10 Questions for James D. Quinton

   An interview with g emil reutter

James D Quinton is a British fiction and poetry writer. His two novels Touch and The Victorian Time Traveller and his two poetry collections Street Psalms and The City Is On Fire And Has Been For Weeks are now available as rematered second editions. Recently published poetry has appeared in BoySlut, Rusty Truck, Gutter Eloquence, Blacklisted Magazine, Dead Snakes and Spudgun Magazine. He is also managing editor of Open Wide Magazine. www.jamesdquinton.co.uk www.openwidemagazine.co.uk

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The Interview

GER:  As a writer of poetry and prose what was your inspiration to tackle both genres?

JDQ: Poetry came out of being in a band when I was a teenager. I used to write the words to our punky/heavy rock music. From that I started writing flowery, surreal verse, pretty awful. I didn’t really have any literary influences, more inspired by alternative rock/punk rock musicians and their lyrics. At about the same time I left school and was on the dole and started writing a novel. It was contemporary fiction. I got a few thousand words in before I got a job in a record store and it was promptly forgotten.

It wasn’t until I started reading the beats, then a friend found a copy of a Bukowski biography called ‘Locked in the Arms of A Crazy Life’, that I realized you didn’t need qualifications, which I didn’t have, to write. It was very liberating.

From there I started writing more ‘down-to-earth’ poems, still not very good, and the friend and I started Open Wide Magazine to publish ourselves as well as other writers who may share the same ‘attitude’ as us. When the magazine began we weren’t even aware of a small press.

My first few short stories that I submitted were very Bukowski, they had that short, sharp style, but unlike Bukowski they weren’t very good. However, over the years my skills have improved (I hope). Whereas I’ve stayed with the, what we could call ‘Meat’ style of poetry, my fiction is completely different. It’s as if different people write the two – although both, I think, are accessible. Poetry for me now is a cathartic release. I stepped back from that for a while, afraid to put my true feelings down, but I’ve thrown myself into it again, full throttle. Fiction gives me the opportunity to write more commercially, embrace other genres, like SF, and get the crazy ideas down that manifest themselves in my head.

GER: Your poetry has been described as realism and embraced by those that consider themselves poetry outlaws in the Untied States. Are you a realist and what are your thoughts on the outlaw movement?

JDQ:  I am very much a realist in life and in my writing. I just don’t get poetry that isn’t. I can’t stand poetry that is written in the third person. You know, a poem hat describes the feeling and thoughts of a little old lady pushing a pram full of tinned food. I mean what the…? My first encounter with poetry was the First World War poets, and you know those guys weren’t faking it! So, yes it has got to be real.

I’m a bit allergic to other writers, so I have never felt a part of any scene. I know there are plenty of regional scenes both here and in the States and that is a good thing. I’ve known poets to get together, come up with a name and create their own little group to try and promote a buzz around their writing.

Most scenes come together with good intentions and ideals, but often end up becoming what they set out to rail against and also quite exclusive. A true ‘outsider’ has no scene, but just does his or her own thing, writes from the heart and gets their words published wherever they can.

GER:  Your collected poems, Street Psalms, was released in 2009. The collection spans six years. When you read the collection do you see changes in your crafting of poetry and subject matter?

JDQ: Funnily I have just been reading through Street Psalms for a second edition, which is out now. The collection contains over seventy poems, all previously published in print and/or online between 2001-2007. There’s no denying the early prose poems are heavily influences by you know who. But, the subject matter is real. All true stories, it’s all me. There are a few theme poems mixed in, like a couple about the blues. As the book progresses the focus becomes more internal, rather than external, and I think, I hope, the style develops into my own thing.

GER: The City is on Fire and Has Been For Weeks a collection of short stories and poetry quickly followed on the heals of Street Psalms. Many writers today shy away from cross genre publication. What was your motivation concerning this release? 

