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A single father of two children, John Sweet has been writing poetry for over twenty years and publishing for about 3/4 of that time. He lives in Endicott, New York, which he describes as a 'toxically polluted hole'. His poetry has appeared in Red River Review, Eclectica Magazine, Tryst,Thunder Sandwich and uncountable other top journals. His most recent book, among other books and chaps,is Human Cathedrals, found on Amazon.com. I've admired John Sweet's poetry since I first discovered it a number of years ago, so it's a particular pleasure to have this chance to interview him. John Sweet doesn't mince words or hide behind them. His poems expose the underbelly of the world around us and it's not usually a pretty picture. His words are courageous, angry and beautifully written. What attracted you to poetry as a creative outlet? Music came first, the lyrics of all those bands I listened to in jr. high – Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, The Doors, etc etc. At some point, I figured I should try writing my own lyrics, and then I gradually got tired of being limited by rhyme schemes and meter, so by the time I was 16 or 17 I was taking my first steps into free verse, which just immediately opened up a whole new world of possibilities. Your poetry has been described as pessimistic. How do you feel about that? Are you indeed pessimistic? Well, unlike everyone else, I'm stuck hanging out with me all the time, so I know that what I mostly am is a wiseass. The part of me that writes poetry is the more serious side, I suppose. I've always said that writing is catharsis for me, and it's true. It's therapy. It's vomiting up all the crap that's too black and evil to keep inside, and trying to do something constructive and creative with it. The poetry itself I really don't think is pessimistic. That's like saying the news is pessimistic. It's not, really – it's just showing you what's out there, what's happened in the world. If everything were sunshine and butterflies and shiny smiles, there's be no need for the news OR poetry. Poetry is a different view of the world. It's the poet's own viewpoint. It doesn't need to be pretty. I think a lot of what I write is ugly, but a lot of the real world is, too. I think I just hold up the ugliness so people can get a better view of it. It's everyone's personal choice after that – do you want to perpetuate the ugliness, or do you want to try and make things better? I've always thought that, by offering unpleasant truths, I offer choices. In what ways has your poetry evolved over the years since you started writing? Some people have insisted in calling me a minimalist, which I don't think I am, but I'm a believer in writing as close to the bone as possible. I like to keep things simple. I've spent most of my career trying to trim the fat from my writing, and trying to keep things in as normal a speaking voice as I can. Looking at my earlier work, I can see where I was maybe trying to MAKE BIG STATEMENTS, which is always a mistake. I've moved a lot more towards the personal in recent years, making little statements for myself. I think my writing is still evolving, which is fairly exciting. Once I think I've mastered a certain approach, I like to try new things – new styles, new formats, new approaches. Getting stuck in a rut and refusing to go outside your safety zone is poetic suicide. I've been called "overly didactic" and "dogmatic" on more than one occasion, but I think those words apply to all poetry. All you can offer up is your own view of things. If someone else has a different view, oh well. Maybe I've learned to be a little more subtle in my ranting over the years. Or maybe not. Are poets in a particularly unique position to act as conscience for our society? That's a loaded question. The answer is, of course, a qualified yes. Poetry can still be pure (as opposed to music, film, television or novels) because there's no serious money in it. It can exist without the contamination of big business, corporate sponsorship, the financial bottom line, etc etc. It exists outside the mainstream of corporate sponsored entertainment. It doesn't have to pander to the tastes of the lowest common denominator. At the same time, this relative purity is what keeps it out of the artistic mainstream. Poetry can be the conscience of society, yes, but it always runs the risk of being totally ignored. Just like a real conscience. You've said that the art and life of J. Pollock, as well as the Surrealists, influenced your poetry more so than other poets. Can you elaborate on how, and mention any other major influences on your work? I like the idea of trying to translate the visual into the written word. The concepts that these people embraced, and the images they created, serve as springboards for a lot of what I write. I don't think I could ever be a painter, because these people have already accomplished putting down visual ideas that I can relate to. I'd only be ripping them off. One of the reasons I began formulating my "pessimistic" style was that I couldn't find any other poets expressing the ideas that mattered to me. There were ideas and images that I thought needed to be put down on paper, so I decided to take a stab at it myself. The DIY ethic of the first wave of punk rock has always been a huge influence on me, along with the sounds and ideas and rhetoric of a wide range of musicians. Hearing a band that opens up a whole new way of looking at what music can be always serves as a kick in the ass to get me writing. Basically, I like obscure bands & have developed a recent interest in outsider artists. I really don't read an awful lot of poetry. Where do you stand on the ongoing accessibility debate in poetry? I try to avoid it. All I do is write. Arguing about these things seems like a waste of time. If you're going to write, shut up and write. There's an endless amount of poetry out there, good, bad and in every form & style imaginable. If people don't want to read it, there's nothing you can do to make them. So it goes. One of the things that I find interesting are poets who have their own web sites or blogs, but who use them only to promote their work that's been published elsewhere, or to pass on their writing tips, or give lists of publications that have rejected their work. Who cares? If you're a poet, show me some poems. Put up or shut up. It's amazing that, even now, in this Age of Information, there still exists a breed of writer who will sit on his/her poems like a mother hen, and only readers to see the ones that have a publication pedigree. I mean, what the hell are these people waiting for? A six figure book deal? The editors of Poetry to drop by and kiss their boots? Get real. In your poem, 'in the dream of ordinary shame', you write,' you save no one but yourself and even this is questionable'. Can you talk more about that line? This is a comment on poetry & poets, on the need to write and the even bigger need to stay grounded while you write. Poetry won't end war, won't end famine, won't cure cancer. It is what it is. In some ways, its importance can't be overstated. In other ways, it has no value at all. These are ideas that I keep close to me whenever I write. In what ways is John Sweet the person different from John Sweet the poet? Not enough. Again, the person is more of a smartass. The poet broods too much. Other than that, they both spend too much time considering the ideas that the poet writes about. They both go back and forth between hope and hopelessness, optimism & despair. They both get along with people as individuals, but detest humanity as a whole. What advice would you give new poets attempting to improve their writing? Just write. Poetry has no rules. It's not math or hockey. People will always be more than happy to tell you what it is you're doing wrong. Piss on 'em. Write for the release, for the satisfaction of creating something. If you worry about money or fame, you're an idiot and a whore. Is there any question you wish you'd been asked in an interview that you'd like to talk about? If so, go for it. No, I think I'm good.
John Sweet, single father of 2. has outlived both Cobain and Christ, now working on moving past Pollock. a believer in writing as catharsis. Opposed to all organized religion. Collections include HUMAN CATHEDRALS, ASH WILDERNESS and ENEMY.
Among other journals and poetry collections, Pris Campbell's poetry has been published in Poems Niederngasse, MiPo Publications (digital/OCHO/radio/Flamingo), Boxcar Poetry Review, The Dead Mule,Tears in the Fence,The Cliffs:Soundings, Thunder Sandwich, Empowerment4women,In The Fray,and a number of anthologies. Her chapbook, Abrasions,was published by from Rank Stranger Press and Interchangeable Goddesses with Tammy Trendle, by Rose of Sharon Press. She lives in the greater West Palm Beach, Florida with her husband. Formerly a Clinical Psychologist, she is sidelined by CFIDS. Her website is http://www.poeticinspire.com.
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