Gary M. Almeter, author of The Emperor of Ice-Cream (March 2019) sat down with our team to talk books, life, and writing. Here's what went down: If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make? In light of the fact the title of this book came from Wallace Stevens, I would likely choose Wallace Stevens. To say thanks. He was interesting - he was a vice president for an insurance company while also writing some of the most whimsical poems I have read. The idea of him walking to work in a grey flannel suit while his mind was celebrating the power of imagination is intriguing to me. I would definitely serve ice cream, if not for dinner then definitely for dessert. We have an ice cream maker so I would try to make something interesting.
L. Ward Abel, poet, composer and performer of music, teacher, retired lawyer, has been published hundreds of times in print and online (The Reader, Pisgah Review, Versal, Ha!Art, Istanbul Review, Snow Jewel), and is the author one full collection and ten chapbooks of poetry, including Jonesing for Byzantium (UKA Press, 2006), American Bruise (Parallel Press, 2012), Little Town gods (Folded Word Press, 2016), A Jerusalem of Ponds (erbacce Press, 2016), and Digby Roundabout (Kelsay Books, 2017). He presently lives in rural Georgia.
Ward is the author of The Rainflock Sings Again, available on February 19, 2019 Our team sat down with Abel to discuss writing and such...
If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make?
I'd like to cook dinner for Raymond Carver, but not before the cocktails and the storytelling, not before the showing of scars and staring out the window into the rain. I'd cook fish. (I'm allergic to fish, so I couldn't eat it.) Then I'd serve it with further requisite cocktails, and listen. What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears? Strangely I've never feared the writing process; what I fear is not being able to write. So far, I haven't had to deal with the block. I've been writing, either music or poetry, non-stop since I was thirteen, some forty six years. When that day comes I won't be happy. Who is your biggest literary crush, author or character? I'm not sure I'd call it a crush, but it might be Sylvia Plath. What books are on your nightstand? Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey, some essays by Christopher Hitchens, The Mind of the South by W. J. Cash, Open Ground by Seamus Heaney. Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you? Places more than faces, I'm afraid—the empty room, the open field, the slope, the plain, a sunset from my porch, a headline, the morning... Favorite punctuation mark? Why? The period. That's when the case is closed. What book were you supposed to read in high school, but never did? Tolkien's The Hobbit, which I adore now, by the way. What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements? The broken wooden fence in my yard: I can't light on it, but it offers no resistance to my going and coming. Why do you write? The first 5 words that come to mind. Go. Necessity, therapy, spiritual, travel, answers. If you could write an inspirational quote on the mirrors of aspiring writers, what would you write? Don't just write what you know; write what you don't know but would love to find out. On 2.12.2019, Unsolicited Press excitedly released a local Portlander's poetry collection. Carolyn Martin's A Penchant for Masquerades is Carolyn Martin’s fourth poetry collection that takes an unflinching look at the fluidity of truth, time, identity, history, death, and relationships.
Martin time-travels with Neanderthals, Lucy, and Big Foot to 9/11 to the future collapse of a holographic universe. She mines scientific discoveries, nursery rhymes, biblical characters, and the works of Issa, Horace, Yeats, Frost, Williams, Szymborska, and Collins in poems that are both playful and thought-provoking. If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make? Since I wouldn’t subject anyone to my cooking, I’d take Wislawa Szymborska, the 1996 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, to the Portland, OR restaurant of her choice. I admire this wise, brave, brilliant poet whose subtle subversity enabled her to confront political oppression in her native Poland through poems that are sharp-witted, intellectually astute, and moving. What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears? The only thing that scares me is the fleeting thought that the next poem will never arrive. I combat it by laughing at myself because this has never happened. Poems appear when they are ready. Who is your biggest literary crush, author or character? Of the many, my choice in this moment is Ann Patchett for her brilliant novel Bel Canto. The unforgettable characters are beautifully rendered and the political context for the plot is engaging and moving. Patchett makes you feel empathy for the capturers as well as the captured. What books are on your nightstand? Less by Andrew Sean Greer, Love and Ruin by Paula McClain, Nonrequired Reading by Wislawa Szymborska. Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you? Nature, travel, other authors, of course. But I’ve also learned to chase inspiration by keeping files of quotations and articles from any discipline that catch my attention. I read works on science, art, music, cosmology, and world religions to find images and ideas that will enrich my work. I remember reading articles that claim the sun rings like a bell, that North America moves closer to Japan by three inches each year, and that there’s a species of frog that listens with its mouth. Each of these images delighted me and worked their way into poems. Favorite punctuation mark? Why? The question mark because it opens readers to possibilities beyond what I would hope they understand. It’s an open invitation to think beyond the poem. What book were you supposed to read in high school, but never did? Being a good Catholic student in a Catholic high school, I read everything assigned. What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements? My point-and-click Sony digital camera. It reminds me to look more closely at the world outside me. I see things more intensely when I carry a camera. Why do you write? The first 5 words that come to mind. Go. Joy, hope, fun, challenge, satisfaction. If you could write an inspirational quote on the mirrors of aspiring writers, what would you write? “To be great one must seem so, and seeming that goes on for a lifetime is no different from reality.” – William Butler Yeats. About the Author From associate professor of English to management trainer to retiree, Carolyn Martin has journeyed from New Jersey to Oregon to discover Douglas firs, months of rain, and dry summers. Her poems and book reviews have appeared in publications throughout North America and the UK including “Stirring,” “Naugatuck River Review,” “CALYX,” “The Curlew,” and “Antiphon.” Her third collection, Thin Places, was released by Kelsay Books in 2017. She is currently the poetry editor of Kosmos Quarterly, journal for global transformation. Find out more about Martin's book here. If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make? R.L. Stine. The