JDQ: Street Psalms went down really well, we sold quite a few and we got some great reviews and feedback. Someone called it seminal the other day. Just after it was published I found more early poems, which I’d forgotten about that could have been included in SP. So, with them tidied up, plus the new stuff I was writing at the time, I wanted to clear the decks. I then thought I’d flesh it out with the best of my published short stories to give a better perspective of my work, which is also why some very early, pre-2000 poems were included. It’s an interesting mix. As with Street Psalms it has a second edition, unlike SP there’s extra content – amazingly, I unearthed even more previously forgotten published poems (they have been slightly ‘tidied up’ too) as well as the first short story I got paid for! The City… contains some of my favourite pieces.

GER: Touch was released in 2009 and captures the events of in the lives of various characters in a 24 hour period. How were you able to capture the complex interactions of the characters and the development of the story?

JDQ: Touch is a contemporary fiction novel that I first started in 2004 and, I think, I finally finished it in 2007. I would write some one week, leave it for a few months, then go back to it – not the best way to write a book. Having just reread it (yep, a second edition), I was surprised how good it was for a first effort. The main influence behind the book, not in terms of content but how it developed, was Pulp Fiction. The scenes are all cut up and the main characters pop up in other character’s scenes. It’s not until the final few pages that those characters come together for the finale. I had quite a bit of mainstream interest when I sent it out, but in the end it, like the other three, it came out on a small press

GER: In 2010 The Victorian Time Traveler was released. How did you become involved in this project and how did it affect you as a writer?

JDQ:  If only there was a simple one word answer to this question! The Victorian Time Traveller is a SF/fantasy adventure that features a huge dash of extremely liberal faith theology and also takes time to have a go fundamentalism and antitheism. You have a series of books in States that go under the banner of ‘Left Behind’. They are a collection of nasty, right wing, and literally inspired Christian fiction books. The Victorian Time Traveller is the antithesis of those unpleasant publications.

It begins as meta-fiction with myself claiming I found the manuscript in a recently deceased relative’s home. The manuscript was written in 1900 by ‘my’ great, great uncle and documents what he saw when he went into the future, first the beginning of the 21^st century and then the end of the 21^st century. Then my great, great uncle takes over and the story and it starts with him addressing his wife. He explains that his story is based in the sole testimony of one man and is written in a contemporary to the time (our time) fiction style.  The main story focuses on a group of progressive believers being targeted by an agent of the devil in order that they aren’t around when ‘the end’ comes so they can’t fulfill their destiny of nurturing people when they reconnect with ‘the light’. There’s an unrequited romance going on between the two main protagonists, Dan and Catherine, which move things along. There’s so much going on in the book, so many layers, that it’s quite hard explain it all succinctly. I can only suggest people get hold of a copy!

It was a massive task as a writer and even thinking about it I have to take a deep breath. I learnt a lot in terms of technique and style. But, having just reread it (yes, another second edition), it all comes together; ultimately, it is a positive story that promotes unconditional love to all.

GER: You are one of the managing editors of Open Wide Magazine.  Issue 25 marked your tenth anniversary of publishing Open Wide. The magazine has varied between publishing on the internet and in print. What are your feelings regarding internet publishing versus print publication of the magazine?

JDQ: I love reading about the history of the small press, especially in America. A few years ago John Bennett sent me the Vagabond anthology, which celebrated that publication’s history. I get really excited when I think about all those little magazines that have popped up over the years publishing all those poets who got their words out, and then maybe disappeared.  A.D. Winan’s Second Coming book is a great read too. If I had the money I’d collect copies of all those old magazines. I find it fascinating and romantic. So, the point I’m going to make is that it’s really hard, for me anyway, to have the same level of enthusiasm for an ezine and/or blog.

Nowadays, if you have the passion and drive to start a poetry magazine, financially it is cheaper to publish online, you don’t even need to pay for domain name and hosting, stick it in a blog. I think the problem is that so many pop up, everyone hits them with submissions (because it’s really easy to fire an email off), they publish a few issues and then are gone. It’s a bit like sorting yourself out – you feel a little grubby afterwards. It’s also a bit Catch-22 – I got my words out, but the ezine has folded – what did it mean to me? Nothing, really.

