by birth and then by time
I need her to encircle my whole being:
I want to know that I was hers and she was mine.
Yet the song that she keeps on singing
is all melody and vowels now, no words.
I see only sharp shadow rocks, not her.
Hare Mother
Last year’s snow
turned your hair pure white.
A winter of wild words:
bitch, trapped, wasted.
His sharp preying eyes had you hiding,
almost glad when he…
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Nothing Compares 2 U – A Flash Fiction by Hannah Storm with a Painting by Cathy Daley
Nothing Compares 2 U
She remembers when she used to sympathise with Sinead O’Connor. When she thought seven hours and fifteen days was something to write songs about. Now she can no longer even string a sentence together, let alone some lyrics.
She has lost count of the days she has not slept, the cups of tea and plates of food she has not finished, the times she has burst into tears for apparently no reason, or wondered what the hell she was doing and why and how and what she was thinking.
She knows she’s supposed to be able to cope, because she sees all the other mothers bouncing their little ones on their knee at Starbucks, listens as they explain in voices that are little too high how little Archie or Alfie, or Abi slept through the night last night, and is on solids and is sitting up…
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Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: Susan Evans
Wombwell Rainbow Interviews
I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers three options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger, or an interview about their latest book, or a combination of these.
The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.
Susan Evans:
Writer | Performance Artist | Educator
Susan Evans is author of Shift Happens (Read Fox Books). She is also a regular contributor to a variety of magazines; in print and online. She has been captivating audiences of live literature, music and comedy festivals for over two decades; nationally and overseas, from London to New York. She is five times listed ***Best Spoken Word Performer*** of the year | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 (The Saboteur Awards.) And ***Best Collab*** 2020, for her inspirational, story-telling, commissioned by Creative Future for Hastings Storytelling Festival, hosted by Hastings Contemporary, supported by Arts Council England. Susan Evans lives and writes in Brighton, UK.
The Interview
1. What inspired you to write poetry?
An innate love of language and story-telling music, mostly.
2. Who introduced you to poetry?
Early years I would have to say nursery school, with their nursery rhymes. (I loved Incy Wincy Spider!) Progressing onto billboards, hymns, song lyrics, school texts and performance poets. At home and in my community, in north-east London, It was common place to see a wall-hanging of ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling and The Serenity Prayer (Anon). Those inspirational poems were also early introductions (and mantras to live by.)
3. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?
Blissfully unaware! (A late starter with most things, me!)
4. What is your daily writing routine?
I do not have a daily writing routine, as such. I note thoughts and ideas as they come, organically. I then block out segments of time, with the intention of putting thoughts into some sort of order, mostly fuelled by black coffee and dark chocolate.
5. What motivates you to write?
A desire to communicate. The desire usually comes viscerally. A sense of needing to relinquish thoughts and feelings on some subject; be it dark or light, onto the page; lest thoughts evaporate. Once suitably crafted, from countless hours ‘in flow,’ I think about where and how I might communicate my art with the world; reflecting our shared humanity.
6. What is your work ethic?
Whatever I commit to, I like to fully honour with love and integrity. I am pretty uncompromising with projects. That kind of ethic means that sometimes, some projects take a bit of time to come to fruition. And some project ideas may need to be released; let go of. So be it. It’s a journey, not a race.
7. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?
When I was young, I enjoyed the privilege of reading and being read to, the works of C.S. Lewis, Rudyard Kipling, A.A. Milne, Enid Blyton, Beatrix Potter, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Roald Dhal, Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, et al. Classic writers who were mostly prescribed to me as a child, were warmly welcomed. Some of the most memorable, century old quotes have slipped into some of my poems. (In quotations, of course.) When a reader/listener quotes me, I cherish that. To make memorable work is something, isn’t it?
8. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?
