To
say that Brendan Constantine is a force of nature is like saying that
plant leaves contain chlorophyll. For many L.A. poets, his work and
performance are indelibly etched in the memory – and will stay
there. His poetry is iconic (among other things, he's been nominated
for California Poet Laureate), as is his generosity, in his work with
other poets of all ages (particularly with young adults). One can't
go to an open mic without hearing someone read a poem written
by/inspired by Brendan, who continues to inspire a level of
creativity, and literacy that is sorely needed in the So Cal poetry
scene.
Brendan
very graciously took time from his current tour to answer a few
questions about his new collection of poetry, Calamity Joe (copyright 2012 Red Hen Press).
Thank you, Brendan!
AKP: Please explain, in detail, what events -
internally and poetically - led to the formation and publication of
Calamity Joe?
BC:
The original cycle of ‘Joe’ poems (there are three in the final
book) appeared in 1997. Without going into a prolonged diagnosis, I
was experiencing some emotional disorientation at the time: a death,
challenges in the family, you know... life. I’d also begun to
notice a strange nostalgia for things that I’d never experienced. I
started to write poems about this ‘place,’ but I was
uncomfortable naming names. How could I share these poems with
anyone? And then two things happened:
The
first was I read the work of Fernando Pessoa. Among other things,
Pessoa is credited with a literary device known as the Heteronym.
Unlike a ‘persona’, a heteronym doesn’t commemorate anyone
actual: it is (to my mind) an alternate psychology created by an
author as a means of speaking in a particular way. It is not an alias
or nom de plum. Neither is it just a fictional character OR anything
more than that. Wow, I could do this for a long time... Moving along
now...
The
second thing was I got to see this principal in action. Poet Peter Everwine came through on a tour for (I think) Carnegie Mellon’s
reissue of his 1972 prize winning book, Collecting The Animals. In it, there’s a poem
where the speaker admits to jealousy for his brother’s carefree
life, his drunken returns with pollen in his hair and a moony face.
At the end of the poem Everwine describes what he wants to do to his
brother, how he’d like to punish him by sending him back out with a
stone in each shoe, “and no bread in his pocket.”
He
read this poem at a venue downtown and afterward a woman in the
audience asked how he could be so cruel to his brother. Everwine said
he
wasn’t cruel. Then added, “And, I don’t have a brother.”
These
may not seem like big epiphanies, but they were what I needed at the
time. I dove into my work, liberated by these examples. Somewhere in
the process I became aware of a feeling that many other artists have
described as discovering their
art rather than creating it. Joe ‘appeared’ and began to coach
me. We talked for the next ten years.
AKP:
Calamity Joe is represented by a cast
of characters: The Cancer, The Mother, The Brother, The Old Man, The
Boy, The Nine-Fingered Girl, and The Lily. What parts of “you,”
are contained within these archetypes, and how much is based on
people you actually know?
BC:
Well, I don’t work in a lab (like Joe), nor am I soon to be the
last living member of my family. I’ve never joined a search party
and, like Peter Everwine, I didn’t grow up with a brother. All I
can say is that Joe’s grief is mine. His hope is mine. But I’m
not Joe.
AKP:
How are your readers reacting to Calamity
Joe over your previous book, Birthday Girl With Possum (copyright 2011 Write Bloody Press), and what, on tour,
are you – as an author - experiencing for better/worse, with this
new volume than with the previous collection?
BC:
Response to the book has been very encouraging. People really seem to
be enjoying it. What I find very gratifying is when I hear people say
they’ve re-read
it. I’ve been blessed (no, DAMN lucky) to be able to publish three
books in three years, and, in each case, I have tried to create
volumes that can be re-read in different ways. That is, I don’t
think it’s enough just to compile my ‘greatest hits,’ I want a
book to be its own complete experience, its own larger poem. In other
words, a book of poems isn’t something to solve, it’s a place to
dwell.
On
this most recent tour, I’ve had only positive responses. No one has
declared a preference for one book over the other. At least, not to
me! I must add that my previous book, Birthday
Girl With Possum, is not yet a year
old and I’m still actively promoting it. While both books have very
different aims, they don’t seem to conflict with each other. I’m
able to read from both books in the same venue and they ‘get
along.’
AKP:
Obviously, there is a HIGH level of craftsmanship with each of your
books (Dante's Casino, Letters to
Guns, Birthday Girl With Possum),
however, with CJ,
you appear to have committed wholeheartedly to your role as a poet,
and all that implies (artist, prophet, social commentator, anarchist,
etc)? Why/Why not would you agree with this?
BC:
That’s quite a statement. I like to think that I grow and change
all the time, but in regards to Joe, I’m not aware of a shift in my
approach; there are sections of Joe that are at least as old as my
first book. What is perhaps different is that with Joe I needed
different tools, but they came from the same box. You see, I think
that the cause of the poet is poetry. All of the tools – meters,
sonics, conceits, even contexts – are there to help the poem
become. That’s not to say that I’m not responsible for what I
say, but every word is an effort to say more than itself, to say
something I can’t, in fact, say - something higher than prophesy,
social commentary, anarchy, etc. Everything I use, every subject I
raise, is a means to something above it, a means to the ineffable,
which is art.
AKP:
Creatively speaking, what is next on the horizon for you?
BC:
I had one project ready to go but it got shot down. I’d hoped to do
a book of poems in the voice of a minor character from American
literature, a woman in prison for murder during the Great Depression
and all of WWII. When I approached the estate of the character’s
creator, they were very kind, but ultimately uncomfortable with
anyone developing the character beyond the original story. I totally
understood, but it left me rather spun – I was really inspired and
dying to start work and then, suddenly there was no point in doing
it. I’m being very careful not to say too much because I really
admire this author. I know some people might say, “What the hell,
be true to your muse! Write it anyway,” but ethically I can’t
bring myself to work on something that would annoy the family of a
writer I love. What kind of tribute is that?
So,
I’m writing something else, and as always, trying to do so outside
of my zone(s) of comfort. There’re a few publications on the way: a
new piece coming in Zyzzyva,
three new poems in the Beloit Poetry Journal. I’m truly honored to have
the regard of these editors. Don’t know what I did right.
Beyond
that, I continue to teach. Before resuming my classes at the Windward
School this fall, I’m going back to Idyllwild Arts and the amazing
kids at the Children’s Center. Both of these schools provide
exceptional environments for cultivating creativity.
What
I’m proudest of these days is the work I get to do with a group
called The Art of Elysium. This organization brings artists of all
disciplines to work closely with children challenged by serious
medical conditions. I hope everyone who reads this will check them
out.
They’ve
only recently started to work with writers and I believe I’m their
first poet. Actually, they’re still trying to figure out what to do
with me! For the last couple of years I’ve been visiting facilities
like Kaiser Hollywood and going from ward to ward, doing workshops
with various kids. Some are too sick or encumbered to even hold a
pen, (I may have to wear a mask, smock and gloves just to approach
them), so we craft things by talking them out and they dictate. It’s
always different, always a surprise. By the way, I’m on the lookout
for good prompts that can be done at a bedside. If anyone has
suggestions, please let me know!
Note: All of Brendan's books are available through his
website, as well as tour dates.
photos courtesy of the Brendan Constantine website
article content copyright 2012 marie lecrivain
