What drew you to submit your work to RED SKIES?
I feel the writing of the past year will come to define what it has been like
living in this pandemic as music and movies have so far woefully failed,
What writers have inspired you?
Ernest Hilbert and Shakespeare for their Sonnets. Dennis Cooper for his short narrative poems overflowing with cultural references. E.E. Cummings for his
sheer inventiveness. Adrienne Rich’s early poems and Sylvia Plath’s final ones.
Jim Daniel’s consistency in his artful poems about working class life. Also, the
Haiku masters both old and new.
What projects are you currently engaged with?
A collection of poems I’ve had published in the past two years. Sequels to my
Two books, Damaged by Dames and Drinking, and Femme Fatales, Movie Starlets
and Rockers. Also, a collection of my three e books- Lies from The Autobiography
Volumes 1-3 with a new fourth volume.
How did you spend the year 2020?
Writing, drinking and taking photographs of models.
How have you maintained your artistic skills during the lockdown?.
I write, edit or study at least four hours a day. I also try not to drink alcohol
every day but don’t always succeed.
What led you to begin writing poetry, and where was your first publication? How did you
resume creative practices in your life, and has your traditional pathway of work
impacted your writing at all?
The City College newspaper published a poem and Downtown Magazine (a New
York arts journal) incredibly gave me 2 pages for my long poem on the murder of
Jennifer Levin. My work as a teacher did not impact my writing in any meaningful
way except for doing a lot less of it. Two years after I retired, I began to write on a regular basis and now, almost every day.
What is your personal creative process?
It varies a great deal. But I have to write at least 18 to 20 short poems a week to match
the photos on my Rp Verlaine page on Facebook. If I go more than two days without
posting my photos and poems, some of my 14,400 followers let me know they aren't
happy. Its a great incentive to keep writing.
Is community important to your work? Are there any magazines or small presses that you feel particularly fond of?
Atlas Poetica is a personal favorite that features Tanka poems and offshoots of, from
all over the world. Last Stanza Poetry Journal have put out two wonderful journals
and their third will be on the theme of Altered States. They are taking submissions till
the end of December. The Linnets Wings always astounds me with the quality of
its work, graphics and glossy paper. Always a thrill to get published there.