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Spring 2005-Aug
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Editor's Message
Poetry
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Poetry for the Common Man
Interview by Andrew C. Angus
Poet from Louisiana
AA stands for Andrew Angus, HEGJ stands for Harry E. Gilleland Jr.
Email Interview received on: Sept 10, 2005, Saturday
HGJ: I am a soon-to-be sixty-one-year-old southerner (born in Macon, GA, residing in Shreveport, LA for the past thirty years) who is a retired Professor of Microbiology turned poet. I am an introvert who has always been quiet, serious, and thoughtful in nature. In my younger days I excelled in academics and was active in various sports, including baseball, football, basketball, tennis, and running. I ran 10K road races until my late thirties. Arthritis ended my active participation in sports, and today I indulge in sports only through watching televised events. Most of my time and energy these days is devoted to my writing career. I am a husband, father to four, grandfather to five, and friend to two dogs. I get many ideas for my poetry from these family members and pets. I enjoy feeding and watching birds and squirrels in my backyard and observing Nature. I view life through the eyes of a poet.
2. AA: What do you think makes a poetrybook a bestseller?
HGJ: It is extremely rare for a poetry book to ever approach bestseller status. Those that do have more to do with name recognition of the poet than with the content of the book. It is a Catch-22 situation - to sell your poetry book well you have to already be a famous poet!
3. AA: What makes a poem a classic?
HGJ: I believe a poem becomes a classic when it speaks to people about some universal truth or emotion in a timeless fashion. A classic poem would never become dated but would remain relevant across the ages. It has to touch the reader in some meaningful way.
4. AA: What is your favorite theme in composing poems? (sports, nature, etc.)
HGJ: I especially like a true-life experience that demonstrates some principle of life that makes the reader feel and think. I also like observations of Nature and Mankind's role in Nature as a theme.
5. AA: How did you learn to write poems?
HGJ: I learned to write poems by reading poems and imitating them at first. As I developed my skill at writing poetry, I became more adventuresome and tried developing my own style. I learned a lot about what works and what doesn't work by posting my poems on poetry forums for critique. From harsh criticism came improvement and learning- and a thicker skin.
6. AA: What is your longest single poem so far - in terms of lines? in terms of stanzas?
HGJ: "An Act Of Bioterrorism" is an 84-line free verse poem. "A Strange Young Maiden" is a storoem with seventeen 5-line stanzas plus a closing couplet.
7. AA: When do you write poetry? Any specific time - morning, afternoon, evening, dawn?
HGJ: I am not a morning person. I write usually in the late afternoon or evening. However, I tend to write whenever the idea for a storoem or poem becomes overwhelming, and I must capture it on paper. Frequently, the idea for a piece will come to me late at night, and I will mull it over before writing it down the next afternoon.
8. AA: Is your first poetry book (Poetry for the Common Man) a bestseller? How many have you sold so far?
HGJ: No, it has hardly been a bestseller. It has sold approximately 160 copies, which, for a self-published first book by a completely unknown poet, is actually a quite respectable showing.
9. AA: How many years did it take before you published your first poetry book - Poetry for the Common Man?
HGJ: It took me two years to write the storoems and poems included in that first 2003 book. Since that first book, I have published a second poetry book (Gilleland Poetry: Storoems and Poems, ISBN 1411629272, 2005, Lulu Press). It also took two years to complete. Each book contains about 180 items.
10. AA: What is your day job right now?
HGJ: I am happily retired. Prior to retiring in July, 2004 I worked as a Professor of Microbiology at Louisiana State University Medical Center - Shreveport's School of Medicine for 29 years teaching medical and graduate students and performing vaccine research.
11. AA: What is your favorite poem/s during high school or college days?
HGJ: Actually I had two. "Annabell Lee" by Poe and "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Tennyson. They remain my favorites today. Each stirs me whenever I read them.
12: AA: Have you read your poems in front of an audience? If yes, describe your experience.
HGJ: No, I never have read my work before an audience.
13. AA: Have you experienced judging poem/s in poetry contests? If yes, describe your experience.
HGJ: Yes, I have been on both sides of the contest, as a contestant and as a judge. As a contestant it was a fun experience since I placed, and even won, in several of the contests I entered at on-line writing sites/poetry forums. As a judge of contests at on-line writing sites/poetry forums, I found it quite difficult to choose among entrants. Even when the contest has a posted theme, there are many different approaches taken in people's poems and picking a winner becomes quite subjective. Fortunately, there were always several judges in contests in which I have judged. That way consensus usually settled upon a deserving winner.
14: AA: In what year and at what age did you publish your first poetry book?
HGJ: I published my first poetry book in 2003. I was then 58 years old.
15: AA: Can a poet earn his living on his poems as a musician earns his living on his music?
HGJ: The vast majority of poets cannot. A few of the nationally known poets may be able to, but it is generally accepted that poets do not make much money from selling their work. Poetry is one of the hardest forms of writing to get published by traditional agents and publishing firms since it has such a limited market.
16: AA: What is the difference between writing a poem and writing an essay?
HGJ: Poetry versus prose. A poem usually strives for brevity and conciseness much more so than an essay. Each word has more importance in a poem than in an essay. Many times a poem creates a single image in the mind of the reader and lets the reader interpret it as he may.
17: AA: Name at least 5 of your favorite poems in your poetry book - Poetry For the Common Man? Why?
HGJ: The Canine's Howling At The Moon is among my favorites because I love the way it flows and the poem creates a new myth/legend to explain why canines howl at the moon. The Old Salty Poems (The Old Seadog and The Legacy Of Friendship) are among my favorite storoems because I enjoy the story told. Why The Nighttime Songster Sings is a good read that delivers a great message of hope. An Acrostic Rabbit is probably the best acrostic poem I've written, and it was my first attempt at an acrostic. True Lust is among my favorites because it has a twist and humor. Writing humorous poems is difficult. These five pieces include a variety of styles from rhyming storoems to free verse to acrostic.
18: AA: What is a "storoem"? Is this a word you invented?
HGJ: A storoem is a stor- plus - oem or a story poem. It is a hybrid between a short story and a poem. It tells a story but uses poetic techniques such as stanzas, end rhyming, enjambment, alliteration, etc. It strives to have rhythm, but not always meter. I invented the word "storoem" for my style of writing these pieces in answer to being asked what do I consider these to be - a short story or a poem. They are storoems.
19. AA: What do you mean by "Poetry for the Common Man"? What is a "poem for the common man"?
HGJ: This means my poetry is written to be easily read, understood, and enjoyed by all readers, even those who do not usually like to read poetry. My poetry does not require a Masters of Fine Arts degree to understand or appreciate it. It does not use archaic expressions, vague imagery, references to obscure literary characters, or little-known words. It is not written to impress other poets or literary critics although I think they would also enjoy reading it. I try to write poetry that touches the emotions and makes the reader think about everyday situations. Anyone with a high school education can enjoy my poetry, and one does not have to be a poetry lover to do so. The ordinary, everyday person can enjoy my poetry. It makes a good first introduction to poetry for someone who does not normally read poetry.
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