Interview With a Vampire

[The Poets]

Welcome to the Poetry Forum’s 2009 interview series, where poets you read here all the time discuss their writing. We’re excited to kick off the series with the following interview with Vampiredust. He agreed to answer some questions about his poems, his inspiration and writing process and even offer some publishing advice. And he has graciously agreed to keep an eye on this thread for a week or so, so feel free to ask your own questions.

As anyone who has read his poetry knows, Vampiredust is one talented guy. He has been writing poetry here at Lit since 2005. He studied literature and creative writing in his native England, and has been writing poetry for publication since he was 25, just a few years ago. Since then he has published poems in many journals, both online and in print. The Kenyon Review, Diagram, Poetry Salzburg Review and Word Riot are but a few resources where you can read his poems. He has published five chapbooks, including The Sea and Slippage, and been a featured poet in Shoots and Vines. In 2007, his poem The Sea was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: Vampiredust, thank you so much for agreeing to answer some questions for us. I’ll start by asking when you started to write poetry? I’m sure it was long before you were 25. What drew you to it?

Vampiredust: I first started writing poetry when I was at school, but stopped at 12. I was going through a lot at that time, and didn’t start writing again until I started university when I was 24. I didn’t enjoy poetry then, but slowly got immersed in it and was drawn to its potential to create emotional and visual intensity.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: Whose poetry were you reading as its influence grew on you. And who do you read now? Which poets would you say have most influenced you?

Vampiredust: Elizabeth Bishop influenced me the most as I started to get into poetry. Her imaginative metaphors and level of detail really grabbed me and made me want to read until my eyes bled. I also gained an appreciation for T.S Eliot, Frank O'Hara, Federico Garcia Lorca and Charles Simic.

The surrealism of poets such as Simic and Lorca helped shape the way I looked at things, leading me to experiment with different styles.

Poets that I enjoy reading now are Katia Kapovich, Sandra Beasley, Nick Carbo and Tobias Hill amongst others. Young emerging poets such as Beasley are immensely exciting to read and I try to follow their work whenever it's published.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: Wanting to create visual and emotional intensity in a poem is a lofty goal, but one I suspect many of us share. How do you find ways to reach that potential? For example, where do you find inspiration? Do you do anything in particular to wake up your muse? Where are you when poetry starts filling your mind?

Vampiredust: Taking a bath helps generate ideas. Walking, too, helps release ideas in my subconscious. I’m very fortunate that I live in an area which is very green and has lots of places good for walking.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: Do you jot down ideas while you’re on a walk? Are your notes usually enough to jog your memory? And I now have to ask: do you keep a pen and notebook next to the tub?

Vampiredust: I take a small notebook with me whenever I walk to jot down ideas and images. I like to think of them as a join the dots exercise, helping to create a skeleton of a piece. No, I don't keep a pen and notebook next to the tub.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: We all get those random ideas, sometimes daily, that we think might make a good poem, but beyond that do you have a writing routine? For example, do you write at the same time every day or every few days? Where do you do your serious poem writing? And do you prefer writing by hand or at a keyboard?

Vampiredust: I try and write every day, usually in the evening. I’ll often create a draft by hand and polish it on the PC. I write on my bed.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: How long does it take you, in general, to write a poem? Are some subjects or types of poems harder to write or take longer than others?

Vampiredust: It varies from a few minutes to a few weeks. Sometimes I’ll have a really great idea with a good framework in place and write a finished piece quite quickly.

Poems about family or experiences are easier to write, as are ones based on a photo. With personal poems, the material is already there and you can fill in the gaps. A really good photo will let me come up with a great metaphor quite quickly.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: One of your poems you agreed to discuss with us is After Walker Evans' 'Girl in Fulton Street,' a poem I assume you wrote after seeing this photograph:

http://www.moma.org/images/collection/FullSizes/SC1988_92_CCCR.jpg


After Walker Evans' photo 'Girl in Fulton Street'

This is not the city Frank
wrote about. There are no
hum coloured cabs or men
stopping for a cheeseburger
and malt shake. Lana Turner
has not died and the sky
has not worn its funeral coat.
This is the city made of glass
where people wear alien nouns
like Fedora and Cloche Hat
and sniff the air like gundogs,
eager for the scent of their identity.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: You visited the U.S. not too long ago. Does the Fulton Street photo represent your expectations or thoughts about America or Americans? And the poem is also something of an homage to Frank O'Hara. Has O'Hara's poetry influenced your expectations about the USA? Has the experience of visiting America affected this poem or others you've written? And how much does having an authentic experience (as opposed to imagining what something is like) influence what you choose to write about or include in a poem?

