Choice Words with Punkswritepoemspress LLC
“Our goal at PunksWritePoemsPress is to become a consistent
supporter and contributor to the literature community. We desire to expose new
writers to an audience and, in turn, expose an audience to new writers. We want
to challenge the traditional marketing methods of publishing. We will encourage
and empower our writers to drive their success, and establish pride in being
part of the PunksWritePoems team.”
I’ve been floating around the inter-webs for some time now,
dropping poetry here and there in the hopes of finding ears willing to hear. On
this journey I’ve connected with a number of scribes who share my passion for
words. Folks who inspire, support, and encourage. Then there are those who take
those traits to a new level.
I first stumbled upon the words of Jason Bates via tumblr.
His work is clean, delivered with punch. His voice has direction and wastes no
time on the unnecessary. Immediately impressed with his delivery, I didn’t
hesitate when he released “The Littlest Spoon” to add it to my bookshelves.
(Might I recommend you do the same?)
I’ve watched his debut release grow to independent
publishing house, PunksWritePoemsPress LLC and I’ve had the privilege of being
included in their 2015 RoguePoetry Review. Now, I have the honor of welcoming
Jason to my Parlour and I’d love if you’d take the time to meet this innovative
and dedicated writer, editor, and artist.
Q: Jason, thanks so
much for taking the time for us today.
To start things off, tell us about yourself. What role has writing played for you and
what…or who…left the breadcrumbs that led you to poetry?
A: It is my pleasure, sincerely.
Whenever I sign up for a new social media account and that big blank box pops up “Tell the world about yourself”, I freeze. I go blank. What in the world would the world want to know about me? I've been kicking around for almost 40 years now. I grew up in upstate New York, with a short stint near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I'm married and have two crazy daughters. I work in aerospace quality control to pay the bills and love living in Richmond, Virginia. And I tend to give long-winded answers to questions.
Whenever I sign up for a new social media account and that big blank box pops up “Tell the world about yourself”, I freeze. I go blank. What in the world would the world want to know about me? I've been kicking around for almost 40 years now. I grew up in upstate New York, with a short stint near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I'm married and have two crazy daughters. I work in aerospace quality control to pay the bills and love living in Richmond, Virginia. And I tend to give long-winded answers to questions.
I had some really great English teachers, especially in high school – shout out to Mrs. Turner, Ms. Trickett, and Ms. Zachos – who really sparked the interest in me and then encouraged it. The writer, though, who lead me into poetry was Stephen Crane. Yeah, The Red Badge of Courage guy. His prose is poetry. His dialogue is poetry. His poetry is poetry! I also have a deep affection for William Carlos Williams, ee Cummings, Emily Dickinson, and the Beat Poets.
Q: What prompted you
to look into self-publishing your first release? How did you find the
experience?
A: I wrote a bit about that on my good friend Libby
Cudmore's blog (http://libbycudmore.com/2014/11/16/guest-post-jason-bates-of-punks-write-poems/).
I came across a poetry chapbook competition for Lost Horse Press and for some
damn reason it got stuck in my head that I had to enter. So I spent weeks
deciding what poems fit together into a cohesive book, what the sequence should
be, what to title it. I edited. And re-edited. I submitted the manuscript and
did not win. I'd put so much effort into putting it together and I wanted
someone to publish it. So who better than me?
I enjoyed the process so much, that I almost immediately started to come up with new publishing projects to work on.
Q: From poet to
publishing house…what was the catalyst that drove your decision to start
PunksWritePoemsPress LLC?
A: The next publishing project, This Is Not a Movement,
was the catalyst. I wanted to see if other writers would be interested in a
different take on a poetry anthology. Turns out lots of them did! As the
project grew and the quality of the writing rose, I felt like I owed it to the
other people involved to try to legitimize the publication. So I started
PunksWritePoemsPress LLC, bought a bundle of ISBNs, and have been pushing forward
ever since. I owe every one of the co-writers on TINaM a huge debt of
gratitude.
Q: You’re not just
about the poetry. A simple click through to the website and folks will see you
have a variety of projects on the go. From short stories, to audio, to a new
indie mag, it’s clear you’re a supporter of the literary arts and then
some. Tell us about your vision, how you
would like to see PunksWritePoemsPress grow and evolve.
A: There is no money in poetry! As you know, I'm sure. But
there is passion and creativity. There's an art to it. A skill that I admire.
But I have too much love for too many different creative avenues to only work
in poetry.
The Press has goals, milestones, that we are perfectly happy to slow-build to. We just added three readers to the staff; that was one of those milestones...it's no longer just me, my wife, and our friend. Every title we release feels like a new step forward. Every new writer we get to meet and work with makes us stronger and more confident.
Ultimately, though the vision is to become the indie press. To be a place where writer's want to be, and not to pad their bio, but to be part of it...to be an active member in their own community. To not just sell their words, but to participate in their own success, and to invest in the success of the art as a whole. Benjamin Schmitt (Dinner Table Refuge) is a perfect example of this. He wants to succeed, but he wants his fellow poets to as well. He invites them to read at events that he has secured. He is willing to share the stage to benefit everyone. I admire that. I love to see that.
We've taken that same philosophy and are trying to apply it to an online magazine dedicated to the independent spirit, Scindie Magazine. In my head, it will be this wonderfully balanced combination of reviews, interviews, and editorials all generated by the creatives who are living in the indie realm...writers, editors, small press publishers, musicians, film makers, visual artists. In reality, I have no idea if it will work and if issue 1 ever makes its way beyond my head. I hope it does, though.