However, that’s not to say there aren’t some excellent, long-standing publications. Fox Chase, Red Fez, Zygote, to name three. All have survived because of the passion of the editors and, most importantly, they’ve created a community and people want to be involved. Also a lot of publications are using audio and visual technology. Another plus is that you can potentially reach anyone with a computer around the world. So, I think when all the right elements come together then you’ve got yourself a great outlet. I don’t want to sound pious about the print vs online debate; there are some great poetry blogs out there – and they know who they are. I guess the reality is that the online format has replaced print. More people read small press authors online they do in print

Personally though, I do choose print. I’m going to be subscribing to more print publications. I know how much effort it takes to produce one these days, and they deserve to be supported.

I regret the online/PDF issues of Open Wide, the format we choose was purely out of necessity i.e. money, and let me be honest, it was easier.

I have great memories of printing and stapling the magazine together and then packaging it up, and this was in the mid-2000s when we were sending hundreds of copies around the world. At the time we were also publishing chapbooks, broadsides and special editions under the banner of Feel Free Press. Sadly, we took on too much and were unable to continue with some projects we had in the pipeline; we burned ourselves out. So apologies to anyone who did have their work in the fire that went out.

But, Open Wide will be print from now on. It’s an unbeatable feeling holding the damn thing in yours hands after sweating to get it edited and looking absolutely perfect. And we hope to pay our writers….

GER: Many poets/writers make repeat appearances in Open Wide. Can you name five of your favorite poets/writers published in Open Wide and why?

JDQ: That’s quite a difficult one. I should say that Open Wide has mainly been a platform for new writers, but if we like your work, then yes, we’ll have you back. It’s great to see a writer develop.

I think I’d have to point you towards the credits list for our 10^th anniversary edition. All my favorites are there. Many have gone on to bigger and better things. In all cases their work simply stands out, it has that something special. There are a few names absent, but the idea behind that issue was to publish our preferred writers of the last ten years, and that’s what we did.

GER: Your poems and stories have gained acceptance at various publications across the globe. How has the submission process, both in acceptance and declination affected you as a writer?

JDQ: At the moment it seems that ‘meat’ poetry is out of favour and a lot of places I stumble upon only do peculiarly themed issues or issues based around bizarre abstract statements that they then expect you to interpret. I can’t be bothered with that.

With a lot of ezines replies, ironically seeing as they’re a part of a global community, they are becoming a lot more impersonal, especially when using smishsmash or similar. There’s no feedback and no sense of camaraderie; it’s a bit cold. I’ve never had any ego problems with work being declined, and I am always grateful when work is accepted – it always means a lot.

GER: What new projects are you working on?

JDQ:  I think I might have mentioned the second editions of my four published works so far?! They’ve been remastered with new covers. So, if anyone reading this is interested then I highly recommended checking out the new editions. They’ll also available for the first time on Kindle. You can find more info on my website www.jamesdquinton.co.uk

Aside from that I have a novella, a beat western, awaiting a home. I have just finished my fourth novel, a contemporary set SF, which I’m currently sending out to publishers and agents. I have just started book five, a supernatural horror. I’m also writing poetry when the words come.

On top of that we’re gearing up for Open Wide 26. So, if readers are interested in submitting please head over to www.openwidemagazine.co.uk

10 Questions for Jack Veasey

An interview with g emil reutter.

Jack Veasey is a Philadelphia native who has been living in Hummelstown, PA for over 20 years. He is the author of ten published collections of poetry, most recently “The Sonnets” and “5-7-5″ (both from Small Hours Press, 2007). He is a member of Harrisburg’s Almost uptown Poetry Cartel.
His poems have also appeared in many periodicals including Christopher Street, The Pittsburgh Quarterly, Harbinger: A Journal Of Social Ecology, The Philadelphia Daily News, The Painted Bride Quarterly, Fledgling Rag, Oxalis, The Blue Guitar, Bone And Flesh, Zone: A Feminist Journal For Women And Men, Film Library Quarterly (Museum of Modern Art, NYC), Experimental Forest, Tabula Rasa, Wild Onions, Mouth Of The Dragon, Asphodel, Insight, The Irish Edition, The Harrisburg Patriot-News, The Harrisburg Review, The Princeton Spectrum, The Little Word Machine (U.K.), and The Body Politic (Canada), among others. His poems have also appeared in a number of anthologies, including Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets On Pennsylvania (Penn State University Press), Sweet Jesus: Poems About The Ultimate Icon (Anthology Press, Los Angeles), and A Loving Testimony: Remembering Loved Ones Lost To AIDS (The Crossing Press, Freedom, CA) and most recently in Assaracus.

