interview from 0 to 100 poems

First, where are you?

At the moment, I’m in Brazil. I’ve been traveling around South America since June 2009, mostly by bicycle. My constant location changes make for interesting poetry because I’m thrown into new and diverse situations. On the other hand, that same constant movement may confuse readers. That’s why I’ve added a ‘Location’ box at the end of each poem.

Why did you start 365poems?

I’ve wanted to systematize my writing for awhile now. Before this site I scratched ideas here and there for years but never seriously accepted writing as a positive influence in my life. It was always a secret hobby because where I grew up people don’t tend to express their emotions, and writing in its most basic form is an expression of the mind.

When I realized few people had read what I wrote and that I had almost nothing to show for my efforts I decided to be more proactive about developing my creative writing skills.

Around this same time I was about learning web design and the world of bloggers that share their ideas over the internet with great success, creating entire communities around belief systems like minimalism and entrepreneurship.

Poetry was an after-thought. I just wanted to commit to writing daily, as preparation for some still unknown online project. At first I tried a daily 1,000 word regiment, then later one hour of creative writing each morning, but both were incompatible with my travel lifestyle. It just wasn’t possible most days. Shorter, more concentrated poems were a better match for my writing goals. More bang for their size.

And 365poems was born.

Do you write a new poem everyday or do you sometimes publish old ones?

I post only new poems to the site, which is why the quality varies depending on my tiredness, how inspired I feel, whether I have other commitments, the list goes on. I’m dedicated though to one poem daily for a year. When I don’t have access to internet I post the poems at a later date.

Do you write on your laptop or by hand?

I prefer a thousand times my laptop to the pen because it’s easier to shuffle phrases and restructure poems, but I always keep a pocket notebook with me to write when my computer is tucked away.

Some poems are better than others. Why do you think that is?

My poems are like waking morning moods. Sometimes I’m chipper and excited to begin the day; other times all is sluggish grey. Inspiration is not some magical force that only so-called poets can pull from the air. A writer’s output depends on his situation, his life. I’m no exception and sometimes 365poems gets pushed to the backburner. When life gets hectic the poems get shorter. When you see a lot of haikus you’ll know I’m swamped.

Along the same line, some of your poems are just strange. Do you feel awkward about making them public?

A little, but less and less because I’m getting so much out of observing and describing my world that I don’t care much what others think. Everyone should find an outlet, mine at the moment is poetry. Also, the mind is a very strange and unexplored place. Why not get messy in there and try to learn a little about yourself?

Who are your influences?

I don’t read much poetry, to be honest. Most influences come from music and fiction, the defunct (but still funky) band Soul Coughing and novelist Tom Robbins, to name just two. Fresh out of high school Kerouac—I’ve read all his books—gave me the travel bug. Now though I realize he never grew up, never personally evolved, and that makes me think less of his writing. Kerouac’s voice is still in most of what I do.

My favorite poets: Mike Doughty, Todd Colby, Alan Dugan, Billy Collins, Pablo Neruda. I’m actively discovering poets that I’ll share with you in my Poet of the Week section.

How do you decide who to highlight as the Poet of the Week?

I post whomever I like. The great poet majority will be contemporary for two reasons. One, contemporary poets are alive and can make YouTube videos, or if dead probably recorded their readings at some point. Two, I find Victorian pomp boring and outdated.

And where are the female poets?

I like Maya Angelou and Gabriela Mistral. In college I was forced to read many Latina poets I didn’t like. Other than that, I’m generally ignorant in the feminine side of poetics. I’m aware of this, I admit my half-moon-ness. Expect some ladies soon in the Poet of the Week section.

Why don’t you use poem titles?

I named the site 365poems because I’m interested in the evolution of my writing. Numbers are consecutive. I want my last poem to be better than the first and the spectrum in-between to show that upward curve. That’s it. I’m not concerned with titles.

For organizational purposes—titles exist as a way of labeling afterall—I tag all poems with the keywords they contain, the season in which they were written, and the general mood which they convey. You can use the search bar to find keywords too.

Do the graphics and site design mean anything?

The graphics are meant to colorfully highlight the numbers while providing a book-like area for my text. Simple. I like simplicity in websites. Though not explicit in the either the graphics or the design I wanted the site to be a humble reminder that our days are ticking down, that we should take time to stop and observe and appreciate and be critical of our lives. Because they won’t be ours forever. Think stop-and-smell-the-roses in HTML.

I used the word cloud on the sidebar because it reminded me of refrigerator word magnets—a powerful tool for poetics and breaking away from the mindset that we must follow some established order, linguistic or other. I’m serious! I love refrigerator word magnets.

You used to have a 365poems Twitter account. Where’d it go?

Twitter can be a great way to spread ideas to vast numbers of people quickly. With that said, 365poems is not for everyone. Personally, I read few poets because I don’t identify with most of them. I don’t expect everyone to identify with this experiment, my voice, or my linguistically-twisted perspectives. There are Facebook buttons at the end of each poem. If you like what you read, feel free to share away.

Is anyone actually reading this stuff?

According to my Google Analytics tracking software 77 people from 9 countries regularly visit this site. I’ve done no marketing, except for a shout-out on my bike blog. I’m fascinated with and humbled by how this little spark is flaming up. Thanks for joining me on this experiment.

How do you decide which topics to write about?

I don’t actively choose the topics. As much as I’d like to give a Rolling Stone magazine-like response, I admit they don’t actively choose me either. I just go about my day—which is usually different from the previous thanks to my travels—and naturally stumble across an idea upon which I’d like to expand. These ideas come in flashes, like ADD observations. If I don’t play with them, they get bored and run away. If I’m busy I write down a few lines in my notebook and come back to them later.

The most difficult part is beginning a poem, finding that good first line. Once I get that first line, the rest flows, even if I end up changing the beginning later on.

Is poetry as an art form dead?

Poetry does not sell. I doubt a poetry book has approached anywhere close to the New York Times best-seller list in any shape or form (don’t quote me). The list is unimportant. What is important is what it represents—society’s general attitude. I don’t read much poetry because there are many bad poets. However, the good ones are really good. And the exceptional ones can illuminate your existence in fewer words than a beer label. In a way, poetry is dead. It has lost respect as an art form.

Girls and love and relationships are a common theme. What’s that all about?

Love is a perenial topic. It’s the happy plague of poetry. We all want to feel that mutual need in our lives. I’ve been lucky to have met unique women throughout my life from whom I’ve learned and continue to learn. Sometimes I write about a specific woman in the present, sometimes I write about a certain woman from the past, sometimes I combine ideas and experiences to write to a fictional future woman as if she was the woman of all women. The varieties are endless, and no I won’t tell.

Which is your favorite poem to date?

I don’t remember all the poems I’ve written on this site, just as I don’t remember where I was forty-seven days ago. However, I’ve read and re-read a few recent poems and I still like them. That’s a good sign. To answer the question—knowing it will change—I’ll say 89poem.

You’ve written nearly one hundred poems. What’s your opinion about the 365poems project now?

I’m more aware and conscientious than ever. My mind spins with ideas when I walk down the street, in a good way. Stay tuned for the evolution.

Interview date: Tuesday, February 1st, 2011.