first books I fell in love with as a child were his Goosebumps series. My mom would take me to the local bookstore every Wednesday, where the new title would be available, and I’d rub the raised letters on the cover all the way home. It seems unlikely, today, that parents would so value their children reading horror novellas, but the 90s were a strange time. I’d like to thank him for bringing me to literature. What would I cook him? Monster blood soup with grilled cheese and die, obviously. What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears? Starting. I am a pretty dedicated writer who, in the midst of a project, will write 1000 words per day no matter what. I’ve set my expectations pretty low, so if I end up with 1000 words of rubbish I don’t self-flagellate, but it’s a nice goal that gets me active. Nevertheless, every time I sit down to write, I feel some form of anxiety. Like a snowball, the longer I work the more comfortable I feel (and about 700 words in the richness starts to arrive), which means I end up editing out much more than I end up saving—but scooping up the snow to start is hard. Something about sitting down with all of the desire I have to make my designs right makes me want to quit before I get going. Like many creative people, I start a project with a central thesis or motivation, and painting that beautifully without losing my intention drags me whining to my writing. An old friend once called me histrionic; she was right. But I’m also a rock climber. And rock climbers spend their days horrified. Leaving the relative comforts of gravity to climb hundreds of feet of peril teaches one thing: that fear is a necessary part of life and the only way to overcome it is to go bold out into it. This is how I combat my writing fear. I overcome the anxiety of starting writing by starting, every day. Who is your biggest literary crush, author or character? I think the best living short story writer is Lorrie Moore. Once, when I met her at a book signing, I quipped (I thought cleverly) that she must be tired of writing her name so many times. She responded, “Just be glad I didn’t sign it Morrie Loore.” I suppose I would count her my literary crush because I wish I could write with even 1/3 the brilliance that she does; the way she can combine tragedy with lancing wit is a thing of beauty about which I wish to aspire. She’d turn me down. What books are on your nightstand? Leaves of Grass—Walt Whitman Mirrors—Eduardo Galeano Hangsaman—Shirley Jackson Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you? I often do not feel responsible for my ideas. I am partial to the Greek notion of muses, who whisper artistic inspiration to the otherwise lame imbecile. Or, better, Vonnegut’s assertion that aliens beam story ideas into his head via an implanted antenna. But, in truth, I am inspired to react to this world and my feelings of responsibility to it; I faithfully believe that the writer is responsible for not only continuing the ringing of past bells but also reacting to the realities of the time when they live. Literature is a cultural artifact, so in a way, the writer is both the bones that become fossils and the archaeologist. I have no intention of writing a masterpiece. I am fine with writing small, next-to-nothings. If we think of the whole of literature to be one great book, I am happy to be a page—a paragraph, a well-placed word!—between its covers. What I hope is that I experience life—whatever that means—consume it, digest it, refine it, and regurgitate it in words so that someone can see it and maybe recognize a few of the pitfalls and footholds. Favorite punctuation mark? Why? Perhaps the semi-colon, because I think I know what it is for; or, maybe, the long dash, because I don’t really know what it is for—but that gives it its power. What book were you supposed to read in high school, but never did? That math textbook. What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements? The woods. A mountain. Why do you write? The first 5 words that come to mind. Go. Fidelity, community, boldness, bravery, and beauty. If you could write an inspirational quote on the mirrors of aspiring writers, what would you write? Do not be afraid of yourself; trust in the songs you sing. Lenny DellaRocca is the author of Festival of Dangerous Ideas, a poetry collection released on January 1, 2019. Here is a brief interview with the author:
If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make? John Lennon. I’d make Linguine with garlic and oil. What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears? I’m always afraid of spending a great deal of time and energy on something that might not turn out. The only way to fight that fear is to plow through, to keep writing until I either finish the poem and am satisfied, or realize I can’t work it out, and abandoned it. That may take years. Who is your biggest literary crush, author or character? I love, admire and respect the late poet Lynda Hull. And poet Gjertrud Schnackenberg. And Denise Duhamel. And Julie Marie Wade… Also Chen Chen…. What books are on your nightstand? I’m re-reading The Marvelous Arithmetics of Distance by the late Audre Lorde. (Poetry) And Fire and Fury, Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff. Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you? Sometimes it’s a memory, sometimes it’s something I hear on the radio- recently I tuned into NPR and came in on the middle of an interview. A man said “The machinery they sent to the heavens”, and I said out loud to my wife- I have to write that poem- that’s has got to be the title, and so it is. And sometimes I read a line of poetry, or a line of fiction that becomes a poem. A new poem I’ve written borrows its title from a line in To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. I opened the book and came upon the line “What does one send to a lighthouse”? And I thought that would make a great title of a poem. I’m inspired by other poets’ poetry. Sometimes I stop the middle of reading a poem, and start writing. It’s like jazz, you hear a riff, and you play one back. Favorite punctuation mark? Why? My favorite right now seems to be the ; What book were you supposed to read in high school, but never did? It was The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, but I’ve since read it, albeit 40 years or so late. What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements? My pen purchased at Abbey Road Studios in London this past September. Why do you write? The first 5 words that come to mind. Go. Imaginary people, dreams, longitude, escape, love. If you could write an inspirational quote on the mirrors of aspiring writers, what would you write? Imagine that what you write will be read long after you’re gone. Poetry. The bread and butter of Unsolicited Press. This October 2018, we are proud to release Douglas Cole's poetry collection The Gold Tooth in the Crooked Smile of God. We all know readers want to know more about the authors they read, thus, Cole has sat down with us to answer some fun, silly, and intimate questions. Enjoy. If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make?
