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"Alan Catlin - Drunk And Disorderly in New York"
Interview Conducted by Andrew Angus
1. Andrew: Describe yourself .(extrovert, introvert, athletic, etc. )
Alan: An extroverted introvert
2. Andrew: What do you think makes a poetrybook a bestseller?
Alan: A freak of good luck
3. Andrew: What makes a poem a classic?
Alan: A classic poem------well, it helps to be a dead, white male, that's for sure. Actually, I have no idea what the criteria is for a classic poem. I know what I like.
4. Andrew: Why do you like to write poems?
Alan: I write poetry bcause I have to.
5. Andrew: What is your favorite theme in composing poems? (ex. sports, nature, Christmas, romance, etc.)
Alan: I don't have a favorite "theme" for writing. I could probably make one fo thsoe top whatever Letterman lists but it would have to be much longer than 10 items. I do know that Christmas and Romance as topics wouldn't b e on it. Unless it was the "Romantic" Christmas that Morvern Collar had----
6. Andrew: Does a person have to have a bachelor's degree or master's degree in creative writing to be a good poet?
Alan: No
7. Andrew: What is the longest poem (in terms of stanza or no. of lines) so far you have composed?
Alan: I'm not sure what the longest poem in temrs of lines/ stanazas is that I've written. I know I've written a couple of 14 pages poems and early this eyar out together a piece of about 16 pages while working on something much longer than that.
8. Andrew: Have you read a poetrybook, not yours, lately?
Alan: I read a new poetry book yesterday. Plan to read at lest one more today, maybe two or more. I probably own more poetry books than most small libraries. Some big ones too. Libraries that is.
9. Andrew: Have you made poetry readings in front of an audience? How does it feel? Alan: Yes, I've done many readings.I've felt anywhere from being an animated exhibit in a museum, a freak in a human zoo to venerated and just about everything in between.
10. Andrew: Does advertising help in increasing book sales?
Alan: Maybe.
11. Andrew: Do you think you can write a poem as long as 100 stanzas?
Alan: How about 110 pages?
by Alan Catlin