Thanks to the amazing Tamiko Beyer (We Come Elemental, Alice James Books, 2013) for inviting me to take part in The Next Big Thing:
What is the working title of the book?
Pinwheel
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I always wrote poems, and I don't think the book itself was necessarily an “idea,” but more like a collection of all of my word and music and art obsessions up until this point.
What genre does your book fall under?
Poetry.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Lindsay Lohan and James Deen will be playing the umbrella and refrigerator, respectively.
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
By what small margin we escape and look up.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
A little over ten years.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Townes Van Zandt, Joseph Cornell, Robert Frank.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interests?
Well, it took me a really long time to write this book, and I hope that shows in the compression and distillation of the language in these poems. I find real life so messy and overwhelming, I like each poem to function as its own separate/alternate world. Also, trauma and addiction are major themes (I wasn't kidding about Lindsay Lohan) and I hope I treat these issues with a complexity that's seriously lacking in a lot of so-called "recovery" literature. Finally, I hope the poems are mysterious enough to warrant repeated readings, and failing that, that they sound good.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Pinwheel was selected by Jean Valentine for the 2012 New Issues Poetry Prize and is available from the publisher, SPD or Amazon.
What is the working title of the book?
Pinwheel
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I always wrote poems, and I don't think the book itself was necessarily an “idea,” but more like a collection of all of my word and music and art obsessions up until this point.
What genre does your book fall under?
Poetry.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Lindsay Lohan and James Deen will be playing the umbrella and refrigerator, respectively.
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
By what small margin we escape and look up.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
A little over ten years.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Townes Van Zandt, Joseph Cornell, Robert Frank.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interests?
Well, it took me a really long time to write this book, and I hope that shows in the compression and distillation of the language in these poems. I find real life so messy and overwhelming, I like each poem to function as its own separate/alternate world. Also, trauma and addiction are major themes (I wasn't kidding about Lindsay Lohan) and I hope I treat these issues with a complexity that's seriously lacking in a lot of so-called "recovery" literature. Finally, I hope the poems are mysterious enough to warrant repeated readings, and failing that, that they sound good.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Pinwheel was selected by Jean Valentine for the 2012 New Issues Poetry Prize and is available from the publisher, SPD or Amazon.
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