A.D. Winans

Where and when were you born?

I was born premature at home in San Francisco, California on January 12, 1936.

Could you tell us something about your background?

My father was born in Denver, Colorado. He worked as a conductor for the Municipal Railway. My mother was born in Alberta, Canada. Except for temporary jobs during World War 11, she was primarily a housewife. She had a great love for children and raised several Asian children from birth to adulthood. I attended City College of San Francisco for two years, and graduated from San Francisco State College in 1962 with a BA in Sociology.

Were either of your parents or grandparents (or any other relatives) writers? If not, were any of your relatives actively interested in literature?

As far as I know I am the only writer in the family. I know of no relatives who were or are actively interested in literature. I guess you might say I am the Black Sheep in the family.

Are any of your siblings writers or involved in a creative profession?

None.

What was the first poem (or who was the first poet) that turned you on to poetry?

I think the first poem I read that turned me on to poetry was T.S. Eliot’s, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. Carl Sandburg was also an early influence on me.

What age were you when you first began writing poetry, and did you receive any encouragement?

I began writing poetry as early as my teenage years, but it was mostly God-awful stuff. My grandmother bought me my first typewriter and encouraged me to write.

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?

I would have run away screaming had anyone suggested I become a “professional” poet. The very definition seems Anti Poetic. I guess Academic poets consider themselves professional poets. It’s just not something I have ever thought of, nor something I’d want to be. Like Jack Micheline I have never thought of myself as a poet. I just write down my feelings and observations, and if people want to say I’m a poet, well that’s ok with me. The truth is that there is no difference between my poetry and my life. They are one and the same.

Did you ever get a poem published in your school magazine?

I don’t even know if we had a school magazine. If we did, it wasn’t publishing poetry. I’m talking high school here. If you mean college, I was too busy working my way through college, and getting “plastered” on weekends to read the school paper.

Did you go to university, and if so, which subject(s) did you study?

I went to San Francisco State College, which is now a University. I majored in Sociology although I took a couple of post-grad writing courses, which I quickly dropped out of. I’m a self-taught poet. My real major was in the “streets.”

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?

Sometime in the mid-sixties. I was getting published in small magazines here and there, and in the seventies began getting published widely. I can’t tell you how many rejections I received early on, but there were many of them. In the beginning I wanted to be a novelist and a short story writer and was rejected by over a hundred mainstream magazines. It didn’t deter me from writing, but probably made me realize I was more of a poet than a writer. But I have had a memoir published by Dustbooks (The Holy Grail: Charles Bukowski And The Second Coming Revolution), and have had numerous short stories, articles and essays published.

What was the worst rejection you ever received?

I can’t really say. It must not have been too terrible or I am sure I would have remembered it.

What was your first published poem? Which poetry magazine published it? And what year was it published?

It was in a magazine called Poetry Now, sometime in the sixties. They long ago ceased publishing. It was a poem on the bombing of Hiroshima, but I don’t recall the title. My first paid poem was an untitled poem published by Poetry Australia. My first paid short story was Night Of The Living Dildo, published by the old Berkeley Barb, sometime in the seventies.

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?

I don’t like the term Heroes, but early influences on the style I now write in were William Wantling, Charles Bukowski, and Jack Micheline. I became friends with all three of them. I believe Micheline was the closest one to being a mentor.

Have you ever attended a creative writing course or been involved in a writers' group? If so, did you find it useful?

I guess some people have a need for joining writing groups or workshops, but I’m not one of them. I did take two creative writing courses at San Francisco State College, but dropped out of both of them. The reasons for this are detailed in my Holy Grail Book.

When did you put together your first collection of poetry?

I began putting it together in the sixties and Atom Mind Press published it as a chapbook in 1970.

How long did it take to get it accepted for publication? And, if appropriate, how many times was it rejected?

It was accepted on first submission. Greg Smith was to have done a second printing, but he and the press disappeared before this materialized.

How long did you have to wait between acceptance and final publication?

It was a different world back then, not like the lengthy delays with so many of today’s presses. I think it came out about three months after it was accepted.

What sort of critical response did you receive?

The reviews I saw were favourable.

Would you say that your publisher actively promoted the book?

I guess he must have, if he wanted to do a second printing.

Did you do readings and signings at bookshops to help promote the book? If so, did you organize these yourself, or did your publisher organize them? And would you say that they had a significant effect on sales figures?

I’m not good at things like this. I seldom bring books to sell at readings I give. The one exception was a reading at Grass Valley where I sold over a $100 in books and broadsides.

How many copies of the book sold?

It was printed in an edition of 500 copies. I have no idea how many copies were sold, sent out for review, or given away free.

Is it still in print?

No.

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?

In the beginning I entered a few minor poetry contests and won awards like $25. As my work progressed and I found the acceptances outnumbering the rejections, I saw no need for entering poetry competitions. I don’t like today’s trend where reading fees are often $25 or higher. And I suspect there are presses running these competitions to raise money for a book they are already committed to publishing.

Which of your poetry books has been the most successful in terms of sales, and how many copies has it sold to date?

North Beach Poems sold over 500 copies and the Holy Grail has sold that number or more.

Have you won any awards for your poetry?

I won a 1980 San Francisco Arts and Letters Literary Achievement Award and in 2006 Won a PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award for Literary excellence.

Do you make a living out of poetry?

That’s a foolish question to ask.

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 took an early retirement from work in 1995. Before 1995 I worked at a variety of jobs ranging from the post office to the U.S. Dept. of Education (Office of Civil Rights) as an Equal Opportunity Specialist, investigating discrimination against the disabled, women and minorities.

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 don’t really think I had a choice. I write because I have to write. I keep thinking of what William Wantling said, “I’d carry a lunchbox just like the rest of them, if only these strange mutterings would leave me alone.” The Demons drive me. Not evil demons, but demons nevertheless.

If a young would-be poet approached you, which poets would you recommend as vital reading?

There are too many to name, but here are a few: Carl Sandburg, Anne Sexton, Langston Hughes, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Sylvia Plath, Ginsberg, Bukowski, Kaufman, Micheline.

Which poetry magazines would you recommend him or her to subscribe to?

I’d recommend he or she purchase sample copies of literary magazines that interest them to see if their work fits in with what the magazine is doing and then subscribe to those he or she can afford too.

Assuming that this would-be poet showed some promise, would you advise him or her to pursue a "career" in poetry?

Only a fool pursues a “career” in poetry.

If so, what further advice would you give him or her?

To live life before you try and write about it. To be himself or herself. To remember that integrity is all a poet has.

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 don’t think so. But if I did, I’d take Carl Sandburg’s Chicago Poems, William Carlos William’s Selected Poems and Anne Sexton’s Selected Poems.

See: publications list

See: A.D. Winans' website

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