I would invite to dinner Pablo Neruda, my favorite poet. And he would be served a big gleaming glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice (“Ode to the Orange”), fried tomatoes (“Ode to the Tomato”), and burning potatoes, lamb, undressed onions, and sugar-coated strawberries (“The Great Tablecloth”). What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears? My greatest fear has always been being perceived as “just not good enough.” It doesn’t matter how many people tell me that they love my pieces, because I am absolutely my own worst critic. Nothing ever really is good enough in my eyes; I could always be funnier, darker, braver, bolder, more daring. But lately, I’ve been trying a new tactic that doesn’t involve me beating my head against a desk: optimism. Every time I complete something, I tell myself that I did the best I could, and that all art is subjective; one man’s slush pile refugee is another’s blazing jewel. Anytime I get stuck writing, I just take a breather: go for a walk or a drive, exercise, play with my son. Then I’ll come back to writing, and hopefully something will have come to me by then, or I’ll have at least developed the patience to keep trying. Who is your biggest literary crush, author or character? Pablo Neruda has always had my heart. With his mystical metaphors, lovestruck yet stone-faced themes and tones, and elegant rainbows of dauntless dreams, his lyrical, down-to-earth, resonating language can reduce me to a pile of rabid rubble, seething for more jagged imagery and expressions of sheer eloquence. What books are on your nightstand? Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette, by Sena Jeter Naslund Girl With the Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair, by Pablo Neruda The Creation, by Bruce Beasley Into Each Room We Enter Without Knowing, by Charif Shanahan The Bloody Chamber, by Angela Carter Don’t Call Us Dead, by Danez Smith At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom: Stories, by Amy Hempel The Long Prison Journey of Leslie Van Houten, by Karlene Faith Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn Carrie, by Stephen King Whereas: Poems, by Layli Long Soldier Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you? Everything inspires me: the way the sunshine turns rocks into prisms; the forced sound of pretentious laughter dying on a woman’s overpainted lips; purple meadows and blazing forests and dauntless shadows. My greatest source of inspiration, however, comes from what many would describe as a hindrance: Bipolar Disorder. It flows through my lifeblood, echoing throughout every piece I write, every illusion I carefully craft or thoughtlessly shatter. Having been an inpatient in many hospitals throughout the years, I have taken away an armload of experiences, knowledge, compassion, empathy, anguish, rage, and other tall tales that no one wants to hear, let alone believe. Favorite punctuation mark? Why? The question mark is unquestionably my very favorite punctuation mark of all. I love asking questions, as well as being asked questions, and questions about questions about questions, of course. The question mark denotes curiosity, eagerness for knowledge, keenness for inquisition and acquisition. What recommended reading book did you skip in school? I never skipped a recommended reading book, mainly because I LIVED for reading (and still do), and for writing about reading. I prided myself on never being unprepared for a pop quiz or a long exam, and on polishing off tests while the rest of my classmates were still chewing their pencil erasers, discreetly peering over deskmates’ shoulders. (Yes, I was that tactfully smug kid at which you wanted to carefully aim your spitballs.) I loved learning the inner workings of novels: plot points, characterization, imagery, symbolism, themes, foreshadowing. I couldn’t get enough of Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, T.S. Eliot, Toni Morrison, Mark Doty. They all managed to place me under an invincible, intangible spell. What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements? I would thank my hot-pink pen with the guitar-enameled cap, given to me by my fiancé Tony. Oh, that beautiful blazing blue electricity of crackling ink against newborn paper! I use my beloved pen to craft compositions, chisel rough drafts, refine raw ideas, and polish up poesy. Why do you write? The first 5 words that come to mind. Go. Passion. Duty. Veracity. Sincerity. Immortality. If you could write an inspirational quote on the mirrors of aspiring writers, what would you write? “Don’t be the writer. Be the writing.” - William Faulkner If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make? Tennessee Williams keeps coming to mind. I mean, it’s an impossible question as there are so many I’d love to do this for. And of course, I’d make an entire buffet of dishes and drinks pulled from his own plays: Hoppin’ John, strawberry daiquiris, etc. It’d be quite the menu. What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears? Revising. As Dorothy Parker once said, “I hate writing. I love having written.” It’s tough to re-ignite that moment on initial inspiration, but, obvious as this next statement may be, I do find that the longer I sit with a piece, the more nooks and crannies I uncover and that in and of itself is a Truth I tell myself over and over to combat those fears. Of course, it also creates a new set of problems: When to Stop, etc. What books are on your nightstand? Currently: A Wrinkle in Time; Out of Oz, A Confederacy of Dunces, Twelve Caesars, The Woman Warrior, and Dragon Country. Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you? Wal-Mart. Kroger. Church. Thanksgiving. A niece’s birthday. Wherever my ear goes, ideas follow. Favorite punctuation mark? Why? I find myself a bit obsessed with the long dash. If I find out why that is, I’ll let you know. What book were you supposed to read in high school, but never did? I read every book, even the ones I hated. Even Silas Marner. What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements? Post-it notes. Why do you write? The first 5 words that come to mind. Go. To learn how to forgive. T.K. LEE is an award-winning member of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Society for Stage Directors and Choreographers, among others. A published writer of Pushcart-nominated fiction, in addition to award-winning poetry, he is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in the MFA program at the Mississippi University for Women, in historic Columbus, Mississippi, birthplace of Tennessee Williams.
On October 31, 2018, Unsolicited Press released Michael Murray's debut essay collection WRITING NAKED. The collection is brave, reckoning with self-esteem issues, depression, and addiction.
