What brought you to creative writing, memoir, poetry?
I came to poetry later than many of my peers. I was homeless
for much of my adolescence and early adulthood, and never
graduated from high school. I was certainly not a reader or
writer of poetry during those years. When I was 25, I was
a victim of police brutality. I turned and walked away from
an officer who was trying to question me, and he tackled me
and choked me out. In an attempt to justify his use of force,
he arrested me for assault on an officer.
I decided to get my GED and enroll in classes at Spokane
Falls Community College, mostly because I thought it would
look good in court. My first quarter there, I took a creative
writing course because I thought it would be an easy 4.0.
That class was taught by Laura Read. Laura is an excellent
poet, and was a kind, welcoming, and encouraging instructor.
That class changed my life. By the end of the quarter, I was a
poet. That was 12 years ago, and poetry has been my primary
focus (outside of family) ever since. In that time, I’ve earned
two undergraduate degrees and an MFA, been published in
numerous journals and anthologies, and had a book accepted
for publication by a wonderful press. I never thought I would
be anything other than a drug dealer with no permanent
address. I know it’s a cliché, but poetry saved my life. I mean
that quite literally.
What are you working on now?
I’m focusing on generating new work, and I continue to send
my poems out for publication. I generally send out about 15
to 25 submissions each month. I’m also compiling a couple
of chapbooks. I hope to have enough new work by the end
of 2020 to compile a new full-length collection.
What are the best ways for someone to engage with writing
or writers?
The most important thing is to read. Read a lot. Read
work with a wide variety of different aesthetic approaches.
Another good way to engage is to show up for local literary
events.
Who are your favorites?
There are far too many to list, but the first names that
come to mind (in no particular order) are Laura Kasischke,
Christopher Howell, Traci Brimhall, Dorianne Laux, John
Hodgen, Laura Read, and Ashley Capps.
For more information about their work visit
https://derekannis.wordpress.com/ or
http://www.losthorsepress.org/.
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ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
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