Happy December The First! I haven’t done one of these in a while! As always, if you have questions for me, ask them here!
© Bart Kuykens
Do you feel pressure to be a political poet? Your poem Poem Of The Time seems to comment on how we digest atrocities and deal with the news. Also, Forget Halloween The World Is A Fright, Man. Does poetry help you understand your views?
It’s not that I feel pressure to be political, but rather that I use my poetry to tunnel into the subconscious mind and taste what’s happening there. We are all world citizens, so unless you’re walking around not knowing what is going on, how do you separate the personal from the political? Why would you want to? I never ever sit there and think, “This poem will be about such and such a thing…” I’ve learned over the years that my only method for any writing is to sit there and let what’s there seep out. If you are in tune with what’s happening in the world - let me not even say in tune because it’s often quite dissonant with my core or developing values - if you are sensitive to the world, it will show up in your writing. How could it not? I have a low tolerance for anything prescriptive, telling people what to think/do or contrived messages. Virtue signalling, too. The only rule I make for myself is to be as honest as possible in the moment, which happens by itself. When the world feels awful or unmanageable, it drips into the work. Yes, poetry helps me understand my views. It is a sorting out, a weeding, a kind of extraction. I wish I could sound more in control of it, but I’m not. Thank God I’m not; I’d only mess it up.
“I have the nerve to walk my own way, however hard, in my search for reality rather than climb upon the rattling wagon of wishful illusions.”
-Zora Neale Hurston
What are your love languages (in order, plz)? People need to know!
This was tough. I notice that the order varies wildly, according to what I’m going through and where there are gaps. I will fight the urge to explain why these are in this order. At the time of writing this morning, this appears to be the truth.
Acts of Service
Physical touch
Quality time
Gifts
Words of Affirmation
We loved your show supporting Herbie Hancock the other week at LA3C… we’ve never seen the whole set with music before. Will there be more? Please say there’ll be more!!!
THERE WILL BE MORE! There are plans to come to NY in the first part of the year, LA (where I am based), and further plans for the UK and Paris. But you’ll be the first to know. Also, if you have a venue or event and you’d like me to come there, email beth.morris@me.com
Don’t you get retraumatised, hashing up old memories or situations of trauma?
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to the utter to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.