Member Of The Month For February is :
Congrats!!!
1. Where did you grow up? ( Don't say the actual town just state for protection reasons )
I was born in Japan. My father served in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Japan. There he met my mother who was Japanese. I was born in Japan and lived there for a short time before moving to the U.S.
2.What is the first thing you remember that perked your interest in writing?
I loved books when I was a kid. My dad read to me and my brothers. As far as what perked my interest in writing I would have to say that I enjoyed creative writing assignments in school.
3. Did you go to college/university?
No.
4. If so, what was your major?
5. Outside of college, how have you educated yourself beyond secondary school?
My education outside of school hasn’t been formal for the most part. I’ve learned and developed skills related to various jobs I’ve held as well as hobbies and other interests. It seems whenever I become interested in a subject I become highly focused on learning all I can about it.
6. What’s your favorite color?
I don’t have a favorite color. To me that’s like asking what is your favorite pitch in the chromatic scale. Each color, like each pitch in a musical scale, is not meant to be isolated but rather joined together in harmony or dissonance to be enjoyed as part of a whole scheme, theme or symphony.
7. Food?
I love food. I don’t have a favorite. I like most kinds of food. Currently I’m really enjoying the taste of mixed vegetables cooked in olive oil. But I love steak, junk food, pastries, sushi, and so much more.
8. Pastime?
I like to write, spend time with my family, go out to eat, hike, shoot.
9. Music?
I’ve been a musician since I was a kid. I love many different kinds of music. Big band swing, jazz, rock, heavy metal, bluegrass, country, praise and worship, contemporary Christian, classical, new age, blues, movie soundtracks.
When I just chose something I listen to a lot of Stevie Ray Vaughan. I’m a guitar player and appreciate the uninhibited emotion and gut-wrenching blues mastery of players like Stevie or Albert King. I love it when a player can make you feel what they are feeling through skillful manipulation of their chosen medium, in this case an electric guitar. I’ve heard music that brings me to tears. Music is a kind of poetry to me and vice-versa.
10. Poet ?
There are certain poems that have become a part of me. They latched on to my soul and showed me the potential of poetry. As far as a particular poet I would have to say Robert Frost is my favorite. His ability to create a mood and scene through simple structure and accessible language is something that has guided me through my own writing. I’m not saying that I ever achieve his mastery and I don’t even think that my style resembles his but I do use his writing as a kind of guideline many times when I am writing.
The genius of Frost is that you can read one of his poems and when you are done you don’t feel like you’ve read a poem. You don’t think about the rhyme-scheme, meter, or deeper meaning. You just feel like you’ve been transported into another place and it is the beauty and emotion of that place that fills your senses. That is what you are left with. The poem–the words on the page– have faded from your conscience and you are lost in the experience of the piece. That is good poetry. That is great poetry.
Read “Dust Of Snow” or “Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening” by Frost. There is a reason that these poems are studied in English classes. They show the potential of poetry, the magic of it, the power of well written verse. There are no fancy words or explicit multilayered metaphors. They, in fact seem, simplistic to some writers. That is the beauty of it. The words of the poems don’t in anyway distract from the experience of the poems. In short, Frost Rocks!
11. TV show?
In many ways I’m just a typical male. I like watching UFC, Man Vs. Wild, History Channel, Food network, Myth Busters, Dirty Jobs.
12. Movie ?
Signs, The Prestige, John Carpenter’s The Thing, Marry Poppins, The Man Who Knew Too Much (Jimmy Stewart version), Darby O’Gill and the Little People, Predator, Alien, Terminator, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Unforgiven, Lord of The Rings, Rambo, The Ring, UHF, Earnest Goes to Jail, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, The Last Samurai
13. Book ?
My all time favorite books would have to be The Holy Bible (KJV) and The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
About Your Life On All Poetry
1. Give me a brief rundown of your history on AP. In other words, how did you get here?
I was web surfing one day and came across the site. I began reading some of the poetry on the site and was impressed by the quality of some of the work. I was especially impressed by the work of kaibab. And after reading several of his poems I decided to join.
2. How long have you been a member of All Poetry?
Since April of 2007.
About Your Poetry :
1. When did you first begin to write?
I began writing poetry in high school. I had to keep a poetry notebook for an English class and I started writing my own stuff and putting it in the notebook.
2. What kind of poetry do you write the most? Dark, Sensual, Etc.
A lot of my poetry has the theme of loss. Loss is a great but hard teacher.
3. Who are your influences?
Frost is an influence even though our styles differ greatly. I’m very influenced by movies and music. I try to transcribe their images, themes, and emotions into poetic words.
Influences on AP would include Ten Thousand Cicadas, and Cupcrazy. Though you might not see their influence in my writing. Ten Thousand Cicadas influenced me with her incredible skill of crafting immaculately lyrical poetry with perfect meter and beautiful language. I don’t achieve her standard of excellence but I have been influenced to use some of the techniques that she is so skilled in using. Cupcrazy has influenced me to break free of rigid structures. That was a big deal for me. My free verse always moved towards a kind of rigidity in structures. After reading much of her poetry I began to experiment and really utilize the freedom that free verse affords. I am so much happier with the structure of my pieces today.
4. What feeds your desire to continue writing poetry ?
Poetry is a creative release for me. I’m inspired by God, nature, movies, music, lyrics, paintings, photographs, people, other poetry. All these things feed my desire to continue writing poetry.
General :
1. Hobbies?
Current hobbies are writing, shooting, and the study and application of nmeumonics, Other hobbies that I come back to now and again would be Judo, prestigitation, cooking, movies, books.
2. Pets?
A red beagle.
3. Talents?
Writing, playing music, marshal arts, sleight of hand, teaching.
4. Jobs?
In my life I’ve been paid to: bag groceries, cook Mexican food, washed dishes, repair and paint automobile bodies, preach, teach guitar lessons, sell musical equipment, warehouse deliver and sell electrical products, and sell cars.
5. What advice would you give to growing poets ?
Writing poetry is not life. It is the expression of life and it’s experiences. Don’t stop living so that you can write more. Stop writing from time to time and just go experience life. Then when you come back to your notebook or keyboard you will have something real to write about. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be disciplined in your writing. I’m just saying don’t substitute your writing for life itself. If you do this then both your life and your poetry will suffer.
Living life, experiencing God, people, places, nature, and new ideas is what makes us grow as people. To grow as a poet you must first grow as a person. Love poems ring hollow when written by someone who has never loved deeply. What’s the solution? Should you try to emulate the writings of those that have loved deeply? No, you should love deeply. Experience this for yourself and then you will be able to write about that subject in a way that grips people and resonates with them. This doesn’t just apply to love but to other subjects you might write about as well.
Don’t look at what other’s have written about the beauty of the mountains then try to emulate their words. Go experience the mountains for yourself. Breath their air, take in their incredibly powerful beauty and rugged grace. Don’t merely compose poetry. Pluck it from the sway of leaves on the tree in your back yard as you watch a gentle breeze animate them. Transcribe it from the sound of cold running brooks that splash and play along the trails of your local nature reserves. Read it in the eyes of your newborn when you cuddle him. Draw it from the radiant warmth of your spouse’s smile when you flirt with one another over dinner. Make plenty of time to get away from that computer keyboard and experience the poetry of life. Then come back for a time and write about it.
6. Anything else you can think of.
Enough said is much said.
A Poem He Wrote That We Highly Recommend For You To Check Out :
"Flight" Link : |
Thank you Everwind Rising for all of the hard work you've done on AP and for your many talents that you've shared with your poetry.
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