Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
A1. I’m a Canadian living in the western province of Alberta. I had a long and successful career as an academic, a political sociologist, until retiring in 2023. Earlier in life I dabbled in writing poetry and short fictional stories, and also kept diary notes of my many travels. After retiring, I returned to these interests and have since published a memoir and two poetry books. An academic book dealing with my journey across the Hippie Trail in the 1970s will shortly also be published.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “War and Other Inconveniences”?
A2. The key challenge was to balance outrage about current events and language that could be accessible and immediate to the reader so that they could feel the passion but not sense they were reading a mere rant or a newspaper headline.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
A3. W. H. Auden is a key influence. He was able in his poetry to use common words and phrases while writing in a directly political manner. But there are other poets, notably e. e. Cummings.
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
A4. I grew up on the prairies and am drawn to the small towns and open spaces. But one of my favourite cities is Halifax precisely because, being landlocked as a youth, I am also drawn to seas and oceans, and ships.
Q5. What inspired you to write the book ‘War and Other Inconveniences’?
A5. Anger. Anger and frustration with how, as human beings, we are destroying each other and the planet.
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘War and Other Inconveniences’?
A6. Most of the poems were written over about two years. I am an inveterate editor of my own work so that some poems required reflection and working throughout until I felt I had gotten them right.
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your books?
A7. The book is available on Amazon or through Friesen Press, or can be bought directly from me.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘War and Other Inconveniences’?
A8. I had an idea of the cover I wanted used. I worked with the editor at Friesen Press to arrive at a cover that incapsulated the books range of ideas.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself.
A9. I keep myself busy reading a variety of books, academic and non-academic, as well as newspapers and articles, both in paper and online. I also engage in activities that allow my brain to float free to think – exercising, walking, travelling, listening to music.
Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
A10. Write large, then edit. The secret of good writing is editing. This especially true of poetry. Ezra Pound said that poetry should be “hard as stone and white as bone” – that is, concise and clear. Good advice for all writing, but especially poetry.
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