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Be the Duck, and Not the Fish.

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In JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield often wonders where all the ducks in Central Park go during the winter. He’s told by a cab driver, that the ducks aren’t important, but it’s the fish he should be concerned about, because the fish get frozen in place, and their bodies feed off of themselves, and suck in certain nutrients during that time in order to stay alive while they’re unable to move. I think the cabbie had it right.

No matter the season, we, as people, are the fish. We are frozen in place, and feed only off of what comes in direct contact with us, or what we’ve already stored inside of us. It’s a fantastic metaphor for Holden, as well as people in general, as we are so trapped inside our heads, that we are unable to search for any new meaning to anything – at least not until, in Holden’s case, his kid sister, Phoebe, knocks some sense into him. But what is our Phoebe?

Chuck Palahniuk tells us that we are the combined effort of all we’ve known. And he’s right, but is that really a good thing? “All we’ve known” is deceiving. Too many people are unwilling to know anything else. I watch my students suffer from this problem on a daily basis. They know everything they care to know already, so why should they learn anything new? Why should they read a book, or write a research essay, or listen to a lecture, or discuss a poem, or passage, or anything that deals with new knowledge. Some of them are barely fish – barely even feeding off of that which they come in direct contact.

I’m guilty of this as well. I spent a good portion of my life being stubborn, and unwilling to open myself up to new things. I enjoyed living in my little box, and not progressing much beyond what I already knew. But then I grew up. I realized that there was a whole world out there that I needed to understand.

So, why can’t we be the ducks? Why can’t we disappear for a season, travel toward new understanding, and get a new perspective on life. If we are the combined efforts of all we’ve known, then we need to know a lot more than we already do, because frankly, we know very little about a very tiny fragment of the world around us, and that fragment grows smaller each day we’re unwilling to disappear for a season.

Do yourself a favor – as I’ve done for myself – learn something new. Experience new people, new ideas, new books, poems, films, states, cities, countries. Do anything, and everything you can to widen your knowledge about anything and everything. In essence, be the duck, and not the fish.

INTERVIEW: Michael Ian Black, Sketch Comedian, and Feminist Poet.

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I had the pleasure of speaking with sketch comedian, author, and feminist poet, Michael Ian Black. I became a fan of his work when The State popped up on MTV, and then an even bigger fan during Michael and Michael Have Issues. There are not many who posses the dry, sarcastic wit of Mr. Black, and if you’re unsure what I’m talking about, take a glance at VH1′s I Love the 70′s, 80′s, 90′s, and New Millenium. Or, simply read the interview below. Enjoy!

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TPQ: What are your earliest memories as a reader? Were there books that you remember being read as a child? Was there a favorite reading moment? Maybe a light bulb moment where you realized that you were reading a text that would define your life?

MIB: Earliest memory is being about five years old, sitting on the bed in my mother’s room sounding out the word “brontosaurus” to her. Nailed it. That might also be my single greatest moment as a reader. My favorite series as a kid were “The Great Brain” books, which seem to have gone out of favor and possibly print. They were about a pair of brothers in, possibly, Utah (?) around the turn of the century. The older of the two was a genius and amateur detective. The younger lived in his shadow.

TPQ: Do you remember your first jokes? How old were you when you started writing? When did you begin to develop the style upon which you’d build your career?

MIB: First deliberate comedic writing I can recall doing was in high school. A friend and I sat down and wrote plot synopses for the next hundred and fifty “Rocky” movies. They mostly involved hot air ballooning mishaps and a cheese-loving midget named Quacky. I haven’t matured much since then.

TPQ: Who were the comedians that most influenced you when you were starting out? What was it about their work that made them an influence?

MIB: I started as a sketch comedian and was most influenced by John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd. Belushi for the myth-making aspect of his performance, and Ackroyd for the verbal dexterity and focus.

TPQ: How has the culture of comedy changed over the course of your career? Is it a good change, or a bad change?

MIB: Comedy has become a lot more risk-oriented, a lot broader in scope. This is a direct result of there being so many avenues through which comedians can display their work. Whether it’s through video on the internet, or over Twitter, or doing live performance, or blogging. It’s a fantastic change because there are no longer any gatekeepers. There’s nobody preventing young comedians from getting their work seen.

TPQ: You wrote a Children’s book called Chicken Cheeks. I don’t know how many people actually know that you’re a children’s author. Are there other books in the works? What inspired you to write that one? Who was your favorite children’s author? Mine was Maurice Sendak. In the Night Kitchen was definitely a defining book during my childhood.