Our team sat down with Murray for a brief and beloved interview: What literary journeys have you gone on? To be quite honest, hardly any. I don’t read much, which is probably surprising. I read a lot of film critiques and other random stuff. I have a difficult time reading, let alone sitting still for more than five minutes at a time. What is the first book that made you cry? I remember reading the Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls when I was in roughly fourth grade. I stayed up late to finish it and remember waking my mom and dad up in the middle of the night because I was inconsolable. I truly remember my heart hurting for the first time in a way that was completely foreign to me. Another book that devastated me was The Cay by Theodore Taylor. My fifth-grade homeroom teacher Ms. Jones read it to us little by little for a span of a few weeks. She read it with an islander accent and by the end of the book the entire class, including Ms. Jones, was bawling. I’m not sure if we were crying because the book was sad, or because it was so devastating to see how sad Ms. Jones was. Either way, I’ll never forget it. Does writing energize or exhaust you? Writing is completely exhausting for me. I can only write in the morning because it’s something that I look at as “getting out of the way.” So much of my writing, if not all of it, is highly personal, and the process of digging through my mind to remember certain events, feelings, and specific details is, for all intents and purposes, exhausting. What are common traps for aspiring writers? I would say self-doubt, and also being overly confident. Also, booze, women, and drugs. Does a big ego help or hurt writers? I have the lowest self-esteem of most people I know. Never in a million years did I think I’d ever publish anything, let alone secure a book contract. So, who knows. I think both can work. There are some arrogant assholes out there who do really well, and there are modest writers who crush it too. I guess it depends on what type of person you are. Have you ever gotten reader’s block? I always have readers block. I seldom read, but when I find something I like, I binge on it. Right now, it’s Melissa Broder. Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym? Yes, and then I remind myself that however people interpret my writing is their problem. I say this, but I don’t really feel it yet. I am terrified that my writing will hurt people. I see a shrink and that’s a lot of what we talk about, but whether it’s a tweet, a FB post, or a text message, once I write something, how people react is completely out of my control. “Once the fire’s lit, fuck the match.” Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly? Well, if someone doesn’t feel emotions strongly they’re either in denial or a sociopath and plenty of sociopaths and people in denial write. So, yes? What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer? No one really famous besides Alissa Nutting. I have plenty of friends that are writers, but none of them are technically authors. Reading Alissa’s “Tampa” rattled me because it was one of the most vulgar things I’d ever read, and at the time I was taking her workshop at John Carroll University. I couldn’t believe that this book came out of her head. She caught a lot of shit for that book, and now it’s been hailed as one of nine books to read this summer for women. She knocked it out of the park. I’m terrified to really write with brutal honesty and nakedness, but she truly inspired me. Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book? I think each book will stand alone and will also undoubtedly connect and cohere with what comes before and after them. I also think that I might write one book and be done with it. Who knows. What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? $20 for my submission to [the contest offered by] Unsolicited Press. What authors did you dislike at first but grew into? I think most anyone that I’ve read and didn’t like I stopped reading. What was an early experience where you learned that language had power? Beyond being a child I feel that I always knew language had power, whether I was as aware of it as I am now, I have no idea. I’m terrible at remembering these things. What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel? A Widow for One Year by John Irving. I saw the film “The Door in the Floor” which covers the first third of the novel and had to know how it all ended. John Irving writes dysfunction so well and he’s beyond well-known, but I never hear people talk about this novel. My mom had the book and I plowed through it. It was incredible to me. It made me want to be a writer even more, not so much because of Irving’s style, but because of one of the characters, Ted Cole. He was the garden variety philandering drunk who was tragic and whatever but I adored him. How do you balance making demands on the reader with taking care of the reader? I don’t think I consciously do either, and it’s probably a good thing. As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? I wouldn’t, but I am obsessed with emperor penguins and orcas. What do you owe the real people upon whom you base your characters? I don’t write characters, and I feel the only thing that I owe the people that I write about is the truth, which, of course, is subjective. How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have? Somewhere between 1-1,321. What does literary success look like to you? Making enough money to be able to do the things that I like and not be in debt up to my ears. Being able to give an occasional reading where people buy me drinks after and cute co-eds find me mysterious and intriguing. Making into Oprah’s book club and then standing her up for an interview. Having one single person tell me that something I wrote gave them hope. What’s the best way to market your books? Honestly, after one Facebook post I’ve had hundreds of people asking me “how’s the book Murray?” It’s terrifying. I’m not sure I want to market any further than that, if you can even call that marketing. As much as I can’t stand social media it seems to be the most effective platform to market anything. What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book? I don’t research much of anything in regards to my writing. It’s almost completely personal writing. I check facts to cover my ass, that’s about it. How many hours a day do you write? It depends, I usually pick one thing to write about and as soon as I’m finished with that I move on to the next thing. Usually between two and four hours. What period of your life do you find you write about most often? (child, teenager, young adult) Mostly teenager and young adult, but lately I’ve been writing about my present state. If you didn’t write, what would you do for work? And if writing isn't your "day job", what are you currently doing to pay the bills? I’ve worked in restaurants half my life. I have a love/hate relationship with them. I love serving and tending bar. It makes me love people, and it makes me hate people. The restaurant where I currently work is the most well-run place I’ve ever worked, and I can’t imagine working anywhere else. My co-workers are my family. I feel I get paid to hang out with my friends and deal with some very needy people on the side. I seldom dread going to work, and when I do, it’s usually because I’m hung over or because there’s powder on Mt. Hood, or really good surf. What one thing would you give up to become a better writer? I feel the one thing I must give up to become a better writer is alcohol. What is your favorite childhood book? The Giving Tree. Does your family support your career as a writer? As much as they can. My mom is an avid reader, so is my father and step-father. One of my sisters is a writer as well, but she is currently putting that on the back burner. My mom fears that what I write will hurt people from my past, and she’s probably right. She also fears that I’ll air my family’s dirty laundry, but she’s going to have to get over it. My dad is supportive from a distance, and encourages me to write about whatever I want as long as it doesn’t come from a place of anger, and my step-father is supportive in the fact that he has always believe in me and encouraged me to head down this path as a writer.
Want a copy of Murray's essay collection? You can by it in our bookstore, or at any major retailer such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make?
