Next Next Big Thing

My (virtual) friend Joshua Gray, a great supporter and promoter of poetry in general and DC-area poets in particular, tagged me for The Next Big Thing, a blog-chain interview now making the rounds. I was naturally flattered and now that his answers have been posted, it's my turn:

What is your working title of your book (or story)?

Memory and Desire

Where did the idea come from for the book?

As I was reviewing my poems with an eye to putting together a third collection, I noticed that a number of my recent poems explored in some fashion memory, desire, or both (memory being often a form of desire). I had already gathered a few poems under the heading “Useless Desires” (inspired by Patty Griffin’s beautiful song with that title) with, of course, the famous opening lines of The Waste Land echoing in my mind as well.

What genre does your book fall under?

Lyric poetry

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

The main character (myself, the lyric “I”): William Powell

Patty Griffin and T. S. Eliot: Themselves

Should the film rights be sold and development begin, I will put out a call for fresh talent to play the other characters (in those poems where characters appear).

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Roaming from childhood recollections to captured moments from the natural and the urban environments, the book includes poems ranging from brief lyrics to longer narratives, some humorous, others wistful.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Neither; it is being published by Sweatshoppe Publications.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

The book gathers poems written over the last 5-6 years; it took about a week to put it together.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

N/A

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Each poem, of course, stemmed from its own inspiration. The possibility of another book, coupled with the opportunity offered by a new press, inspired me to compile and shape the poems into a manuscript.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

The beautiful cover.