“In 1967, I was Gwendolyn Brooks’ star student, falling in love with the noise that words make.”
– Mike Marks
Editor’s Note: The following interview reflects the personal reflections and creative expressions of the interviewee. Views and imagery are their own and are shared in the context of discussing their poetry.
Mike, thank you for joining this conversation. To begin, could you introduce yourself, share a bit about your background, and what first drew you to poetry?
I was the first of the baby boomers, the middle child of five born in six years, always fighting to be heard. In 1967, I was Gwendolyn Brooks’ star student, falling in love with the noise that words make.
Your poem Spooning was recognized with a BREW Poetry Award. What does this acknowledgment mean to you personally and creatively?
I am honored when editors are interested in my poetry. With over a hundred of my poems printed in literary magazines, my writing is energized. The BREW award is special, because it delves deeper into my verse.
The poem explores choice, family, and the passage of time. How do you approach translating such complex, multi-generational themes into poetry?
I enjoy the proper placement of ambiguity to open the minds of my readers to reread my poetry and extract alternative meanings.
Imagery of daily life, family moments, and reflection is central to Spooning. How do you select the details that carry emotional and thematic weight in your work?
Starting with a cup of coffee and transitioning to an existential dilemma, I select imagery that ridicules a relaxing drink of a warm beverage.
The poem balances observation, meditation, and philosophical inquiry. How do you navigate tone, pacing, and structure in your writing?
The octave introduces a child in transition. The sestet, instead of providing a solution, enhances the questions.
What milestones—whether publications, awards, or personal breakthroughs—stand out as particularly meaningful in your creative journey?
I have been the Ohio Kiwanis Poet Laureate for eighteen years, with over a hundred of my poems printed in literary journals in six countries, still chasing the elusive Pulitzer Prize.
Many readers connect with poetry through relatable experiences and reflective insight. What do you hope someone takes away when reading Spooning or your other work?
A great compliment would be “I never thought about it that way.”
Are there recurring themes, motifs, or questions you revisit in your poetry, and what draws you back to them?
There must be other life cycle arrangements, as evidenced by recurring sequences and our continual quest to document similarities, seeking the motherlode of essential exact facts hiding somewhere, but with dishonest clarity, biblically ambiguous still. Yes, history repeats itself, but not predictable by our current methods of evaluation. Think of undiscovered approaches of assessing time and distances or animated shapes only visible to other eyes. Reimagine your senses. See out your ears like a bat, smell through your tongue like a snake, and taste with your toes like a butterfly. Each day brings new questions of what is and what is not.
How does your own experience of family, culture, or heritage influence your poetic voice and subjects?
I write what I wonder about, usually discarding family, culture, and heritage to scribe to anyone willing to read or listen to my verse.
Looking ahead, what themes, projects, or experiments are you most excited to explore in your poetry?
I continue to look beyond man’s inventions of time and size and space and speed and all related corollaries.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“A great compliment would be ‘I never thought about it that way.’”
– Mike Marks
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Alignment with the UN SDGs
- SDG 4 (Quality Education): Highlights lifelong learning through poetry and literary engagement.
- SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): Amplifies diverse voices and perspectives in creative expression.
- SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions): Encourages reflection, critical thinking, and dialogue through literature.
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