Vampiredust: Fulton Street was the result of being challenged to write a poem based on Walker Evans’ iconic photograph ‘Girl in Fulton Street’. The photo didn’t represent my expectations of America because I didn’t really have any preconceived notions about what the country would be like.

I’ve always considered O’Hara’s poetry (in particular his poems about New York) to be something nostalgic, narratives about a bygone, romantic age. I haven’t really thought of the images as being representative of America, having visited the country.

Authentic experiences are hugely influential in what I choose to write about and include in a poem. These often form the subjects of what I write about and help create a vivid piece of writing for the reader.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: I love your use of the phrase "alien nouns" in Fulton Street? What do you mean by that?

Vampiredust: The phrase ‘alien nouns’ is one of the points I was trying to get across when I wrote the poem, that of people forgetting language when they become too obsessed with other things and lose sight of their identity. Language is a key part in forming who you are and losing the names of things from the past (such as clothing, for instance) is an erosion of identity.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: I’ve noticed that your poems are mostly short but very narrative. You often sound like you're telling a story. Is that something you've thought about or try to do intentionally when you write?

Vampiredust: That’s intentional. I’ve found that narrative poems are the most enjoyable to write.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: Sense of place also seems to play a big part in much of your poetry. That's certainly true of the poems we‘re looking at in this interview. What sorts of things did you do in any of these poems that you think are particularly effective in establishing place and how does that help a reader understand what you are trying to communicate?

Vampiredust: I think using specific detail helps. Mentioning names of places and features unique to them helps create a picture for the reader. Hikmet, for instance, mentions Bursa Prison, which immediately gives a mental picture of the atmosphere of the poem’s setting.

Hikmet

i.m Nazim Hikmet

A little unknown folktale
is that Nazim Hikmet could tune
into radio transmissions using
the power of his heart alone.
Guards at Bursa Prison noticed
he used to stroke his breast
and a loud transmission
would start to come out of his
mouth. He liked to listen
to broadcasts of Shostakovich,
the news, underground speeches.
Months before he died guards
reported that he was curled up
in his cell, frantically trying
to tune into the weather report,
eager for news of thunder.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: Hikmet is a beautiful poem! Who is Nazim Hikmet and why is he important to you? Your poem seems to me to be about someone who is cut off, whose world shrinks more and more. I especially like the ending. How do you think using "eager for news of thunder" supports your theme?

Vampiredust: Nazim Hikmet was a Turkish poet who lived from 1901 – 63. The constant struggle he endured struck a chord with me and I wanted to show how easy it is to avoid facing the reality of your situation when under extreme pressure. The ending, with Nazim searching for news of his metaphorical ‘thunder’ - his impending death – shows how dangerous this escapism can be, leaving you emotionally and physically wrecked.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: Your poems are clear evocations of place and yet very metaphorical. I wonder if you can talk about that a bit. Is finding a balance between literal and metaphorical something you've worked on a lot? (It seems to me that you have and have gotten better and better at finding that balance as you've matured as a poet.)

Vampiredust: I don’t know, to be honest. I don’t think about the balance between the literal and metaphorical when I write. Many of the drafts I produce are worked on in my subconscious and I shape them there. Perhaps it’s something I’m not aware of.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: Your poem The Sea is a very good example of poetry that can be read as a literal image of place or very metaphorically.

The Sea

Walking down the street,
I empty my pockets
of the sea I was looking
after for you. Mussels
come tumbling first,
cracking open their castanet
shells on the pavement.
Acres of seaweed and oysters.
Taking a deep breath,
I pour saltwater into the middle
of the road. Islands of people
and cars bob in the newly created sea.
Somewhere amongst this
is an old trawler. You are inside,
sending signals back to a lighthouse
forgotten in a trouser pocket.

~​

You have some wonderful turns of phrase in this (and all!) your poems that evoke the reader’s senses. In this poem, for example, you talk about "castanet shells" and taking a "deep breath." Is this intentional, is it something you specifically try to do when you write and, if so, why? What do you think it does for the reader?

Vampiredust: Images often come to me when I’m thinking about ideas for my writing. I’ll see things in my mind’s eye which captures my imagination and jot it down. I like to play around with words, listening to the rhythm produced. I think using the senses helps create a vivid picture for the reader, letting them become part of the world you’ve created. Poetry is a very intimate form of communication and tearing down the barriers gives the reader a greater understanding of what’s lurking underneath.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: In all these poems, you seem to be very careful about where you break lines. I only see a few places where you end with lesser words or parts of speech like "his" or "this." Is that something you specifically try to avoid? Do you shift line breaks around a lot when you write or edit?

