Writing Is Solitary, Yet Social

On Wednesday, I had my first interview as a writer.

A few months ago, North Fond du Lac Poet-Laureate Jeffrey Charles McAndrew invited onto his podcast “Poets Have Something to Say” to talk about my journey with poetry. This week we were finally able to have our conversation. Take a listen when you have a moment!

I was and am flattered by the request. I consider myself a novelist/essayist first and a poet second. While my poetic skills have improved in recent years, I believe they are not as sharp as my prose skills. Furthermore, Jeffrey has interviewed very accomplished poets, including former Wisconsin Poet-Laureate Margaret Rozga, current Wisconsin Poet-Laureate Nicholas Gulig and current Oshkosh Poet-Laureate Thomas Cannon, so being featured alongside them is quite the honor.

In fact, I met Jeffrey at one of Tom’s open prose and poetry mics in Oshkosh. Without Tom, I would not have conquered some of my nerves when performing and I would not have met Jeffrey.

Tom’s open mics and Jeffrey’s podcast remind me writing is as much social as it is solitary. It’s easy to think that it is the latter. Much of my actual writing is done away from others, as I need to meet deadlines and remain focused without many discussions. Yet we all need to converse and commiserate about our creations, share what techniques and strategies work and don’t work for us and promote each other’s creations, among other things. How long would I write if I knew that no one but myself and perhaps a few family members would read my writings? Not very long I suspect.

Tom and Jeffrey exemplify the fact art is everywhere. We can reach to our bookshelves or turn on our TVs to consume some famous art, but there’s something special about consuming the creations of those around us.

Someday, I hope to contribute to the local arts as much as they have.