Well, I’m not much of a cook, but if I had my choice, I’d cook a dinner of chicken Parmesan for Kurt Vonnegut. What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears? Boring my readers. As I work through a poem, or a nonfiction story, I always look at it as an imposition on peoples’ time, so I want to keep it interesting, engaging and fresh. There’s nothing worse than having someone set down your work because it’s not very good. I fight through the self-doubt by recalling some of the positive feedback and reviews I’ve received from my readers. I reassures me that my work is relevant and touches people. Who is your biggest literary crush, author or character? Michael Perry, a bestselling Wisconsin writer, musician and storyteller. He’s not only an amazing writer, but he has a great stage presence and is a wonderful humorist. I want nothing more than to be like Mike. What books are on your nightstand? Richard Brautigan, Revenge of the Lawn, Margaret Rozga’s poetry, 200 Nights And One Day, Michael Perry, Man at Work, Stephen Anderson’s poetry, In the Garden of Angels and Demons, and a couple of expired Sun Magazines, which I read cover to cover. Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you? Most of my work is inspired by true events. Much of my nonfiction goes back to the people and places of my younger days. My poetry inspiration comes more from contemporary events. The two genres compliment each other nicely. Favorite punctuation mark? Why? Oddly enough, the upside-down exclamation point used in the Spanish language. It tips the readers off that the sentence ends with emphasis. It truly is a better idea! What book were you supposed to read in high school, but never did? The Hobbit. I got halfway through it and never finished. Too many characters and lands to keep track of. I still feel bad about putting down a classic like this and never picking it up again. What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements? The silver 1984 Chevy Cavalier that we rented to get us from Minnesota to California. Why do you write? The first 5 words that come to mind. Go. Because I can’t not write. If you could write an inspirational quote on the mirrors of aspiring writers, what would you write? “You are about to embark on the hardest, most rewarding journey of your life. Don’t be a give-up.” –Jim Landwehr September 25th, 2018 marks the release of Jerrod E. Bohn's PULP: A Manifesto, a lyrical poetry collection. The book,a limited release, touches on society's woes, shortcomings, and spirit. Unsolicited Press sat down with Bohn to get to know the writer behind the words:
What literary journeys have you gone on? I haven’t really gone on any literary journeys, although I did go to see a memorial plaque dedicated to the poet Ronald Johnson at Ward-Meade Park in Topeka, KS. I discovered Johnson’s poetry in graduate school and immediately loved it. That he is also a poet who spent part of his life in a more rural area of Kansas made him particularly appealing. What is the first book that made you cry? The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. Does writing energize or exhaust you? It can do both, honestly. I know that I’m writing a really good poem when I feel most outside of my head, almost as if I am receiving or channeling the words from some collective consciousness beyond the limitations of myself, my ego. That feeling of connecting to something larger is invigorating. During other writing sessions, I’m too much in control; I worry about being clever, witty, intelligent. In these instances, I can’t tap into that heightened mental and emotional space, so I end up depleted and disappointed in what I’ve put to page. What are common traps for aspiring writers? Two traps for aspiring writers are valuing being prolific over quality and assuming the first draft is the best draft. I think the former trap is caused by bogus advice that to be a writer “one has to write every day.” To paraphrase my thesis advisor, Dan Beachy-Quick, you have to trust that you are engaging an act of writing even when you aren’t able to physically write. So maybe the advice to “writer every day” is misunderstood; a person must maintain the mind of a writer even if a particular day doesn’t involve what we traditionally think of as writing. As for the latter trap, writing is work, difficult work. Just because you crank out a poem in five minutes doesn’t mean it’s the best iteration of the poem. That first draft is an iteration, but on revising (re-seeing), one can create different iterations that are potentially (usually) better. Does a big ego help or hurt writers? I think a healthy ego is important for a writer. A small ego will lead to the inability to handle rejection, which as a writer, a person experiences often. A large ego just makes you a pretentious asshole that ends up holding yourself and your ideas above your readers, eventually alienating them. You need just enough ego to grow a stone skin, but not so much ego that you try to pass off intellectual elitism as people just being “too dumb” to make sense of your obscurity. Have you ever gotten reader’s block? Haha, yes! And I currently have it! I have no idea how to snap out of it. My usual techniques aren’t working. Any advice is appreciated. Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym? No. However, I do have an interesting story as to why I go by “Jerrod E. Bohn” rather than “Jerrod Bohn.” When I was in college, a guy with my same name, first and last (no relation), ran for mayor of Topeka, KS. He did spell his name “J-A-R-E-D,” but that didn’t stop some people from thinking I was running for mayor. I periodically received mail and phone calls intended for the other “Jerrod/Jared.” One night after driving to the UPS store to pick up and sign for a package that turned out not to be mine, I started adding my middle initial to all of my professional and financial transactions. Eventually, the “E” became an extension of my creative identity as well. Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly? Possibly, but in my experience, writers feel at least a few emotions strongly. For me, my overriding strong emotions are melancholy and compassion. What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer? I’m friends with numerous writers, many of whom I credit in the acknowledgments section of my book, Animal Histories, for the gift of their eyes and insights. Of course, my author friends help me better my writing through their constant questioning and feedback; however, my non-author friends have an enormous impact on my writing as well, mostly in suggesting new perspectives or taking my mind off my words over great beer and conversation. Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book? All of my books stand on their own, but some of my concerns—language and its origins, navigating cohabited domestic spaces, etc.