Interview with poet John Yamrus – By Casey Quinn
Published By Casey Quinn • Mar 1st, 2010 • Category: Short Story NewsI recently had the chance to interview one of my favorite poets John Yamrus who after 40 years of writing is still producing amazing stuff. Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did the opportunity!
C.Q.: John thanks for carving out the time for this interview. I have often heard you say that it really wasn’t until your last four or five books where you felt you hit your stride. What do you think changed from book number 12 till now? Was it anything personal or new influences on your writing? Just took that long to write that many poems develop your voice?
J.Y.: It’s a whole combination of things, really. I’m proud of those early books, certainly, but I’m a different man now. It’s like how Miles Davis, when he got older, couldn’t listen to himself playing bop. Things just change, that’s all. It’s inevitable. And, yes, I think I’ve finally got a recognizeable voice and it takes a long time to get to that point.
C.Q.: I know this is a ridiculously hard question to answer BUT if you had to look back over all of the poems you have written and pick just one that you believe should live on, what poem would it be? Could you share the poem?
J.Y.: That’s a good question. I never really wanted to write THE poem. From day one I wanted my poems to be seen as an accumulation. I’m an acquired taste. It takes a while for people to see what I’m doing. I don’t try and hit people over the head with my poems. There’s no middle ground with me. People either get my poems, or they don’t. But, when they do, they get them deep. Let me give you an example. It’s a really short poem…only 6 words;
the dog
simply
and calmlydied.
The poem challenges the reader. It forces them to get involved. I’ve had people saying this poem is pure and absolute crap. That it’s thin air masquerading as poetry. And then I’ve had people tell me they can’t get it out of their heads. No middle ground.
C.Q.: After 40 years of writing, almost 20 books and 1,200 poems published, if you had to pick three things that stand out in your poetry career what would they be? Was there a magazine you had always wanted to break into, a press that picked you up? An award or reading in a certain venue? What are the top three in the John Yamrus highlight reel?
J.Y.: Well, you’re confusing me a bit, here. Do you want me to pick three things that I wished I’d accomplished? Or, three of my proudest accomplishments? I’ll keep it simple. The thing that I’m proudest about is that I’ve done it every day for 40 years. People look at the number of magazines I’ve been in and the number of poems and the number of books, and on the surface it looks like a lot…but, it really isn’t. Anybody can do it. Anybody with a little bit of talent and a whole lot of drive. It’s just one poem at a time. One magazine at a time. Anybody can do it.
C.Q.: I know you are very active on a variety of writing forums and spend a lot of time giving critiques and feedback to fellow writers on their poetry. Yet you also write in one of your poems that online poetry has killed poetry itself. How do you balance this stance given how active you are online with your own poetry?
J.Y.: This whole online thing is a double edged sword. A necessary evil. I find it’s a useful way to spread the word and attract new readers for my books. It’s also…well…let me quote one of my poems:
contrary
to
popular opinion,the
internethas ruined
poetryfor
the world.it has
fooledtoo many
peopleinto
thinkingthey
can dothis.
I’ve said it a million times. There’s just way too many people running around calling themselves “poets”. The word’s lost its meaning and value. Besides, I never really wanted to wrap myself up in some cloak or give myself a label. It’s too limiting. I’ll let everyone else call themselves poets. Me? I like to think I’m just a lunch pail kind of guy. I do the work, then sit on the couch with my wife and the dog and watch American Idol.
C.Q.: In any given year how much poetry would you say you read? Do you read much prose if so what are some of your favorite all time novels?
J.Y.: I’m always reading poems. The book I’ve got on my desk right now is Gerald Locklin’s New And Selected Poems. He’s one of the good ones. As for all time favorite novels? That’s easy…To kill A Mockingbird…The Grapes Of Wrath (I read that probably once a year)…oddly enough, Dracula is one of my favorite books. Don’t laugh! There’s reasons why it’s never been out of print since 1897. Reasons that I was able to pick up and apply to my poetry. It’s a very subtle book. It doesn’t try and hit you over the head. And, because of that, it gets under your skin and into your system. And then there’s Proust. I’ve been reading those 6 books of his over and over since I was a kid, and every time I read them I find something new. I think as I’ve changed over the years and my views and experiences have changed, so has my approach to Proust changed. I find him to be a pain in the ass and endlessly interesting. Difficult at times, but, never ever boring.