I would like to invite you to switch roles with me and let me interview you for Scindie issue 1.
Q: Any advice to
readers who might like to work with PunksWritePoemsPress? What do you look for
when filtering through your submissions?
A: Best advice I can give is to be true to your own voice.
There are plenty of people trying to sound like Bukowski and it falls flat. It
feels false. Honesty will come through. Also, the submission guidelines are
there to help us and you, please follow them.
I am also always open to new ideas. So if you are thinking about a concept book/puppetshow about the life and times of a rock named Judy, write up a thorough pitch and send it our way. That's how World Class Drag came about. Elizabeth Carter (AKA Tumblr's Foul-Ball) sent an email saying I have this thing that means a lot to me, would you be interested in working with me on it?
Q: How about advice to wanna-be writers? We both know how
discouraging and disheartening this life can sometimes be, throwing your words
out into the ether never knowing where they might land.
A: I might be the worst person to ask about this. As a
publisher/editor, I will tell you that rejections are part of the deal of
writing and you should measure yourself by the successes and by the value that
you put on your creative output. As a writer, rejections hurt and are
discouraging, and I often go long stretches without submitting anything
anywhere because I struggle to see the worth in my own words. I might have a
split personality problem...might.
Oh, and I do not believe in “wanna-be”. You either believe you are a writer, or you are not a writer.
Q: Poem In Your
Pocket Day is coming up, and you’ve created a fantastic project to help us all
celebrate. Tell us about it.
A: For those who haven't heard of it, Poem In Your PocketDay a part of National Poetry Month (April); the idea is that you take a poem
that you love and carry it in your pocket and you share it with the people you
come into contact with. Conceptually, it is a wonderful idea, but in practice,
people will generally just carry the poem and share it very little. So we tried
to find a way to get the sharing to the forefront. The idea was to get the
other person to ask to see the poem, but how? What if we printed up pocket
T-shirts that said “Ask what I've got in my pocket?” Okay. Great. So we're in
the fashion business now? Let's include poems. Poems and a pocket...seems
logical. The project has gone through several stages of revision. I reached out
and personally invited all the poets who have donated words to the cause. We
now have 25 poets each contributing a poem. The poems will be printed on cards
that you can slip in the pocket of your swanky new Poem In Your Pocket T-shirt.
Things like this...unique events, special days, new ways of presenting the art...that's what we want to be a part of. What we want to be known for.
Things like this...unique events, special days, new ways of presenting the art...that's what we want to be a part of. What we want to be known for.
Q: Thanks so much for
taking the time to indulge me today, Jason.
I’ve loved watching your journey so far, and can’t wait to see where
you’re headed. How might I and my
readers best help PunksWritePoemsPress LLC reach their goals?
A: Um...give us all your money! Seriously, though. We take
bags of money, no questions asked.
Support the art and artists you love. Buy their books or paintings (insert plug for how truly awesome Janelle Rainer's paintings are ... www.janellerainerart.com ) or whatever it is that they produce. Attend events, if possible. Post reviews online. Write about them on your social media sites. Reach out to them and tell them why you like what they're doing. Talk their work up to friends and co-workers. Start a small press book club (shit, now that's an idea!). Start a reading series in your garage. Basically, do something. The internet has made us passive consumers of content, break out of that and seek out worthwhile art. Value creativity!
Support the art and artists you love. Buy their books or paintings (insert plug for how truly awesome Janelle Rainer's paintings are ... www.janellerainerart.com ) or whatever it is that they produce. Attend events, if possible. Post reviews online. Write about them on your social media sites. Reach out to them and tell them why you like what they're doing. Talk their work up to friends and co-workers. Start a small press book club (shit, now that's an idea!). Start a reading series in your garage. Basically, do something. The internet has made us passive consumers of content, break out of that and seek out worthwhile art. Value creativity!
Get to know Jason with the Fast Five:
Top 5 Authors:
I have a soft spot for scifi and fantasy.
Philip K. Dick fascinates me. David Eddings introduced me to fantasy before I
ever read Tolkien. William S. Burroughs makes me want to create. Douglas Adams
taught me how to laugh out loud by myself. And Stephen Crane has had more
influence on me than any other author.
Top 5 Books:
I'm going to try to list books not written by
the 5 authors I just mentioned. Just to give some page space to some others. King
Dork by Frank Portman. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. Brave New
World by Aldous Huxley. These next two might seem odd but...The Color
Purple by Alice Walker, and The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler.
Top 5 Albums:
Full Collapse by Thursday. Incesticide
by Nirvana. Exile In Guyville by Liz Phair. Anthem for a New
Tomorrow by Screeching Weasel. Surfer Rosa by The Pixies.
Top 5 Movies:
Empire Strikes Back. Swingers. Halloween (John
Carpenter's original. Rob Zombie's take was good, but I grew up on the
original). Speaking of Mr. Zombie...The Devil's Rejects. And I'm gonna have to
call a tie between Tommy Boy and Wayne's World for the final spot.
Visit The PunkswritepoemsPress Bookstore and show your support for the writers and creators that have made this not-a-movement possible. It will also go a long way to help me say "thanks" to Jason for visiting with me today. It's projects and endeavors like this that we, as a community of creatives, can ensure succeeds.
Connect with PunkswritepoemsPress LLC
Swing by the KickStarter Campaign for PoemInYourPocketDay...one of the most clever and creative ways I've yet to see to let the world know it's very punk to carry PocketPoems ;)
 |
| Support! |
Comments