What drew you to submit your work to RED SKIES?
I put a lot of my smaller poems on twitter, and was seeking journals with a twitter presence, when I came across a tweeted reference to the RED SKIES anthology. I clicked through to the site and was intrigued by the two people joining forces to create a new home for poetry. This anthology is topical, I am at risk for covid, as is my wife, thus I was aware of the issue early and arranged to work from home. As I am older (64) and have spent much of my life traveling, experiencing different cultures and occupations, while always engaged with creativiey (visual art, now poetry), I've already had the opportunity to gain life experiences to draw on for my work, thus being restricted from social engagement was not the hardship it would once have been. I do feel estranged, yet not much more than I had already. It is nevertheless, a source of contemplation, giving me an internal conversation rather than a conversation with other minds. When I perceived the raison d'être for the magazine it inspired the poems I wrote for it. I wrote both poems from my backyard, where I feed the birds, including the beloved crows I love to talk to, the hole where an ancient mighty maple stood a few years earlier in the yard, itself enclosed by surrounding houses, each an individual source of covid fear. Beyond them stretch the ancient dykes of the Acadians, the sea itself kilometers away down the river.
How have you spent your 2020? Has your life changed much with the lockdowns?
Working at home was the major change, from a building full of workmates. You would think that a place where many people did the same work would lead to drawing similar people, but I did not find it so. My real work is always the art that I do, the rest is the time consuming act of survival. Then, just before I wrote the poems for the anthology, my arthritis moved into a new phase of body destruction with the deterioration and inflammation of my spine, particularly the neck, so that I was unable to continue working at my job. Writing became difficult too, although always impossible for me to neglect. This has actually had more impact than covid has, putting me on sick leave, yet simultaneously giving me more time to write.
If you could only pick a single book to be quarantined with, what would it be?
Not possible. I am an incessant reader, many subjects, many genres, I always carry an e-reader with me, I've been known to read a book a day for extended periods, though i do not do so now as I spend so much of my time writing.
Who are your favourite writers? Who do you think has influenced your style and skill primarily?
I have trouble with the word "favourite". The best ice cream flavour, for example, is the one in my mouth right now. I have read and enjoyed many writers/poets, and hopefully learned from them all. Leonard Cohen and Elizabeth Bishop come to mind, they were poets I started with when I began writing poems eight years ago, but I have read so many since. This includes as many anthologies as I could lay my hands on. I am a dedicated thrift thrift store shopper which leads to an eclectic collection of second hand poetry books, some simply terrible, some uplifting, all now integrated into my subconscious. I joyfully never know what might pop out of those dark recesses.
Are you engaged in any projects right now?
I write every day. Specifically I am working on a semi-fictional, self-illustrated, poetry memoir. I was a visual artist for decades before arthritis persuaded me to adopt a different medium. I've been working on reviving those particular artistic skills for this new endeavour.
Do you think community is important? Are there any small presses or magazines that you feel passionate about?
I live in a small, remote town in rural Nova Scotia, one that suffers a dearth of opportunities for cultural interaction. In my peregrinations I've lived in many cultural meccas but interacted as a visual artist, not a poet. Do I think community is important? Yes. Yet I've not much opportunity locally except for the odd open mic at local cafes. I've actually expanded my art community interaction because of covid by participating in online communities.
I enjoy, and feel for, all the small presses who dedicate themselves to heartfully publish poetry. It is a thankless job remuneratively, although rich in art. Having said that, I am ever grateful to the publisher of my own 5 books, Vine Leaves Press, originally of Greece but now located in Australia. They publish many kinds of books but include poetry titles, I believe, out of love. The publisher: Jessica Bell is an intensely creative person herself, a poet, musician, cover designer, and much more.