—are visible throughout my poetry manuscripts. What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? I’m very particular about my writing instruments, so buying black Sharpie pens for new material (purple or green to revise) and ruled Moleskine Cahiers Collection journals. What authors did you dislike at first but grew into? Pretty much every poet I ever read. I hated poetry as a kid. Even Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss. Fuck those guys, haha. What was an early experience where you learned that language had power? Kids say dumb shit like, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” but I witnessed words have power when my classmates picked on people who were “different.” Part of this was directed at me. As an uncircumcised boy changing in the locker room around all of the other boys who were “cut,” I endured my share of insults and verbal abuse. But just as language can be used by power groups to oppress, the oppressed can use language to subvert power. I may have a little extra skin down there, but I’m proud of being “natural” and happy my parents gave me a choice rather than just deciding to slice off some flesh. What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel? Since I’m a poet, I’m going to go poetry with this question. I’m a big fan of Ronald Johnson. How do you balance making demands on the reader with taking care of the reader? As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? A goat. Maybe a mountain goat. Maybe your garden-variety farm goat. Goats are fucking rad. How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have? 3 screenplays; 4 full-length poetry books; one half-finished fantasy novel. What does literary success look like to you? I love teaching, so I hope that my literary success will enable me to attain a tenure-track creative writing professorship job at a community college or private or public university. Even if I somehow “made it big,” I would still want to teach. I owe so much to my teachers, and I love seeing my students grow. What’s the best way to market your books? Through public readings and social media. I hope to complete an author website soon to help in marketing. What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book? I wouldn’t say I do a lot of researching for a book, but I am an avid reader. Animal Histories was highly informed by reading several books, notably Echolalias by Daniel Heller-Roazen. How many hours a day do you write? I don’t write every day, but when I do write, I spend at least an hour doing some kind of writing or writing-related activity (like revising, submitting, etc.). What period of your life do you find you write about most often? (child, teenager, young adult) Probably my current or recent past, so adulthood. Early childhood naturally arises, especially in Animal Histories when I consider the maternal nature of poetic language and my relationship with my father. If you didn’t write, what would you do for work? And if writing isn't your "day job", what are you currently doing to pay the bills? Good question! My professional life is currently in flux. I quit my teaching job because pay for college adjuncts is terrible and one of the many problems with higher education today. Currently, I’m just teaching yoga and looking for jobs. While job hunting doesn’t pay the bills, it is kind of like a full time job. What one thing would you give up to become a better writer? I want to say booze because I’m sure I would write more if I drank less. But I mostly keep my drinking moderate, so I guess the booze can stay. For a while. What is your favorite childhood book? Scuttle the Stowaway Mouse by Jean and Nancy Soule. I had my parents read it to me every night for a while, and I’m pretty sure that repetition led to me learning how to read. Does your family support your career as a writer? Yes, although I think if I quit working entirely and tried to support myself solely through writing, they would raise some eyebrows. I’m very fortunate to have my family’s love and support. If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make?
Richard Ford, whose Frank Bascombe series, set in my home state of New Jersey, captivated me through three terrific novels and a collection of novellas. I’d probably make homemade grilled pizza, a technique that produces a great, crunchy crust, and serve it with cold beer. What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears? Like many writers I fear not being able to write; to not be able to tell a good story. I combat that fear by recalling the concept of “shitty first drafts” explored in Anne Lamott’s terrific book on writing, Bird by Bird. To paraphrase Lamott, the goal is to get something down on paper, to simply write a shitty first draft, and to worry about cleaning it up later. Who is your biggest literary crush, author or character? There are so many. I tend to read literary writers like Philip Roth (absolutely loved American Pastoral) and Jonathan Franzen, whose novel Freedom is one of my favorites. As for characters, few can beat Captains Woodrow F. Call and Augustus "Gus" McCrae from Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove. I read it in college when I was home sick with mono and it was one of those books I wished would never end. What books are on your nightstand? I just finished The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel and was absolutely captivated. It’s the story of a man who walks away from civilization at age 20 and lives in the cold Maine woods in a tent for 27 years. I’m currently reading a collection of short stories by the great French writer Guy de Maupassant. Up next: Russell Banks’ Continental Drift. Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you? Many ideas are borne of my own experiences and distilled through the prism of time. I am working on a collection of stories inspired by events from my childhood and teen years tentatively titled “Lakewood Stories.” I hope that the stories, including one about a fight over a plate of french fries in high school and another about crushing on a waitress at my first job in an Italian restaurant, connect with readers who recall that things were so much simpler, and so very different, just 30 or 40 years ago. Favorite punctuation mark? Why? The comma is cool, because it’s so handy in breaking things up. What book were you supposed to read in high school, but never did? Great Expectations, though I think I did read enough of it to get the gist and pass the test. What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements? The laptop computer. Not any in particular but, more generally, because the laptop allows one to write and work almost anywhere. I love a Samsung Chromebook that I’ve been writing on lately -- it’s so light and portable, with a good battery and access to stories I work on in the cloud. Why do you write? The first 5 words that come to mind. Go. I write to be me. If you could write an inspirational quote on the mirrors of aspiring writers, what would you write? If you like to write, write! Don’t put it off or wait until you have enough life experience. Write now! If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make? I suppose it would be Albert Camus, the twentieth century French philosopher and philosophical novelist. Because I could not do justice to French cuisine, I would make him American comfort food, or my best version of it: grilled teriyaki marinated flank steak, really cheesy macaroni and cheese, roasted brussel sprouts and broccoli with cashews, and a caprese salad. Then, because I do not bake, I would ask my wife to make Boston Crème Pie. What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears? Honestly, it is the gnawing dread that no one cares, no one is interested. With the market so complex and difficult to access broadly, I can become deflated. Then I think of sculptors, musicians, painters, and even mystic poets throughout history who left us amazing gifts of human genius and beauty without any promise of discovery, and certainly no commercial reward. The Hebrew prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah wrote some stunningly exquisite poetry in the 5th and 6th centuries BCE, and surely, they had no inkling that millennia later we would still be reading it. That evokes awe within me, and then I remember that art and ideas are gifts we give without strings. Who is your biggest literary crush, author or character? Hmmm. Marie Howe. What books are on your nightstand?
Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you? I am driven to share the experience of the ordinary sacred. To encounter the holy in nature, stumble upon it in an idea, or feel its presence where least expected, as in death, is compelling to me. Whether writing poetry or fiction, or in my weekly newspaper column even, I want to open up a pinhole in the veil and say, “Look! Look!” I think we share common experiences of the ordinary sacred but do not share language for it, so we sit on it speechless and lonelier because of it. Favorite punctuation mark? Why? The dash – for sure. I use it as a super-comma or parenthetically because my sentences are too complex and run-on – or sometimes they just throw up their commas and semi-colons and give up. What book were you supposed to read in high school, but never did? I am blushing now, but that would be: The Scarlet Letter and The Catcher in the Rye (and probably many more I do not now remember). What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements? The Newport Natural, Opus, Spot Coffee, Sweetness Seven, Monaco’s, and any other café that has held me in its arms and offered a sense of community for those with whom I have lived, and worked, and played. Why do you write? The first 5 words that come to mind. Go. To see. To Feel. To Know. (That’s six). If you could write an inspirational quote on the mirrors of aspiring writers, what would you write? You are beloved. Cameron Miller is the author of Thoughtwall Café: Espresso in the Third Season of Life. This fierce story rifles the turbulence of mind encountered in the twenties. Life’s third decade mercilessly right-sizes the dreams of childhood and sometimes, buffeted by forces beyond our control, diverts us completely. The narrative hovers around a tangle of friends and strangers interconnected by both serendipity and intention, and unfolds across the tables of a sprawling, urban café. Place is as much a part of this story as the characters, providing subliminal images and intrigue for the events.
Cressida Fruith, who changed her name in high school from Ruth while pulling an Emo persona over her life, is coming apart at the seams. An only child of a single parent with no extended family, she watches helplessly as her mother’s cancer progresses. Even the friendship of her oldest and best friend begins to fray. Enter Hobart Wilson, a much-maligned outcast stoner from her high school days. Infuriating Cressida, Hobart becomes her mother’s closest companion, and confessor of a secret so dark it will change her future. Woven and twisted within the narrative by the characters and their relationships are archetypal psychological and spiritual battles, even ordinary conundrums (“thoughtwalls”) that nearly everyone encounters. More than one “Ah ha!” is seeded amidst the dialogue and action, which makes this a compelling story with real-time implications. Laugh, cry, and steam as these twenty-somethings do battle with pernicious struggles of the mind, and sometimes prevail where even Socrates and Freud fumbled. You can buy a copy in our store, Amazon, or wherever you love to pick up a good book! When did you start writing poetry?
I began reading when I was 3 years old. I was an only child and books were dear friends to me. My first book was “A Child’s Garden of Verses,” by Robert Louis Stevenson. I memorized many of those poems–loved the rhythm of them–the dance-like quality of the images. I first wrote a poem when I was about 6 years old. When did you write your first book and what motivated it? My first book was a chapbook titled “An Apparent Approachable Light.” I had been entering a few poems here and there and came across this contest for anEditor’s Choice prize from Astra Press and won it. The prize was publishing and I was thrilled. I still love that little book. Motivation? Ad liberabo linguae atque cordis–To free the tongue and the heart. I had some dark stuff buried inside myself as many many people do and needed to release those things. What’s your writing process? I’m a pretty disciplined writer. I get up, get coffee (either at home or out), and write for a good part of the day; sometimes all day if it’s going well. I start by reading something(s)–poems, selections from novels or non-fiction titles. I think about what I’ve read for a while, then look at the previous day’s work. It’s a rare day when I don’t write. What are your favorite subject matters for poetry? I don’t know about favorites. Things catch my eye/ear: conversations on a bus or in a coffee shop, a photo, a note on a bulletin board, a movie poster, song lyrics, overheard arguments, secrets told to me, secrets KEPT from me. Often, I visit places I do not wish to go and write from those places: challenges, deep fears, griefs, anger, frustration etc. While reading your poetry I see L.A. has a great influence. Would you like to expand on that? I’m so glad you asked about that. Los Angeles is my woman, my mother, my sister, my lover, my friend, my monster. I am L.A ’s slave and her bitch and her partner and her conqueror and her patient and her most fervent fan. Los Angeles has been my comfort and sometimes a dangerous companion. I love this city as much as I have loved any person. What are some pivotal moments in your writing career? First would have to be my meeting with and relationship to the poet Larry Kramer (R.I.P.) I attended a workshop he gave around 1983 and it changed me and my work forever. He became teacher, mentor, friend, brother to me. He paid for and helped me get into a summer writing program at Bennington College in Vermont. He taught me more about poetry–about my relationship to and my responsibility to poetry– than anyone has since. Everything that I’ve done since meeting him has been with his soul at my shoulder like an angel–always teaching, always criticizing, always praising. His book, “Brilliant Windows,” is a masterpiece. You’d love it, Sonia. Another pivotal moment was meeting a woman, a novelist/photographer, at Bennington. Her name is Elizabeth Dumbell. We became very close friends and our talks about writing, about what it means, can mean, doesn’t mean, have stayed with me for over 30 years. She told me something I have turned over and over in my mind at various stages in my writing life. During a very dry period, I asked her advice about getting over a writing block. She said, “There are characters, words, images, phrases knocking at the door of your mind and heart. Just relax, answer the door, and let them in.” It works every time. Love this insight. I will use it in my writing. What was your inspiration for “Take the Long Way Home”? The song, “Take the Long Way Home” by Supertramp is a favorite of mine. Especially the lyric I used for the book’s epigraph: So, when the day comes to settle down, Who’s to blame if you’re not around? You took the long way home… Taking the long way home means stopping, looking, paying close attention to the details. It’s important to really taste and smell and hear and DIG what is going on in front of me and all around me. You can’t take shortcuts and have that experience. You have to take the long way home to see what is really there. You can finish the interview here. If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make? Sylvia Plath, and although I’m vegetarian the starter would certainly be caviar. The Bell Jar was the first book where I realized there were others like me, who felt how I did and were grappling so hard to dig their nails into this world. There’s something in her description of spooning an entire table’s worth of caviar into her mouth while feeling so dislocated in New York that’s always resonated with me. What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears? Writing has never scared me--oftentimes it’s been my only salvation. I can express myself in writing in ways I’ve never managed with my voice. Words get stuck in my throat. Thankfully, they flow freely through my fingertips. I supposed the only fear is the tendency to come up with the best lines when I’m far from having the ability to write them down. Who is your biggest literary crush, author or character? It’s still Sylvia Plath. However, Li-Young Lee is a close second. What books are on your nightstand? At the moment it’s Helter Skelter, but it’s a beast of a book and will certainly take some time to dig through. I grew up on campy horror movies, and although my literary tastes don’t travel in that direction, this book has been on my TBR list for years. Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you? They come from everywhere and I rarely see them coming. Of course the big moments in life are to be expected. My husband always asks me why I only write sad things, but I don’t see it that way. I have no need to digest and process the happy moments in my life. It’s the hard things that need to be taken apart and put back together in my own way. However, he is the inspiration for much of my writing, and so were my parents, my sister, and the Oregon wild. Favorite punctuation mark? Why? The em-dash. I love the em-dash. It’s so much punchier than any of the others and a favorite for line breaks. My least favorite is the semi-colon. Who uses that? Although I despise the exclamation mark, too (unless it’s used in dialogue). If you need an exclamation mark, your words aren’t strong enough. What book were you supposed to read in high school, but never did? I left high school at 15 years old when I was (for lack of a better term) kicked out of my house, so there are probably quite a few. I never did read any of the staples like Catcher in the Rye until it was of my own accord in my twenties. What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements? My computer. It’s not a very romantic answer, but I go through one every six months. My handwriting has gone to hell, so none of my books would have happened without it. Why do you write? The first 5 words that come to mind. Go. I have no other choice. If you could write an inspirational quote on the mirrors of aspiring writers, what would you write? So, I actually have two inspirational poems written in permanent marker on my bathroom mirror. One is Kim Addonizio’s “What Do Women Want” and the other is Maya Angelou’s “Phenomenal Woman.” Both are a reminder of just how amazing we are as women and should be read daily. (Sorry, men and non-binary folks, I’m sure you have some kickass quotes/poems, too!)
If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make?
I would love to cook dinner for Cervantes, the creator of Don Quixote. I would love to cook him my favorite Iranian dish, Ghormeh Sabzi. What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears? Not achieving the utmost goal I have in mind is my main fear when writing poetry. The only way to combat it is usually editing again and again after a poem is born and still remaining unsure of taking it to perfection. Who is your biggest literary crush, author or character? I love two famous Iranian poets, Hafez and Rumi, and never get tired of reading their poetry. What books are on your nightstand? Works by Hafez, Rumi, Nima Yushij, and the Persian classical literature. Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you? I get my ideas from everyday life. Every location be it sea, city or road can be a source of inspiration to me. Favorite punctuation mark? Why? I love full stop because it signifies accomplishment. What book were you supposed to read in high school, but never did? Unfortunately, I cannot recall any particular book. What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements? I would thank roads which have often inspired me in my poetry. Why do you write? The first 5 words that come to mind. Go. Beauty, love, humanity, nature, self. If you could write an inspirational quote on the mirrors of aspiring writers, what would you write? I would write: “Look yourself in the mirrors of others!” Susan Pepper Robbins has been a name brand to Unsolicited Press since our early beginnings, long before we began asking authors to submit to our Q+A questions. We published her book Nothing But the Weather in 2014 -- in our bootstrapping days (although, sometimes we are still pulling up our straps). The collection, a gem, and we knew from that experience, we'd want to with with Susan again. Luckily, she produced another book, this time, a novel, Local Speed. Her novel follows a young girl, Crystal Ball as she works to protect her sister from a sexual predator. Today, we have the honor of sharing bit of Robbins' life with you -- hope you love her as much as we do! If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make? Mark Twain would appreciate my homemade bread, beef stew, and apple cake, I hope. What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears? The blank screen is frightening,but the first sentence or even a phrase can be a cannon shot that gives courage. Who is your biggest literary crush, author or character? Jane Austen’s Anne Elliot in Persuasion waits eight years to be rescued by going to sea just after the Napoleonic wars. Anne’s coping with failure is an inspiration by venturing away from home--the traditional place of safety. What books are on your nightstand? Ones by Elena Ferrante, Eudora Welty, Penelope Fitgerald and Elizabeth Harrower. Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you? Listening to conversations, seeing how a person walks, talks, dresses, cooks, what books she or he is reading. Reading Chekhov’s stories. Favorite punctuation mark? Why? The dash breaks into a sentence in a friendly and helpful way, giving it a resonance. What book were you supposed to read in high school, but never did? Moby Dick. What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements? My desk. Why do you write? The first 5 words that come to mind. Go. I write to notice things, people, events, “unremembered acts of kindness”--if I have Wordsworth right, that should not go unremembered. If you could write an inspirational quote on the mirrors of aspiring writers, what would you write? The ordinary is extraordinary. Anton Chekhov says that moonlight on the rock is important, more than the big events.
If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make?
Rimbaud. Liver and onions with absinthe. What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears? I fear lying to myself. I combat this by letting poems remain unvisited for weeks or months or even years. Upon seeing them again, as if for the first time, falseness is usually clearly seen. Who is your biggest literary crush, author or character? Mr Cogito, of Zbigniew Herbert. What books are on your nightstand? TJ Stiles, Jesse James. Walter Pater, The Renaissance. Richard Morgan, Altered Carbon. Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you? I hate to search for inspiration because I usually fail to find it. I hope that inspiration finds me. Lines or phrases that appear suddenly in my brain are often the germ of a poem. Biography of a Name began with the opening two lines: Jimmy Hoffa is buried/in this poem... Favorite punctuation mark? Why? No preferences, really. I avoid exclamation marks generally. What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements? The spent cartridge of a .38. Why do you write? The first 5 words that come to mind. Go. Need, desire, fear, sorrow, joy. If you could write an inspirational quote on the mirrors of aspiring writers, what would you write? Don’t trust yourself. You don’t exist. Look at the words.
Bill Rector is the author of Biography of a Name, released on May 8, 2018. You can purchase it HERE and at all major retailers.
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