Poet Interview

World of Writing - Poetry Interview

We have the honour of featuring poet Thomas Page today. Thomas is the head editor of the Academy of the Heart and Mind. He is an MFA Candidate studying poetry at the University of South Florida. He is also branching out to children’s, literary, and horror fiction in his work. He invites our readers to drop by the 

Academy of the Heart and Mind blog @ https://academyoftheheartandmind.wordpress.com and to visit him anytime via: https://twitter.com/thomaspagepoet. You may also want to revisit the April 28th blog post where Thomas was in to share information about running the popular blog. 

Q: Do you feel like there is a discernible difference between poetry and prose?

A: I think that both poetry and prose have similar elements of composition. Both require writers to consider what story they are telling their audience. The discernible difference comes in what this story is. Poetry tends to be more lyrical in nature in the sense that it focuses on a single moment in time. A prose writer can build these ideas through multiple scenes that end with the pivotal moment. A poet doesn’t have this luxury. However, I find that writing both have their challenges. 

Q: It is interesting that you study poetry at a university... Can you tell us a little more about this experience (how it opened your mind, being around other students, works introduced to you that changed your concept of poetry, what you like/didn't about the class structure, etc.)?

A: I was, borrowing a term from scouting, a “lone scout” poet prior to my entry into the MFA program at the University of South Florida. I was involved in the writing world but only through emails. It is very different talking about my work in person. It was very interesting hearing honest feedback on my work because my peers stressed the importance of voice in my work. The poetic persona is very important in the current writing world. It’s what distinguishes a Dr. Seuss poem from others, for example. It’s changing my perspective on my writing in ways I am still figuring out. The directions that I wanted to go when I entered are completely different now. I also am making a lot of lifelong connections through the program. 

Q: What is the main focus of your poetic work?

A: That’s a little difficult to pinpoint because my work is in flux. At the beginning, I focused on a sort of bucolic, Romantic poetry. I wrote a lot of haiku as well. These tended to be about flowers, birds, and landscapes. I also did some narrative poems and played with structure. I still do write about those kinds of things but I am transitioning more towards a diverse subject manner. I want to incorporate more dramatic and horrific elements into the work I am working on right now. I’m planning on writing a narrative, horror-ish collection for my thesis.  

Although I am excited about this new direction in my work, I am still going to write about flowers and birds in the future. 

Q: Do you still have the first piece you wrote?

A: I do, at least the one I wrote as an adult. I keep every poem that I have written on a word document on my computer. It was a haiku about the cherry blossoms falling on the Potomac. I wrote a series of them after I read the Dover Haiku anthology. This was in May 2017. When I gave John (my brother and the founding editor of Heart and Mind), he actually printed a haiku about pine trees as my first one. I believe that it was the third one I wrote. What I do remember well is how much my mother loved them when she read them. I remember her showing a lot of people these haiku. 

Q: What’s the best advice you were given about writing?

A: I would say it was “just write.” There’s a temptation to make every word you write perfect the first time. This is impossible. Some of the poems that I have gotten better reception on have been tinkered with for several drafting sessions. Other poems were right sooner. You never know what will work when you brainstorm the idea. You need to share your work with others so that you have another set of eyes and ears to see what is and isn’t working. Then you can “just write” it more. 

Q: What criticism about your writing gave you pause, made you rethink your writing style?

A: I think that the critique that surprised me the most was that I needed to write “more masculine” poetry. This relates to the idea of the poetic persona. I had compared my skin to my maternal grandmother’s in a poem about looking at myself in the mirror. People tend to expect that since I am a 6’3”, 250 lb, bushy-bearded man that I need to write a Viking edda or a rock opera or whatever other beer-guzzling, engine-revving poetry that might find its way into a Charles Bukowski book. I am no Charles Bukowksi nor do I intend to be. This critique made me consider how I want to approach my work as well as the kind of diction I am using as well as how I want to dismantle this perception of what I should work. I also want other poets to not feel trapped that they have to write a certain type of poetry based on how they look and present themselves.

Q: Are there things you need, or an ambiance you require, to feel comforted and inspired to write?

A: I remember talking to Migien Mocke, an alumna of USF, about writing habits. She described two types: dogs and cats. Dog writers need to have a set schedule that they follow to a tee. Cat writers write when ideas come to them. I am a cat writer. I tend to write when I listen to informative things, such as meetings and documentaries. I write until I am either finished with the piece or get tired. I try to pick a day when I am writing but it really is whenever I am really inspired to write. I also like to listen to music when I am writing. 

 

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