Snowmen
was sent out about 3 times a year for about 5 years, in various incarnations,
before BatCat picked it up.
Tell me about the title.
Had it always been Snowmen Losing Weight?
Did it go through any other changes?
The original title was The Snowmen Are Losing Weight. Then it
was briefly called The Gods of Standing
Room Only, and later Traffic Islands
of Our Youth, but none of those gave off enough light. Eventually, I came
back to Snowmen, but decided to simplify it to Snowmen Losing Weight.
Your book recently went
into a second printing, correct? What do you think are the advantages and
disadvantages to a more handcrafted book versus a collection with a more
defined press run?
Yes, it went into a
second printing in December 2012, seven months after the initial printing.
The advantages of
handcrafted books are they feel more like friends than third cousins. Not that
there is anything wrong with cousins. Well, not really. When you hold a
handmade book it makes you feel good about yourself and the world. Like driving
in an eco-friendly vehicle or better yet, a bicycle. It gives you a completely
different reading experience.
It seems like there’s a
possible misconception among some poets who are trying to get their first book
published: that they must win a contest. Were you concerned about winning a
contest at any point? What advice would you give to poets sending their book
out now regarding contests versus open reading periods?
Contests are catapults.
Winning one will put your name and work in certain circles, and I respect that.
I was not at all concerned about winning a contest, but I still sent Snowmen on the contest tour in hopes of
getting noticed. And it was a finalist in enough places to make me smile. But I
don’t think you need to win a contest to generate inspired work.
The only advice I have is
to send your work to presses you admire, places that are publishing work that
excites you. I don’t think it matters if it is through a contest or an open
reading period.
How involved were you
with the design of the book—interior design, font, cover, etc.?
I had nothing to do with
the design. It was all BatCat Press. I didn’t actually see the book until the
release party in Midland, Pennsylvania. When I first saw the book my heart
skipped a few beats, similar to the way it did when I first saw my wife. It was
sexy, and beautiful, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands all over it. That
didn’t come out exactly right, but you know what I mean.
What about the
publication of the actual poems in journals and magazines prior to the book
being published? Was there ever a concern for you to have the majority of the
poems published before you were sending out your manuscript?
I like sending work out
and I like hearing from editors and presses no matter what news they bring. I
wasn’t concerned at all with publishing any percentage of the poems. I did want
to have some of the poems picked up, but there was no special number in
mind.
How much work did you do
as far as editing the poems from the day you knew the book would be published
to its final proofing stage?
The BatCat crew and I
went back and forth over a period of 3 to 4 months discussing poems, order,
punctuation, and all that fun stuff. None of the poems were heavily edited or
rewritten. Working with the editors at BatCat was truly enjoyable. And it felt
particularly special working with BatCat because it is a student run press. The
student editors (Alison, Jane, & Robin) did a fantastic job. They were very
considerate in regards to the layout and thoroughly thought out how people
would interact with the book. And Deanna Mulye, who oversees the projects at
BatCat Press, must be some sort of saint teaching her students the art and
craft of bookmaking.
What do you remember
about the day when you saw your published book for the first time?
There was a lot of sweaty
palms and more applications of deodorant to my underarm region. Also, there was
a nuclear power plant and margaritas.
How has your life been
different since your book came out?
A lot has happened in my
“life.” I took a job in Buffalo, New York, working as Education Director for Just Buffalo Literary Center.
Before I was teaching 4th graders in Dayton, Ohio.
So I’ve moved to a new city, which I am slowly falling in love with, and working a gig that puts me in a more direct conversation with literature and the arts. I also am writing more than I ever have. I am on more of a schedule that permits me to focus my creativity energy.
So I’ve moved to a new city, which I am slowly falling in love with, and working a gig that puts me in a more direct conversation with literature and the arts. I also am writing more than I ever have. I am on more of a schedule that permits me to focus my creativity energy.
If you struck up a
conversation next to someone seated on an airplane, and after a few minutes you
eventually told them that you were an author who had a book of poetry
published, how would you answer their next question: “What’s the book about?”
Ha, people on airplanes.
I would tell them that the book is about you and me, and this shared air, and
the baby crying its body to sleep in the arms of a young mother ahead of us.
It’s about all those moments you want to remember forever. The moments you wish you had on film so you could watch them again in slo mo. It’s also about the moments you don’t want to remember, but are somehow thumb-tacked somewhere inside you and you can’t shake them off.
It’s about all those moments you want to remember forever. The moments you wish you had on film so you could watch them again in slo mo. It’s also about the moments you don’t want to remember, but are somehow thumb-tacked somewhere inside you and you can’t shake them off.
What have you been doing
to promote Snowmen Losing Weight, and
what have those experiences been like for you?
I’ve been doing little
interviews, and reaching out to reviewers and other writers to let them know
that the book exists. I made a book trailer, which was fun. I’ve also been trying to participate in as many
readings as possible, though I haven’t had the time to really travel or “tour,”
but I’d like to. I like road trips of all kinds. Particularly, road trips that
are focused around reading poems.
What advice do you wish
someone had given you before your first book came out?
Be patient and believe in
the process. Keep at it. Don’t let it get you down. Never surrender. And ride
your bicycle near the river, the ocean, the greatest of lakes.
What influence has the
book’s publication had on your subsequent writing? Are there any new projects
in the works?
The publication of the
book has only made me want to write another book. So that’s what I am doing. I
am working on a new manuscript right now. Mostly prose poems.
I am also shopping around
a chapbook collection about celebrity dreams, aptly called Celebrity Dream Poems. And I just finished a collaborative chapbook
with the poet Matt McBride, tentatively called Vocal Air.
Do you believe that
poetry can create change in the world?
I think poetry can act as
a sort of communication vessel for the soul. A vessel that highlights both the
quandaries of the everyday, and shares the dreams of the intellect. Can such a
vessel change the world? Absolutely!
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