Mark Neely @markneely - Tumblr Blog

Emily Dickinson

I had not minded—Walls— Were Universe—one Rock— And far I heard his silver Call The other side the Block— I'd tunnel—till my Groove Pushed sudden thro' to his— Then my face take her Recompense— The looking in his Eyes— But 'tis a single Hair— A filament—a law— A Cobweb—wove in Adamant— A Battlement—of Straw— A limit like the Veil Unto the Lady's face— But every Mesh—a Citadel— And Dragons—in the Crease—

#Emily Dickinson #Poetry #Adamant

#In Print #Eugene Cross #Elena Passarello #Marcus Wicker #Sarah Wells #poetry #fiction #nonfiction #ballstate #The Broken Plate

If you haven't already, you need to listen to Levine read this poem.

#Poetry #Phillip Levine #They Feed They Lion

Interview by Ball State alum Eric Higgins in AGNI online

#Elana Bell #Eric Higgins #Poetry #Walt Whitman Award #AGNI

#atoms #universe

Happy Birthday!

#Elizabeth Bishop #Poetry

#Ray Bradbury #Joan Didion #E.B. White #Jack Kerouac #Susan Sontag #Henry Miller #Simone de Beauvoir #Writing

Next Big Thing

The wonderful Holly Amos tagged me in the Next Big Thing interview series. You can see her interview here. Next week you’ll feel the goodness of Tim Earley, Tyler Gobble, Lauren Goodwin Slaughter, and TJ Beitelman.

Since my next big thing is a secret book of poems inscribed on the wing of a stealth bomber, I’m going to talk about my last big thing instead.

What is the working title of the book?

Beasts of the Hill is the title. I’m not sure if it’s working or not.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

A third of the poems in the book are prose poems made up of four equal sections, arranged on the page like a four-paned window. The idea for that form came from staring out windows and from the panel paintings of Hieronymus Bosch and others. Painters seem to prefer triptychs, but I like the symmetry of four.

What genre does your book fall under?

Poetry

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

When I in my twenties, waiting tables in Chicago, a customer told me I looked like George Clooney. That is literally the only time in my life I’ve been compared to any movie star, so we’ll go with George. Rachel Weisz would play the love interest.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

A coming storm, with sprinklings of sex, agriculture and disaster (not really a sentence, sorry).

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

Some bits and pieces of this book were written over ten years ago, but most of it was written over a five or six-year period. It took two years after I finished the book to find a publisher.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Elizabeth Bishop, John Berryman, Paul Westerberg, failure, Bruce Smith, Robin Behn, envy, the Pixies, Jill Christman, disc golf, Brigit Kelly, Mike Madonick, January, and pain.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Between the four-section prose poems, there are also short lyrics, like this and these.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It was published last April by Oberlin College Press.

My tagged writers for next Wednesday are:

Tim Earley

Lauren Goodwin Slaughter

Tyler Gobble

TJ Beitelman

#oberlin college press #beasts of the hill #poetry #tim earley #lauren goodwin slaughter #tyler gobble #tj beitelman #holly amos