I get a lot of people telling me that I inspire them, that they like the way I think and the status-quo-breaking ideas I come up with and test. I admire that. It’s important to note that the motivation I get to inspire other people comes from being inspired myself, from seeing extraordinary potential in people who lose themselves in creativity and from the challenge I give myself to help these artists as much as possible.
With this now in mind, I will be showcasing a small handful of interviews over the next few weeks. These people are artists that I have kept very little touch with, in fact, I may not have talked to them in years until I messaged them recently inquiring if they would participate in an interview. These are noteworthy people, people whom I noticed there to be potential that I would hope to be cracked open all the way. So with that, I am handing you the hammer, the ability to connect, learn from, enjoy, and inspire these people.
Interview: Rose Kendall
The first person who’s interview I will be sharing is Rose Kendall. I met Rose in a Poetry 101 class over two years ago, never really talked in class other than when there were class discussions, and I still remember the passion she poured into her poetry. It’s easy to standout in class by dressing uniquely, being pretty and always participating. It’s not however, easy to standout in poetry. Rose does this and I hope you enjoy the following interview. Feel free to leave a note in the comments section or add Rose on Facebook.
Q: Now, I know your passion is writing. What type of writing do you love most and why?
My favorite type of writing is poetry. I love all types of writing, but poetry speaks the most to me because on one level it is trying to compact so many different emotions and thoughts into one small space, but on another level it can bring so many different ideas and concepts to the table in the subtle meanings of line breaks and punctuation. While I do believe that fiction also has a tendency to be descriptive, poetry is tantalizing because to me personally it propels the imagination like a movie, with the possibility of going in so many different directions.
Q: What gets you through the hard times of writing (depleted inspiration, writers block, time, emotion, etc)?
Listening to good music (I usually pick Sia, Damien Rice, Stateless, Florence + the Machine, and David Gray), closing my eyes, and thinking about what exactly the message is that I want to give off. Then I can usually come up with images that accompany that message. Most times it’s a good start.
Q: If you had to make your own writing prompt, what would it be?
It would be to take a piece of paper, fold it in half, and write on one side a list of nouns that are very common (like clouds, or sun) and on the other side list five adjectives you would never think to use to describe the noun. You will be challenged in so many ways you never thought were possible
Q: What do you want your legacy to be?
I want to be able to share with the world the sadness and anger I feel at the horrifying things that are occurring on a daily basis all over the world. As a society, I feel there are so many topics we are afraid to talk about for various reasons, so we sweep them under the rug (whether conscientiously or not) and choose to avoid them. Yes, they are hard topics, but if we are not made aware of them we will not be able to appropriate the change needed to stop these crimes from happening.
Therefore, I hope to shock my audience enough that they can’t decide if they want to get out of their chair and leave when I’m reading to them, or if they want to stay and consider what is really happening in the world. I would love to be able to travel around the globe and present to large audience my heart and my passion. I also want to continue to become published, and maybe one day be able to publish a whole book of poems.
Q: What determines a successful writing day?
A successful writing day usually is accompanied by a thought or an idea taking form into a poem, but very successful if a whole poem (or more than one) is written.
Q: Take me through a though process of a poem. Do you plan it out? Relate it to your life? Free write?
When I’m writing a poem I generally pick a topic I feel strongly about and concentrate on how I feel as well as why I feel that way. Once I come up with that, generally I will “see” what I want to write in my head. It’s like a movie, and at the risk of sounding like a schizophrenic, I have seen several of my characters chatting with me at the edge of the bed. Maybe less chatting and more just standing there and telepathically telling me their story. Either way once their story is being told it kind of just flows out. Some stories are harder than others, but most times I listen to a lot of calming or inspiring music to try to urge them to tell me. Sometimes when that doesn’t work, lines of poems come to me when I’m trying my hardest to sleep.
Q: What is the most helpful advice you have been given?
Keep a journal of all of the compliments and accomplishments I have made in writing. When I feel like I’m not a good enough writer, or I’m having a dry spell, I read them to remind myself how much I have accomplished. Also, keeping old poetry no matter how bad it is shows to me how far I have come.
Q: What advice would you give to other writers?
