“It was when I first encountered Richard Siken’s Crush that an entirely new realm of creative possibilities became clear to me.”
– Cody Dracopoulos
Cody, thank you for joining this conversation. To start, could you introduce yourself, share a bit about your background, and what first led you to poetry?
Hello, thank you for extending the invitation! My name is Cody Draco and I’m writing to you from a small town in southern Kentucky, by way of Florida where I spent most of my formative years, but I was actually born in Massachusetts so I’m quite the American mutt. I began writing songs at 15 and it wasn’t until a decade after tinkering with that, trying to find my artistic voice, and struggling with both managing my mental health and learning how to play the acoustic guitar, that I eventually pivoted full-time into poetry. It was when I first encountered Richard Siken’s Crush that an entirely new realm of creative possibilities became clear to me. The often searing and serrated queer desire documented in that landmark collection, along with Lana Del Rey’s iconic Ride Monologue, were the necessary nucleus to form the artist I am today.
Your poem Dreams Are the Most Dangerous Thing was recognized with a BREW Poetry Award. What does this acknowledgment mean to you personally and creatively?
As someone who is “proudly self-made without an MFA,” visibility and validation have been incredibly hard to come by. This particular acknowledgment has shown me that there is an audience for my work, even if it might be internationally at times instead of strictly in my home country. Being recognized with a BREW Poetry Award has also taught me to never stop advocating for my art. Adopting the mantras of “You miss one-hundred percent of the shots you don’t take” (Wayne Gretzky) and “There can be one-hundred people in a room and ninety-nine of them don’t believe in you, but all it takes is one.” (Lady Gaga) has permanently shifted my mindset to one of abundance and sustained me through countless rejections, including the ones that occurred previously with this particular piece!
The poem explores dreams, desire, and the ways external forces influence our choices. How do you approach turning abstract ideas into tangible poetic imagery?
![Cody Draco Black and White Horseback Picture (2022) from Spirit of the Cowboy [Image and caption credit: Cody Draco]](https://theworldsbestmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/image-21.png?w=338)
I usually start with a title, or single phrase that resonates personally in some way to what I’m going through in my life at the moment, then I branch out to explore what subconsciously exists in that constellation of thought and feeling. I trust my gut to guide me through the process of unpacking the poem and situation at hand. This might sound strange, but I don’t know much about what the piece is saying or even describing until the first draft is complete. Upon further reflection, after the initial burst of inspiration fades, I’m able to see a path forward. The sometimes lofty and often shiny abstract ideas that appear in my work are grounded by the authentic details of my everyday life.
Imagery of surreal landscapes, movement, and human interaction is central to the poem. How do you decide which details will carry the emotional or conceptual weight of your work?
I love that this question synchronistically picks up from where my answer to the previous one left off. Details! Since I was a little kid, I’ve been overwhelmed by the details of life. This is probably why I love art museums so much. There is just something seriously inspiring about being able to see each individual brushstroke that makes up a Salvador Dalí masterpiece. In terms of my own work, I do believe this sensory sensitivity actually aids me in the filtering process. As I’m writing, I tend to take into account how each added element affects the overall depth and trajectory of the piece. Are new dimensions of thought being accessed and is more emotional terrain being traversed by adding this particular detail, or are we just stalling before reaching the final scene?
The poem balances introspection, narrative, and philosophical reflection. How do you navigate tone, structure, and rhythm when exploring such layered subjects?
A poem is a rehearsal dinner and it’s of the utmost importance that each guest (component) gets the proper seat assignment or else the entire vibe (texture) will be thrown off. Balance must ultimately be maintained, but a see-saw has never been afraid of a fair bit of play at the end of the day. As my Greek ancestors famously said, “Everything in moderation.” With that in mind, I believe anything is possible in a poem when truth is the glue that holds everything together.
What milestones—whether publications, awards, or personal breakthroughs—stand out as significant in your creative journey so far?
Other than being recognized by The BREW Chrysalis Project, I’m proud to share that I recently won my first award, the 2025 Chaffin/Kash Prize, through the Kentucky State Poetry Society which I’m a new member of, in my very first year of seriously pursuing a writing career. As far as publications go, this year has been incredibly fruitful for me and I’m grateful for each and every green light and co-sign I have been given. However, being included in the forthcoming White Winged Doves: A Stevie Nicks Poetry Anthology (Madville Publishing) and having not one but two pieces selected for the forthcoming 100 Poems for the 21st-Century (Rough Diamond Poetry) rank highly among my most significant moments so far.
Your poetry often blends imagination with grounded emotional experience. How do you approach integrating these elements in your writing?
No matter where my mind goes philosophically, I always rest my pen on a metaphorical desk back at home.
Many readers connect with poetry through shared reflection on life’s possibilities and constraints. What do you hope someone takes away when reading Dreams Are the Most Dangerous Thing or your other work?
While my lifelong artistic ambition is Coding a New Masculinity… I hope that readers of my work, regardless of gender identity, are able to perceive new possibilities for their life that might otherwise go unseen. I would love to be a catalyst for the positive changes that can occur in others when they realize that they are, to paraphrase Invictus by William Ernest Henley, “the captains of their own fates, the masters of their own souls.”
Are there recurring themes, questions, or motifs that you revisit in your poetry, and what draws you back to them?
The collision of queer Americana and traditional masculinity in the 21st century is incredibly important to me. I enjoy subverting established symbols such as the cowboy in my self-published collection Spirit of the Cowboy, and also hijacking clichés and driving them and the reader to unexpected places. What can I say? I’m a literary thrill seeker!
Looking ahead, what projects, themes, or experiments are you most excited to explore in your writing?
Fun fact, I was a part-time theatre kid in high school and once had pop star ambitions… so acting is not completely off the table. I’m most excited to fuse my poetry with film to increase both its potential reach and accessibility. I have already started the slow process of piecing together an autobiography in audio-visual-verse, called Codex Draco, that I feel will one day become my final creative offering. Fingers crossed, that day is far in the distant future.
If you were to write your bio in your own words, what would you say? What legacy do you hope to leave?
![Cody Draco Black and White Author Picture (2025) [Photo credit: Cody Draco]](https://theworldsbestmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/image-20.png?w=321)
I hope when the curtain closes on my life and career that the following bio will ring true…
Cody Draco has proved time and time again, through the transformative power of award-winning poetry that makes up his overarching project Coding a New Masculinity, that writing and revising a single individual narrative, over and over again throughout the course of a lifetime, can and will have a measurable and meaningful impact on the human collective.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I hope when the curtain closes on my life and career that writing and revising a single individual narrative, over and over again throughout the course of a lifetime, can and will have a measurable and meaningful impact on the human collective.”
– Cody Dracopoulos
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We’d love to hear your thoughts! What resonated with you about Cody Draco’s creative journey? Share your reflections in the comments:
- Which part of Cody’s approach to poetry inspired you the most?
- How do you explore creativity in your own life?
- Did any of his ideas about identity or storytelling change the way you think about art?
Alignment with the UN SDGs
- SDG 4 – Quality Education: Promotes creative learning and artistic expression.
- SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities: Highlights diverse voices and experiences in literature.
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