MIB: I’ve actually written several children’s books, with another one called Naked! due out in the summer of 2014. In addition to that, I’ve written a few “grown-up” books. My favorite children’s author as a kid was either C.S. Lewis or Judy Blume. I didn’t get that C.S. Lewis was trying to convert me to Christianity, and I didn’t get that Judy Blume was “a girl’s writer.”

TPQ: Do you feel there are similarities between comedy writing and the writing of poetry? Timing obviously plays a huge part in both, but what else?

MIB: The best poetry and the best comedy share a couple things: rhythm, timing, and (like all writing) a satisfying or unexpected ending. Also, all comedy rhymes.

TPQ: How does writing stand-up comedy differ from writing for screen, or for a children’s book? What’s your process like?

MIB: My process is simple: commit myself to a project. Don’t do it, and then panic and get it done all at once. I wish I had a process, a simple repeatable strategy for getting work done every day. I try, Lord knows I try, but writing is hard and I am lazy.

TPQ: How do you see the comedy culture evolving over the next decade?

MIB: No idea.

TPQ: Is it true that you had an affair with Gertrude Stein and Adrienne Rich? I know your love for feminist poetry stretches way beyond the bounds of reality. The twitter rumors are running rampant.

MIB: “Affair” is a loaded word. We shared some intimate times, but they were both distant emotionally, so while I was able to give my body, our minds remained somewhat distant. The rumors about my radical feminist poetry are true. I write under a nom de plume because I want my radical feminist poetry taken at face value, and not as “the radical feminist poetry of Michael Ian Black, basic cable comedian.”

TPQ: Finally, if you could choose one comedian, or author, living or dead, to have a glass of scotch with, who would it be, and why?

MIB: James Joyce because why the fuck not?

QOTD – What Makes for a Good Poem?

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One of our Twitter followers, Jose Alba, asked us this question yesterday, and I wanted to post my response on the site. I work hard with my students to get them to understand that when it comes to poetry, they just really need to say what they want to say, and not hide behind obtuse metaphors.

When I got to Pacific University, I made the same mistake as many other young “poets,” and felt like I knew everything. I even had a “book” of poems called Artificial Grey, that I had typed up, and had spiral bound. I think I made 10 copies of it to give to my family and friends. I also thought it would be a great idea to give it to my poetry advisor, Professor Walls. I felt like he should know how fantastic I was. He gave me a faint smile (one that I give my high school students when they now hand me their books), and gladly accepted my work. Instead of just throwing it away, he went through each poem in the book – I think there were close to 200 – and edited them all.

He never gave me any guff about it, and instead, worked hard to let me see exactly what I needed to do in order to better my writing. I had a class with Professor Walls every semester of college, and I owe him quite a bit when it comes to helping me figure out my style of writing – with poetry, fiction, and editorials. It’s a professor like that who is needed for young poets – young anything really.

So, I ask you the same question we were asked:

What makes for a good poem?

An Open Letter

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Dear those who have banned or are trying to ban The Perks of Being a Wallflower,

Why is it that in every generation there are people who try to ban the very literature that defines and envelopes a population? This book, as much as you want to deny it, captures so much of what it is like to grow up in this day and age. Please, for the sake of future musicians, poets, authors, and humanity, do not ban this book.

Allow me to lay it out for you. Your children will be exposed to, and even may try alcohol and/or marijuana at some point in their high school career. I am not saying that this is good nor bad, I am simply pointing out a simple fact. As much as you would like to not think about it, your kids will talk about, engage in, and have numerous questions about sex during their high school years. Denying this will only cause you not to be a part of the conversation. Gay people are a part of this world and your son/daughter will interact, and probably be friends with at least a couple of them. This is the world we live in whether you believe in it or not. Lastly, depression is a huge issue amongst teenagers. It’s awful and terrible and sometimes just part of growing up, but denying that it exists and not talking about it will just make the problem increase, not go away.

This book discuses all the topics addressed in the previous paragraph. Why is that important? Because it allows kids to connect in a way that is relevant and familiar to what they are experiencing. High school is such a unique and interesting time for every person. There is so much going on and it is difficult sometimes to place the exact emotions and feelings that you are experiencing. Many people, especially in their formative teenage years, personally relate to literature because a story can paint a picture similar to their own. It many times offers a mirrored effect in which the person sees themself in the character and finds comfort in this relationship.

This is not a letter to ask you to change your beliefs or even how you view the world. It is a request though to allow this type of literature in schools, and to allow creativity to flourish. You should tell your child that it is ok to talk about these topics either with you, a teacher, or one of their trusted friends. If it isn’t, it will stay bottled up and explode at some point. This breaking point can be positive, but most of time it is negative, and in the worst case leads to endings such as suicide. So please let the youth live, and love, and hurt, and experience life within a safe environment, and have a place to share their pain, and their happiness. Let the future musicians, poets, authors, and artist express themselves and enjoy the fullness of this complicated life that we are all required to live. And please, let them enjoy the books that have helped so many realize their potential and their worth. I, for one, would not have the same perspectives if it were not for this book.

