W B Burkholder• Show poetry

Posted by Permission of the author 7/9/2009
Citing writer William B. Burkholder's tree of talent
July 2, 1:47 PM

William B. Burkholder is a dynamic writer, journalist and poet. He was an engineering officer for the U.S. Coast Guard for 17 years and has visited England, Spain, France and Norway among others. William’s writing embodies his various life experiences with heartfelt incisiveness. He tells of his stay in Barcelona, Spain during the turbulent political times of the 1980s. He recalls a brief stay in Norway where he walked through the country town of Kristensen and felt as if the pressures of life seemed to be lifted.
“The beautiful, lush, green valleys and seemingly endless rolling mountains were breathtaking,” says William. He recalls that the townsfolk were not used to having Americans in their midst and were a little slow at making them feel welcome.

It all started at the tender age of six in a place called Erie Pennsylvania when William first felt the urgency to put his thoughts on paper. His early childhood was spent enjoying the wilderness and finding innovative ways to write about it. Crafty, young Burkholder wanted to preserve his writings for future generations to read and carefully hid his journals in the walls of the house in which he and his family lived. As William reached the age of twelve he was inspired to write mostly near the lake at a place called Heim Park. This hideaway was an adolescent’s retreat where William and his friends used to come to fish, swim, play and just enjoy the carefree, rambunctious life of childhood. William recalls an entrancing night under the stars while fishing where he had a premonition of a future poem. As he sat until the early morning and watched the sun illuminate the edge of the water young Burkholder knew at this instant that he would one day write a powerful poem about this place that would take the reader to that very moment in time.

Moving to the suburban Metro Detroit area in 1991 William had his sights set on becoming involved with the Detroit poetry community. He planned on continuing his important work. “It’s all about supporting each other in the writing arena. It takes a lot of stars to make up the night sky,” reflected William.

The last two years William has been on an internal journey. He talks about taking a philosophical reflection and trying to understand his human condition. William calls it a way of coming to terms with everyday complacency and making an attempt to rise above it.
“I am on a mission to take a look at myself and speak the truth about what I find and working through poetry to better myself,” stated William. The most simple things can inspire William and he never has had a fear of “writer’s block”. He feels that lack of ideas to write comes from impatience.

In 2007 William published his first book called “The Writer’s Sight”. He considers this book a personal description of his experiences and observations. William progressed quickly as a writer and released his second book in 2008 titled “The Sower’s Tree”. He calls his second publication another outpouring of his personal journey. The following year in 2009 William decided to pick out some of his classic works and add some new pieces on an audio CD that he titled “Beyond The Gate.” In this intriguing compilation William delivers his thoughtful poems with perfectly matched sound effects and tunes. The CD was produced by William Burkholder and Scott Bloom from TT Entertainment. Scott is a music producer, disk jockey and music manager who has been involved locally in a variety of audio projects. William’s works are for sale at the Beat Café and Paperback Outlet book store in Warren. William B. Burkholder can be heard at many local poetry events such as Poetry, Pages and Scribes in Southfield and The Beat Café in Warren.

Author: Matvey Troitsky
Matvey Troitsky is an Examiner from Detroit. You can see Matvey's articles on Matvey's Home Page.
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