The Interview:

GER: You have a long history both in the Philadelphia and Harrisburg poetry communities. Are there differences and similarities?

JV: Harrisburg doesn’t have nearly as much activity. I think in terms of the degree and range of talent, the two scenes are pretty similar.

GER: What poets inspired you as a young man to become a poet, and did any have a lasting impact on your work?

JV: I started writing seriously as a teenager, and my favorite poet at the time was Sylvia Plath. I still love her work, and reading it has often given me the energy to write.Edna St. Vincent Millay’s sonnets had a big impact on me, and got me interested in writing formal poetry – I’ve done quite a bit of that, though I write free verse a lot, too. Edward Field’s poems opened me up in terms of feeling like I could write about ANY subject matter, including things most people would be embarrassed to write about. Jared Carter got me interested in the narrative aspect.  I know Edward and Jared personally, and other poets I’ve known personally have had a big impact on me. I got a lot of encouragement to do readings from Maralyn Lois Polak early on in the Philly scene, and the lateNew   York poet Barbara A. Holland was a mentor who was instrumental in getting my first chapbook published when I was twenty. Some poets I’ve studied with had a big impact – Alexandra Grilikhes and Etheridge Knight, particularly, both of whom I studied with in Philly. Sadly, Etheridge, Alexandra and Barbara are no longer with us.

GER: The Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia  has greatly changed since you grew up there at a time when it was a working class neighborhood. How did that environment inspire your poetry?

JV: I had plenty to struggle against in Fishtown. The neighborhood’s old atmosphere – when it was industrial, before it became gentrified — still pervades a lot of my work. My poems are often set in gritty urban locales. I was oppressed as a kid in Fishtown –  I was a target for bullies – and that gave me an outsider’s perspective, and made me identify  with the underdog, which I still do. That colors a lot of my choices of subjects, and the viewpoints from which I write, when they aren’t my own.

Everybody in Fishtown in the old days had a story to tell if you let them – and I went through a period where I re-told a lot of those stories in my poetry, particularly in my book “No Time For Miracles,” which came out at the end of the eighties. The impulse to tell stories  in general is still a driving force in a great many of my poems, maybe even most of them.

GER: How would you describe your poetry?

JV: A lot of it is narrative. It tends to be pretty plain-spoken and accessible. I’m usually telling a story, even if I do it in the form of a dramatic first-person monologue, or in a lyrical form. I try to place the reader in a situation that gives them a specific perspective – to make them see things for themselves, to make them have the same epiphany I did. Clarity is important to me, but I’d rather the story led my readers to the same conclusion I reached without my directly coming out and telling them what to think (though I may do that if it suits the viewpoint from which I’m writing). I don’t buy the prevalent notion that “didactic” is always bad, but I do try to provoke a particular experience that will lead to a specific insight rather than to preach at people. I like to have a certain amount of subtlety and resonance, but I also try to avoid vagueness. If a poem fails to hold my attention, it’s usually because it’s vague.

GER: Your career as a poet, journalist and advocate spans four decades. How has your focus changed during this time?

JV: I started out as a teenager writing what most people would call “confessional” poems (I hate that term, by the way– it’s usually used to dismiss all first-person writing from women and other minorities who make the speaker — usually a white male academic –  uncomfortable). Then I went through what I would now call my “pretentious” period, when I was strongly influenced by surrealism and Theater Of  The Absurd, which didn’t last long. Then journalism got me interested in telling third-person stories about things I’d witnessed, stories about other people. Then I got ”infected” with the impulse to play with forms, which are useful if you need to distance yourself from something in order to free yourself to write about it. Now, depending on what obsesses me currently, I may do any of the above – except I tend to leave the pretentious stuff alone.

GER: Why do you continue to write?