Vampiredust: Yes, I specifically try to avoid that. Words like "the" or "it" are roadblocks for the reader, in my opinion, stumbling the rhythm of the poem. I find line breaks difficult to do when writing and often shift them around when re-drafting.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: Let’s talk some more about editing. I think most serious poets put much more time into editing than they do the original draft of a poem. How much time, in general, do you put into editing a poem relative to how long it takes to write a first draft? And what kinds of things do you look for when you edit? How do you know when you're done? Do you ever go back and edit poems you thought were finished? Do you ever update poems you first wrote a long time ago (say a year or more)?

Vampiredust: Editing is a slow process for me. After a first draft is done it might take a few days, at the very least, to get a version I’m happy with. I’ll often go back over and over to change things.

I look for grammar mistakes (especially tenses), images that don’t make sense and will check the framework of the poem to make sure everything fits. I have a gut feeling when everything is done and trust it when I feel that I can’t write anymore.

I rarely update poems I wrote a while back. I tried to a couple of times but the experience was awful.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: You’ve got some wonderful publishing credits. How do you decide which poems to submit for publication or contests? How do you choose the places where you submit?

Vampiredust: I try and submit poems which are, in my opinion, visually and metaphorically strong. Positive feedback from a reader also helps in my selection as I’ve often found that those poems often get published.

My submission process consists of two things:
1) I have a list of favourite journals that I submit to.
2) Researching new journals. I read a lot of journals and have come across an eclectic bunch of journals out there, ranging from the wild to the brilliant. Resources such as Duotrope’s Digest are quite handy in finding these nuggets.

 

[The Poets]

The Poets: And now from the sublime to the ridiculous: Do you have any funny or naughty experiences related to your poetry that you can share with us?

Vampiredust: Erm...no. Sorry.


The Poets: Ever written poetry in the nude or sitting on the toilet

Vampiredust: Erm... No


The Poets: How about broken a date or skipped out on something so you could write?

Vampiredust: I don’t think so, lol

The Poets: Something tells me this would be a good place to stop asking you questions! Thank you so much for giving freely of your time to share your poetry and thoughts with us. I know we all wish you the best and expect to be reading much, much more of your wonderful poetry here and elsewhere. I know you'll be checking on this thread for about a week, so others here should feel free to join in the conversation with their questions or comments.

 

[Epmd607]

Vampiredust, does receiving a blowjob from your girl really resemble: "a cow wolfing down clover."
?

 

[champagne1982]

Hi Christian,

I'm always pleased to read you. It really is a marvel at how prolific you are. Quantity is definitely there but so (and more importantly, too) is quality. Your poems are often excellent tastes of an extraordinary talent. I'm glad to share white space with you.

My question involves your participation on Literotica.com. How have the people who write poetry here influenced you? Has your time spent on Lit helped or hindered your process?

Thanks for your work,
sign me
... a fan.

 

[vampiredust]

Vampiredust, does receiving a blowjob from your girl really resemble: "a cow wolfing down clover."
?

In that particular case, it did

 

[vampiredust]

Hi Christian,

I'm always pleased to read you. It really is a marvel at how prolific you are. Quantity is definitely there but so (and more importantly, too) is quality. Your poems are often excellent tastes of an extraordinary talent. I'm glad to share white space with you.

My question involves your participation on Literotica.com. How have the people who write poetry here influenced you? Has your time spent on Lit helped or hindered your process?

Thanks for your work,
sign me
... a fan.

Thank you for the kind words, Champ.

The poets on Lit have been a major influence on how I write. The advice and support given by Pat, Bill, Shara, Jennifer and many others has helped shaped how I write.

Spending time on Lit has been wonderful for the way I write and I look forward to logging on each day.

 

[Angeline]

In that particular case, it did

And you better hope she never finds that out!

 

[LadynStFreknBed]

hi, Christian. I've thoroughly enjoyed your poetry. As with your poems, I always consider reading a good poem as an honor that the poet has bestowed on the public.

I have a question about preparing chapbooks. Do you decide on a theme and write poems specifically for the chapbook? Do you look at what you have and select poems based on a theme, perhaps adding new poems to the collection?

Thank you for taking the time to answer questions. And, thank you to the moderators for this thread.

-Sheila