Sincerely,

A Musician/Poet Who Has Felt Infinite Before

Another Book Bites the Dust (because parents can’t talk to their kids about language and sex).

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I don’t think that I can fully express how sad it makes me to see a book get banned – especially from a school. A group of adults who tell children, or teens, or young adults, that they are not allowed to read a piece of literature, because they are afraid the content will taint them in someway. The Glen Ellyn School District 41 has pulled Stephen Chbosky’s Perks of Being a Wallflower from the shelves of their library. While the vote was challenged, the ruling was upheld, and students at the school are now unable to do what they should be asked to do at school: read, learn, discuss, and explore literature.

Much like Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Chbosky’s book presents a story about a boy who is lost, and attempting to find his place in the world, in his family, in his school, and most importantly, in himself. He goes through things that most normal high school boys will experience, and this seems to scare parents who have been unwilling to discuss those same issues with their children. Maybe it’s because I came from a household where open communication was valued above everything else, but I do not understand the parents that simply avoids difficult conversations. I’ve never been a parent, but in talking to several of them, the conversations about growing up, and sex, and drugs, and life in general can be incredibly difficult and scary, but they are necessary – especially if you want a family built on trust, and a child to feel safe at all times.

For example, a parent at the school purchased a copy of the book for both herself and her child:

Meanwhile, Blyth said she bought two copies of the book. One for herself and one for her daughter who is entering high school next school year.

“It was really touching to hear the kids have such passion for the book,” Blyth said. “Personally, I think books are a pretty safe way to encounter some of life’s more difficult situations.”

I commend this parent for her wonderful ability to recognize a difficult situation, and not only read the book with her child, but be willing to face the conversations about the book .

The article also states that after the band, the book was selling like hotcakes at the local bookstore. Any press is good press, right? Besides, kids tend to enjoy being rebels, and what’s more rebellious than doing something that’s banned.

For the full article, click HERE.

Wait, This Girl Can Publish a Novel, and I’m Too Lazy to Submit Mine?

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I was surfing around on this Internet thing, and I came across this gem of a tweet from a couple of years ago. Lauren Conrad – who I refuse to look up – I believe was on The Hills, and whatever other fake reality shows that MTV throws on the air. I don’t know, maybe she was a founding member of 16 and Pregnant. Honestly, I’m not sure, and I really don’t care; however, I do know two things, her computer was probably trying to tell her something, and someone gave this dumb girl a publishing deal? She was on reality TV, so that puts her in the same realm of “star” as Snooki (also has a book), or that new Farah chick from the other I Got Pregnant Way Too Early, and Now I’m Making Money Whoring Out My Child show, who just put out a sex tape. Hell, I’m sure she’ll have a book out too.

In a world where revenue runs rampant among reality stars, and corporate America no longer cares – did they ever? – about the literacy of the youth, it is obvious that I need to get off my lazy tuckus, and finish up the novel I started six years ago. If she can get something published, I know that I can. If I ever needed inspiration, this is simply one of the wake up calls I’ve received along the way.

And really, does anyone think that she actually knows how to turn on a computer? Was it the computer that froze, or did someone paste a picture of words on her screen?

Who Cares What Your Mommy Thinks?

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We all have a “Watcher,” a little being that sits on our shoulder, like a conscience, that reminds us of how terrible we are as writers, or artists, or as whatever we’re deciding to be that day. It’s inevitable that at several points in our lives, we will be over-taken by the words of our watcher, put down our tool of choice, and walk away with the feeling of utter frustration and pain. We are, after all, our own worst enemies, and the watcher is our own creation. In my Creative Writing class, I have my students draw a picture of their watcher, and explain its origin. It’s always interesting to see how many students draw their mother, or father, or a former teacher. I always wonder if it’s more than one of those people pushed them to work harder, and not simply that they were their toughest critic for the sake of being a critic.

In Gail Godwin’s essay, “The Watcher at the Gates,” she tells us that we must “outsmart, pacify, or coexist with your Watcher.” She gives us tools to work with when our watcher wants us to be constant pencil sharpeners, or dictionary lookers, or coffee drinkers. Setting timers when we write. Writing until the teapot sounds. For me, I write like to write where I know I’m being watched: my classroom while students are working (as I’m doing now), in a crowded mall where I feel uncomfortable, on a park bench in downtown Portland, or on a very specific tree at Cannon Beach. I guess in a way, I like my watcher to feel like it is being watched as well. It’s harder to doubt oneself, when the watcher feel uncomfortable.