JV: For pretty much the same reason as I continue to breathe. I need to. It’s my primary way of processing my experiences and my perceptions, for one thing. It’s how I make sense of being in the world. It does seem to happen cyclically – sometimes I’m very prolific, other times I write in fragments, on the run, and don’t finish anything for awhile. I don’t like periods like that (I’m in one now). I feel healthier when I’m producing results, though I try to focus on the process rather than on the product. If it’s really inspired, the product has a mind of its own, and it surrenders itself to you when it’s damn good and ready!

GER: What advice do you have for new poets on the scene?

JV: Write and read as much as you can. Pursue what you are genuinely drawn to – don’t subscribe to anything because someone else tells that you “should.“ Originality comes from being true to your own real perspective.

GER: What is the value of publication of work and public performance of poetry?

JV: Largely that they enable you to finish the act of communication. If you write because you have things to say, that’s essential. Otherwise, you’re just talking to yourself.

As far as getting reactions and feedback go – that really isn’t the reason you do it. And you have to be happy with it by your own standards regardless of whatever reaction it gets, or doesn’t get. You don’t do it for the reaction, but you do create the work, most of the time, in order to be able to share it. Then it’s out of your hands.

GER: Are you working on any new projects?

JV: I’ve written the lyrics and book for a musical, and I’m looking for a composer/arranger to work with me on it. It involves a gay man who time-travels back to his youth to fulfill an ambition he never pursued – it’s sort of like a gay “Damn Yankees,” only the ambition is musical rather than having to do with sports. The value of the experience for him, of course, is the new perspective it gives him on his current actual life situation, to which he has to struggle to return. It’s both funny and serious.

I’m also looking for publishers for two full-length book manuscripts. One is a book of fairly straightforward free-verse poems, many of them narrative, dealing with my life as an openly gay man.  Another is a large selection of poems written in forms over a period of many years, about a wide variety of subjects.

GER: When all is said and done, how will Jack Veasey be remembered?

JV: I have no idea. I hope people will see me as a person who had empathy and compassion, in spite of the fact that my experience of oppression evoked anger that I had to express. But I’ve often found myself the object of people’s projections – sometimes people will tell me that I’ve said things that I actually haven’t said at all. What other people make of you often has much more to do with them than it does with you. You learn that pretty quickly when you’re a member of a minority that’s the object of prejudices. Maybe I’ll ultimately be understood, from what I leave behind, a lot better than I ever was in life. I hope so.

On May 20th Jack Veasey will read in Fox Chase with poets Christine O’Leary Rockey and Marty Esworthy

10 Questions for A.D. Winans

A.D. Winans is a native San Francisco poet whose work has appeared internationally. In 2002, a song poem of his was performed at Alice Tully Hall. In 2005 he was awarded a PEN National Josephine Miles Award for excellence in literature. In 2009 he was presented with a PEN Oakland Lifetime Achievement Award. His latest book, Drowning Like Li Po in a River of Red Wine was recently published by BOS Press.  www.bospress.net

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The Interview:

 FCR:  You have written two collections of prose and numerous essays standing in  contrast to over fifty collections of poetry. Why are you a poet?

ADW: That’s like asking me why I breathe.  It’s in my blood!  Like the late William Wantling said, “I’d carry a lunchbox just like the rest of them, if only these strange voices would leave me alone.”   I write because I’m at the mercy of the demons inside me.  I’m just a caretaker for their voices.

FCR: For seventeen years you edited Second Coming Magazine. Can you highlight events and those published, is Second Coming Magazine archived?  

ADW:  I published well known poets alongside relatively unknown poets.  S.C. was not a Beat publication, although I published many Beat poets like Kaufman, Micheline, William Everson, Ferlinghetti, Harold Norse, Ruth Weiss, Charles Plymell, and countless others.  I began publishing in 1972, during the post-Beat seventies, and Charles Bukowski was a regular contributor to the magazine. I published many of the so called “Meat” poets, and poets of the post-beat era; poets like Wayne Miller, Kell Roberton, George Tsongas, Gene Ruggles, Kaye McDonough, Neeli Cherkovski, and Dan Propper. I also published a few academic poets like Philip Levine and Josephine Miles.  The only criteria I had was the poem had to make me feel something inside that made me want to publish it.