Do not worry about what one person thinks about your poetry. There will always be that one person (or a group of people) who are offended by what you write or think it’s no good. Keep working on your goals, and you can accomplish anything. Do not be afraid to have other people give you constructive criticism, it can make you grow in ways you never imagined.
Q: Would you care to share a poem?
After tonight
she’ll never ever again
have to wonder
what it feels like
to try to jump over a barbed wire fence,
catch her foot,
and slam her throat
into the wire
–it’s like climbing to the top
tippy top
of a tree,
* snap *
that first breath
you suck in after collapsing
back first, lungs turning black—
only his weapons are his words
and last night he decided
to see how many it took
before they wrapped around her neck
like his thumbs
squeezing
tightening
thrusting
until she’s one breath away
from dying.
and then he lets go.
She sees herself in the reflection
of the spit he sprays across
her face
the growl that echoes deep in the caves
of his lungs
and she remembers
how beautiful she once was
before the cancer
of the vacuum of his world
started eating away at her face
formed valleys and canyons
that were never there in her youth
even though she’s only 29.
when i first met her
she was perched on
the windowsill of my breaking heart
trying to kick her way
into the bullet-proof glass
surrounding my hope
and complicated things
like how I felt seeing
her teeth sprawled
across the living room floor
after last night’s fight
came too close
to leaving too much proof
so she lies
tells her friends that the dog
pulled her up the stairs and she tripped
(which dog she does not clarify).
but i can feel her,
see her floating nightgown
near the ocean on the edge of my bed
tangerine sunrises
screaming “helpme”
because even though
he’s a vacuum
trying to rid her of herself
of the filth she carries around
in the form of personality
she’s stronger than the marble
statue he wants to turn her into
and her beauty
is a cool breeze in the desert
he does not know how
to appreciate her love.
they always taught him
“be stronger than your fist”
but his fists are like concrete
and his words are like
espestice
eating away
at her lungs
liquid drowning her
under the tide he confuses
with affection.
so i pull her into my bed
twist her hair around my fingers
and show her
what a field of roses
feels like when it’s growing
just beneath your breastbone
and she’s blooming
i know i imagine
what her love would look like
as a photo on my mantle
–my prized wife
because she’s too beautiful
to be a trophy
she deserves to shine
like the sun.
so after tonight
i’m going to take her hand
twist out the fear
gently
and carry her
to the palace
she deserves.
and if he shows up
at my door
looking for her
i’ll blow his fucking head off.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Stay Positive & Poetic In Your Own Way
Garth E. Beyer
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Her poem doesn’t make sense until the end. You can’t tell that the narrator is someone in love with the girl until the last part. And the word “fucking” in the last line seems to be used only for shock value and kind of distracts from the rest of the poem because it doesn’t fit the rest of the language. I feel like I’m going to walk away from her poem remembering it as “the poem that ended on a line with swearing” and nothing else.
I don’t know. Just something to think about.
The way I have always viewed poetry is that there is never one definite meaning behind a poem, no matter the intention of the author.
The idea of forming a universal theme of a poem or of a reader who stops meditating on the poem after reaching a conclusion of criticism, renders the mind useless (not the poem). It puts the mind behind bars so that it is no longer free to speculate.
In this case, it could be viewed that the reason why the radically harsh ending is the only part you take away from it is actually the point of the poem. The form of abuse that the poem represents is never publicly spoken about until the lines are crossed, until it’s too late, until the end (murder?).
See now. When one stops trying to make sense of a poem, it does not mean that there is no “sense” to be made of the poem. What makes poetry poetry is the ability to always counter a persons reasoning. (Again, this is my personal opinion) Only when a poem refuses to spark discussion do I consider it dead.
For that, I thank you for your thought and making this poem lively.
-Garth E. Beyer
Is it the point of the poem, though? Because if it’s not, if the swear word isn’t the “take away” part of the poem, the author missed the boat.
That is the only part of the poem I noticed and remember. If that wasn’t the intent of the author, then it may be time for some revisions.
Not saying that that is the only way to view the poem, but if one reader only gets that from the piece, then it is definitely worth reviewing, in my opinion.
I follow your point. Hopefully your comment will spark the author to make a revision considering your comment.
Thanks for voicing!
-Garth E. Beyer
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