So many. Upon reflection, I mostly admire or appreciate writers of story-telling music. Early exposure to the family record player has had a significant influence. I have always felt strongly drawn to songs where the spoken word is foremost. So currently, for me, that would be the kind of artists and writers/lyricists likely to be featured on BBC Radio 6 Music. Why? Because they literally move me. Like I have to turn up the dial. I have to get up. I have to take note! (I like to be inspired, as well as inspire, it’s spiritual.) Also, The Moth Radio Hour ~ those live broadcasts of inspiring truth-tellers. Oh.My.Word. A recent episode had me seriously tearing up. (The theme was grief.) Then we have some brilliant, contemporary playwrights… Suffice to say, I admire writers who keep it real, who produce authentic, thought-provoking, awe-inspiring, transporting, transforming, uplifting, human, all the feels, work (pretty subjective!) with an interesting sound and flow, work that translates well from page to stage. I do love my literature live. I am part of that tribe.
9. Why do you write?
I write to connect with myself and others. Of all the modes of expression, writing is the most natural to me. You know the show-biz stories you hear about the child who could sing before they could talk? Well I was the child (toddler, even) who managed to reach her mother’s, out of reach, bottle of special fountain pen ink & drank it! (Do not try this at home!) Maybe I thought I was Alice in Wonderland (Though no label said: “drink me.”) I am hardly ever without a pen on my person; I become antsy when pens disappear or when ink runs dry. (Even with all the technology.) I usually carry several pens.
10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”
I would say that you become with practise. I would also suggest that reading can up your writing game ~ that there are many decent online and print poetry journals to explore and to submit your writing to. (Always read submission guidelines.) To graciously accept any non acceptances as part of a writers journey (non acceptance does not necessarily deem your work unworthy.) Don’t be put off. Editors are often writers also facing their share of non acceptances. Write what you want to write. Do YOU. But do practise. If wanting some friendly, informal feedback, I would suggest a local work shop group. If looking to monetize your writing, I would suggest thinking about a side hustle to keep you in coffees as well as reduce isolation ~ it’s common for writers to have side hustles, from dog-sitting to teaching. Finally, an inspirational quote to make you sit up: ‘Don’t die with your music still inside you.’ Go! Go! Go!
11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment?
Sure. My full-length, debut poetry collection: Shift Happens (Read Fox Books) was released: 21 March 2020, on World Poetry Day. The live book tour was postponed, as with many live events in 2020, (love to the world…) So I am working on a piece of comic-tragic spoken word theatre: The Shift Show. I am also working on new poetry pamphlets, and have a couple of podcast guest spots coming up as well as workshops that I will be running, and some ~ watch this space…
Links:
To order a signed copy of Susan Evans’ full-length, debut poetry collection: Shift Happens
https://SusanEvansPoet.BigCartel.Com
To follow Susan Evans on Facebook and Instagram:
https://www.facebook.com/SusanEvansPoet/
Instagram: @SusanEvansPoet
Four Poems by Michael Akuchie
My Mother Walks Me
through a dream where a ballroom is capital city. Here is where I do not conceal the honesty
of my dance steps. Where each trip is an only misjudged move. Where each fall is a door to
a harvest of sympathy. Here, my mother dusts off the silt of inaction. She shoots towards
the horizon of a dawn far apart from the cemetery of bones. This dream is a garden & each wish a supple fruit that is obtainable. It is here I climb the tower of her voice, wade into
the trill of her pronunciations. I gather with ease the moonlight of our smiles, her audacity
of affection, my elongation of awe.
Where I Need to Be
I crawl out of my room to climb
the roof to watch
the moon paint the sky & the rest
of us a great white.
What’s mine is…
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“I scattered my mother’s ashes in the air – A Poem by Daisy Odey
I scattered my mother’s ashes in the air
Since then the wind carries
her on its back, and leaves
her on some stranger’s door step.
I think of her sometimes,
And see the word hypertension
Lift off a doctor’s tongue,
Become a tombstone
As it falls on mine.
I think of her sometimes,
And see how time continues taking.
the seasons keep turning their hands
hours run along, hide in long minutes
In the corners shadows grow and diminish
The seasons keep turning their hands
And my mother is still falling
soothing a hard world
with her soft places.
Daisy Odey @daisyodey is a Nigerian poet. She is the author of the chapbook Fragments in a closet which was published in the African Poetry Book Fund (APBF) New Generation African Poets Chapbook Box Set (2019), edited by Kwame Dawes and Chris Abani. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in…
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The Wombwell Rainbow 