Some of the highlights included the special issue on Charles Bukowski, the 1976 California Bi-centennial Poets Anthology, and the 1980 Poets and Music Festival honoring poet Josephine Miles and the legendary blues musician John Lee Hooker.  The festival took in three Bay Area counties and lasted for seven days.

In 1987, two years before I ceased publishing, Brown University bought the Second Coming archives along with my own archives.

FCR: Bottle of Smoke Press recently released Drowning like Li Po in a River of Red Wine. This collection spans the years 1970 to 2010. How did the project come about? 

ADW:  I was the first poet Bill Roberts published.  Over the years he has published two additional chapbooks of mine, a booklet, and has included me in broadside projects.  In late 2009 he approached me about doing a book of my poems, which would include poems from all fifty-plus books and chapbooks of mine that I have published from 1970 to the present.   I agreed and the rest is history.  The hardback sold out before the book was officially released, but paperback copies are still available.  I deeply appreciate the loving care Bill Roberts put into this book, as he does with every book he publishes.

FCR: Some poets starting out seem enthralled with the history of The Beat Poets. Many shoot across the sky and burn out quickly; do you have any advice for new poets?

ADW:   I’m not much on giving out advice.  I’d say just be yourself and don’t be afraid of taking chances, and for Christ Sake, quit trying to imitate Bukowski.  Ezra Pound offered some good advise when he said, “CHOP.  CHOP.  CHOP.”  Some poets today just don’t know when to stop, just like some oral poets don’t know when to get off the stage.

FCR: What effect has the Internet had on poetry?

ADW:  It has made it much easier to get your work published, although I’m not sure that is always a good thing.  There seems to be thousands of literary web sites in existence, with a good number publishing their friends. However, there are also many very good ones; web Zines like Pedestal and Big Bridge, where being a friend won’t get you published.  I’d prefer print publications use the internet as a compliment to their print magazine, and not have web Zines replace print publications.

FCR: You will soon be seventy-five years old. You continue to create, what is your motivation?

ADW:  A driving need to write, nothing more or less.  If you expect to make a living out of poetry you’re panning for fool’s gold.   If you don’t have a gnawing hunger inside you then you’re better off working a nine-to-five job and stowing away some money in the bank.

FCR: Who was a major influence on you as a writer?

ADW:  Early on, I wanted to be a Novelist, and was moved by the writings of Jack London, Hemingway and Steinbeck.  And music has always been an influence on me.  My political poetry came about from listening to folk singers like Woody Guthrie and early Bob Dylan, and that one moving song on what this country has done to the American Indian, by Buffy Saint Marie.  Poetry wise, Jack Micheline, Bob Kaufman, William Wantling, and Bukowski were early influences on me.

FCR: You have been published in over 1,500 magazines. Does it mean anything?

ADW:  In retrospect, there are some magazines I wish I had never been published in.  I don’t know what if anything it means.  I mean if I had only been published in a handful of magazines, I’d still be writing.  I don’t write per-see for publication although my publication record might make this seem hard to believe.  A good number of my publications came as a result of an editor or publisher writing and asking me to send them work. This is particularly true of published books of mine.

FCR: If you had it to over again, would anything be different?

ADW:  I can’t imagine it would be. I sometimes reflect on what it would have been like to have a wife and children, but we all look back on life and wonder, what if?  I am satisfied with the direction my life took.

FCR: When it is all said and done, what will A.D. Winans be remembered for?

ADW: I suppose some people will remember me as an editor and publisher, others will remember me as a poet and writer, and still others will remember me for both. 

I’d like to be remembered as well for the literary and political battles I fought and as a poet of the people, a poet who cared for the downtrodden and dispossessed who get the shit end of the stick.  I’d like to be remembered as some one who never compromised or sold out.  I’d like to be remembered as a man who valued integrity over a lottery chance at fame.

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For all things A.D. Winans please visit: http://www.adwinans.mysite.com/

You can read the poetry of A.D. Winans in The Fox Chase Review at these links: 2009 WS; 2010 SU

This interview was conducted on December 28, 2010 via email by g emil reutter .