Where and when were you born?
Mishawaka, Indiana, USA, near the city of South Bend, where Notre Dame University is located.
Could you tell us something about your
background?
My parents were both educators. My mother taught Latin and music until my birth. Following my birth and the subsequent birth of my brothers, Tommy and Neil, she stayed home to care for us. My father was a professor of finance at The University of Notre Dame, where he became Dean of the College of Business Administration, and held that position for about 13 years.
Were either of your parents or grandparents (or any other relatives) writers? If not, were any of your relatives actively interested in literature?
My mother was intensely interested in literature and read voluminously. My maternal grandmother wrote like an angel, but was not formally educated.
Are any of your siblings writers or
involved in a creative profession?
My brothers are tremendous writers. Both write with flair and beauty, but neither is a professional writer.
What was the first poem (or who was the
first poet) that turned you on to poetry?
What age were you when you first began writing poetry, and did you receive any encouragement?
I was a teenager, and secretly submitted to publications under a pseudonym. I was published at around age 18.
When you started writing poetry did you have dreams about becoming a "professional" poet? If so, did anyone advise you against this course of action?
Yes. I could feel it. No one told me not to.
Did you ever get a poem published in
your school magazine?
Yes. I wrote under my own name and then under several pseudonyms, so my work filled approximately half of the undergraduate lit mag. I don’t recall its name, but I did keep a copy (somewhere).
Did you go to university, and if so,
which subject(s) did you study?
I hold educational degrees from three institutions: Bachelor’s (music and English major, flute performance minor) from Nazareth College, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Master’s (English language and literature) from The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor; doctorate (PhD) from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona (Educational Administration and Supervision, emphasizing Community Education). I hold the certification in Executive Coaching from Pennsylvania State University.
When did you first start submitting to poetry magazines? And can you tell us how many rejections you received before having something accepted for publication?
I began in my teens. I recommenced at age 26, and began receiving acceptances, which fueled me to write more.
What was the worst rejection you ever
received?
I must admit that I don’t remember. If a rejection notice appears to have some meaningful criticism that helps me learn, I focus on it and try to incorporate the suggestion if it fits. If not, I forget it!
What was your first published poem? Which poetry magazine published it? And what year was it published?
The two first poems of my adult self were published in Jim Haining’s Salt Lick Magazine in around 1978-1979. “solipsism” and “The Mail.”
Round about the time that you started seriously writing poetry, who were your literary heroes? And would you say they had an influence on your writing style?
At that time I liked Eliot, John Ashbery, Denise Levertov and Charles Olson. Also Anne Sexton.
Have you ever attended a creative writing course or been involved in a writers' group? If so, did you find it useful?
One creative writing course: The Aspen Writer’s Workshop in 1980 (2 weeks) with Heather McHugh and others. I met the poet Myra Shapiro at that time, and she has been a dear and cherished friend ever since. I was in a writer’s group for a while with David Chorlton, Denis Johnson, Doug May, and Karen Bowden. Paul Morris had a group I was part of in the 1980s, as well.
When did you put together your first
collection of poetry?
Virtuoso
Bird. 1979, I believe, through David Chorlton’s Brushfire Press. David did
beautiful drawings to go with the poems.
First
“full-length” book was With House Silence published by Stride.
How long did it take to get it accepted for publication? And, if appropriate, how many times was it rejected?
Both books were requested by the publisher (noted above). I assembled them for the publishers.
How long did you have to wait between
acceptance and final publication?
No time.
What sort of critical response did you
receive?
Very favorable. Recently, Didi Menendez made my reading of Virtuoso Bird available through Miporadio.
Would you say that your publisher
actively promoted the book?
Definitely. Rupert Loydell, Publisher of Stride Books, has continually supported my work, requested specific manuscripts, and championed the efforts in a brilliant way.
Did you do readings and signings at bookshops to help promote the book? If so, did you organise these yourself, or were they organised by your publisher? And would you say that they had a significant effect on sales figures?
Yes. I built distribution into my reading schedule, and have frequently been involved in activities that involved the publisher’s doing the planning. On some occasions, I have initiated and handled the planning myself.
How many copies of the book sold?
Is it still in print?
I have copies of both books. Otherwise, they are out of print.
At the beginning of your writing career did you enter any poetry competitions? Did you enter a lot or just a few? Did you have any success? And, with hindsight, what are your thoughts about the relative merits or demerits of poetry competitions?
I did enter one contest and won a prize.
I have judged competitions, also. There may be some use in competitions, given
the circumstances of a particular writer or the publisher’s approach to book
promotion.
Later on, I entered the contest that won
me the Gertrude Stein Award.
Which of your poetry books has been the most successful in terms of sales, and how many copies has it sold to date?
I don’t keep track, so I do not know. I
am told that my current book, The Case of the Lost Objective (Case), published
by Mark Young’s Otoliths Press (using lulu as his print-on-demand venue) has
sold briskly in recent months. http://www.lulu.com/content/840898
Have you won any awards for your poetry?
Yes. The Gertrude Stein Award. Letters to Unfinished J. Green Integer Press (Douglas Messerli, Publisher. Dennis Phillips judged the competition.)
Do you make a living out of
poetry?
I make my living in another way, but recently I have been working in visual art and visual poetry/word art, and have made some nice sales in galleries exhibiting my work.
If not, do you make an adequate living through poetry related activities such as teaching creative writing workshops? Or do you have to supplement your income through unrelated activities?
I have always operated on a “dual track,” which allows me more freedom. I have been in the business world much of my adult life, and that continues.
With the benefit of hindsight, are you glad that you pursued your dream of being a poet? Also, if you could turn the clock back, would you do anything different?
I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is as much a part of me as my limbs. Maybe more.
If a young would-be poet approached you, which poets would you recommend as vital reading?
Gertrude Stein, certainly. Chaucer in Middle English. Shakespeare. So many, but this is a start.
Which poetry magazines would you
recommend him or her to subscribe to?
Otoliths.
Jacket. Others, too, but these two come to mind immediately.
Assuming that this would-be poet showed some promise, would you advise him or her to pursue a "career" in poetry?
I would look closely at this individual and ask questions about how he or she wished to formulate a life. I would encourage poetry if the individual were talented and committed, certainly.
If so, what further advice would you
give him or her?
Ask yourself: What and whom can I not live without? Make sure that those people and experiences were included. Make sure you balance solid presence in the moment and openness to new learning, every day.
Finally (and extremely hypothetically), you are selected to appear
on the hit reality TV show, "Desert Island Poets", where you are
marooned on a tropical island for three months with a typewriter and several reams
of paper. You are provided with all necessary provisions, but you are
only allowed to take three books with you. Your appearance fee is more
than you could hope to earn in a decade and the show is so popular that all
previous participants have become best-selling poets. So, would you
participate? And if so, which three books would you take with you?
I would likely not participate. I don’t like intrusion. I would stay closer to a wider variety of books than just three. I would pursue MY DREAM, not a facsimile of that.
See: Sheila E Murphy's CV
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