Leonard Cohen – The Book of Longing
My biggest writing inspirations have come from listening to musicians. Poetic musicians like Leonard, the Beatles, Townes Van Zandt, Dylan, Phil Ochs, Malvina Reynolds and more. The Book of Longing seems to be my most go to when it comes to Leonard’s poetry books.
Jack Kerouac
On the Road and the Dharma Bums began a quest for me in my early twenties…when going to Penny Lane Coffeehouse in Evansville, Indiana everyday to get more serious with my writing. Metaphors, prose style writing became more prominent after reading his work. Including the weird haikus.
Anne Sexton – The Complete Poems
No one ever drew me in like Anne Sexton’s poetry. You basically melted inside her mind and felt the anguish and anxiety she felt. I first read her work as a teenager (my sister’s book at the time) and was amazed that emotions could be spilled out like that. (Especially in the 1950’s and 1960’s)
Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes
Yes, 2 different poets. Very controversial stories. The Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes, Ariel amongst others by Sylvia Plath. Works of genius. And they once loved each other, and they forever will hate each other, because neither is no more and both were made to be cursed by the imperfections of the ideal world. Once again especially of the time.
Charles Baudelaire – the Flowers of Evil
Deep thinking with every sentence. From another time period, yet you can feel every bit of the time. The struggles, the evils that still lurked.
David L O’Nan has been writing for nearly 20 years. I have just put out on New Year’s Eve my chapbook ‘The Cartoon Diaries!’ about feeling misplaced in this current world, It originates from a poem I wrote over 10 years ago “I am a Cartoon” and has many new poems included, as well as poems from my massive book “Reflections” which is more of a resource book for myself. I have a blog http://www.feversofthemindpress.com I was EIC of “Fevers of the Mind Poetry & Art Digest” now only in the blog format. I published “Avalanches in Poetry”: Writings & Art inspired by Leonard Cohen in November 2019 all with many contributors on both. Many of these great poets you can find on the Poetry Question in the past. Thanks for reading and the opportunity.