It is not easy to avoid self-doubt. It’s the one thing that holds the majority of us back. I’m no stranger to the watcher. I finished a novel more than five years ago, only to be told that I needed to revise it one more time before the publishing company would take another look at it. I was upset, and frustrated, and chose the road most taken – which was to unfortunately shelve the book, and not do what I needed to do in order to possibly call myself a published novelist. I was scared of something, and frankly, it was the fear that I wasn’t as good as I thought I was. When I wrote the original draft, I wasn’t thinking about how anyone else would feel. I was just writing. It came out naturally, and easily, and a lot faster than I had ever imagined. But when I was told that someone else had issues with certain parts, it hurt me, and I didn’t take it as constructive criticism, but rather just criticism. I should have said “thank you,” hung up the phone, and completed the re-writes over the next few weeks. Instead, it sat until this last summer when I finally decided I would finish it up. Now, I’m sitting on it again, waiting to submit it, all because of the mystery watcher that questions if it’s really all that good.

As Elmore Leonard points out, we cannot “worry about what [our] mother[s] think of [our] language.” If we do, then we are bound to fail. Art is not about what other people think – at least not in the early stages. Creation is our job. Once we are finished with a product, and that product hits the world of public opinion, it is everyone’s to judge, but as long as we are satisfied, then it should never matter.

QOTD: What the Hell Do We Do Here?

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We’ve been at this whole website thing for a little over a week now, and we’ve amassed over 500 followers. That’s incredible. This little thing that started as a classroom project, has turned into three old college friends who have finally decided that they were ready to give their all to this mess called writing. We want to inspire people to write, to read, to think, and to talk to each other about what they are writing, reading, and thinking. But, how the hell do we do that?

We think our posts have been pretty good, and it seems like enough of you have found something to enjoy on the site so far, but we’re still trying to find our groove, and figure out the exact direction of The Poetry Question.

We truly need your help with today’s question:

What the hell do we do here? What would you like to see on this site?

QOTD: How Do You Hustle Your Words?

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It is so difficult to keep track of each and every social media outlet. For example, The Poetry Question is housed on WordPress, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (though, that one is not functioning quite yet). Realistically, these are probably the only media outlets we will use for the early days of this project. As we grow, will that mean we will also have a Tumblr, Myspace, and a physical outlet? It’s hard enough to make sure that everything is linked together in order to alleviate any need for duplicate posts, or overkill of posts that might turn away some of our readers.

As new media outlets become available, it seems that it is more and more difficult to find the websites, blogs, music, chap books, and whatever else one might search for. It leads people to find new ways of hustling their words – sort of. I remember when I was a teenager, I would head to Django Records in Portland, and crate dig. I would sit there with my portable Discman, and go through hundreds of CDs over several hours each week to try to find that next perfect disc for my collection. They used to have these massive $1.00 bins set up throughout the store, and they got to know me well enough, that they would simply let me sit there all day and listen to whatever I wanted, before giving me amazing deals on whatever I would take home. My days of sitting there typically came in lieu of going to school. Music, and the lyrics that came with that music, seemed much more important to me than sitting in class. I was discovering knowledge in my own way. This search is much like how bands and authors are getting their material into the hands of today’s public.

I spent my weekend in Las Vegas, and while the big lights, sounds, and clink of chips definitely grabbed my attention, I found something beyond the typical Vegas thrills to make me smile: poets and musicians hustling their words and music. It’s normal to see buskers, or vendors on sky bridges in between hotels; however, it is not as typical to see a poet, standing on a crate, giving a reading of his work. He didn’t have a crowd around him, but he spoke loudly, and with confidence. He wanted someone, anyone, to hear his words. I was with my parents, and my fiance, so I didn’t have a lot of time to stop, and listen to what he was saying, but I asked them to wait a moment, and they did. I listened to the last portion of one of his pieces, and he handed me a copy of his chap book. He wasn’t looking for donations, or anything beyond someone to appreciate what he had done. It was his hustle, and in his honesty, it worked.

Beyond the chap book, I was able to take home a few CDs from people who just wanted someone to hear their work. It is incredibly difficult to get people to take notice of your art. As a musician for more than 15 years, I’ve definitely found that getting people to notice what you’ve created is more difficult than the writing process. There is nothing more meaningful than when someone takes your creation, smiles, and offers a true “thank you” for what you have given them.

So, this brings me to my Question of the Day:

If you are an artist, what is your hustle? How do you get your art into the hands of people who might not notice you otherwise?

– Margolin