C.Q.: If someone came up to you and said, John, I want to learn how to write poetry can you recommend some modern poets for me to learn from. Who would you recommend? Any specific books you feel is a must for any poetry loving person to have on their shelf?
J.Y.: Contemporaries? Locklin, because he’s a master of the relaxed line and he never takes himself too seriously. I love reading Milner Place. There’s a sepia tint to his work. A certain timeless quality. And then there’s Bukowski. Even though he’s been room temperature for 16 years, he’s still as relevant and contemporary and influential as ever. There’s a very great artist in there, hiding behind the booze and the horses and the broads.
C.Q.: So let’s talk a little about your new book John being published by Epic Rites. I know it is being released any day now when is the official release date? How has it been to work with Epic? What is your favorite poem from this new book of yours? Care to share it?
J.Y.: Well, thanks for asking. It’s called DOING CARTWHEELS ON DOOMSDAY AFTERNOON and I’m really proud of it. It came out March 1st and I think it may very well be the best thing I’ve ever done. I look at it and I think…I don’t know…I think back over the 41 years I’ve been doing this and I just feel proud that I’m still here…still having fun and still having new things to say. I think it goes back to the reason why I find my early books difficult to look at. I want to keep moving forward. I want to keep changing all the time. I always want to grow. So, each book is always a little different. With that being said, if you think you already know what you’re going to find in DOING CARTWHEELS, don’t be so sure.
C.Q.: Thanks very much for your time John and has been great chatting with you. Best of luck with your new book and I’m looking forward to my copy arriving in a few weeks!
John Yamrus has been a fixture on the small press poetry scene for more than 40 years. Since 1970 he has published more than 1,200 poems in magazines around the world. Selections of his work have been translated into several languages including Spanish, Swedish, Italian, Japanese and Romanian. His newest book, DOING CARTWHEELS ON DOOMSDAY AFTERNOON is available from epicrites.org
casey, thanks a million for publishing this interview. it’ll go a long way toward kicking off my new book. i really appreciate it.
john
Nice little interview! I only discovered John’s work about four years ago, but have always enjoyed his style of writing. I was privileged to publish his last collection, “New and Selected Poems” which is still available on my website. I wish him all the luck in the world on his new book.
I don’t think it’s the internet which ruined poetry. If poetry’s ruined, it’s ruined by those who think its purpose is to walk in the spotlight as a poet instead of finding a forceful way to speak of matters which many or all one’s people have currently and centrally in mind. Even DRACULA was a metaphor for some of the things that current biology was accomplishing at that now almost ancient time. But poets (and other writers) are not the main offenders. Some of the support staff hold the opinion that they are there to make-or-break favorites and not part of the necessary stream to keep communication flowing. It’s those who are able to read and choose for themselves who ultimately decide. The internet’s a big gain.
I’ll always be grateful to R.D. Armstrong for publishing and supporting my NEW AND SELECTED POEMS. and Roberta…thank you, also, for your input. i do have to kinda disagree with you about Dracula. it almost sounds like you’re looking down your nose at that book. The book is not at all “a metaphor for some of the things that current biology was accomplishing”…it’s a love story of the most basic kind.
john
and, roberta…to address your other thoughts…people tend to forget that at the end of the day, just like anything else, poetry is essentially show business. if you want people to read your poems and buy your books, you’ve got to put yourself in a position to have them read and bought. if all one does is write the poems and sit back and hope people will read them, then you’re letting yourself down.
i see that all the time. people who act like they’re “above” getting their work published, or getting their books sold. usually it’s because they’re afraid. but, even deeper than that, i see it as a very real responsibility on my part to do everything i can to make sure my books sell, because there’s people out there who have spent their own hard-earned money to print my poems and publish my books. i take that responsibility very seriously.
john
A very good interview. I too have written many poems, and have published in print and online. Only one chapbook though. For folks like myself who like to write, it can be expensive to purchase books, magazines and compete in competitions. Yes, I still write because it’s fun. Now I must look up poems by John Yamus. PS. I thought his poem about the dog is great.
Sorry to grab more space. I forgot to comment on the Internet re poetry. To me, the Internet has been wonderful. It has opened up the world to myself who is on a very limited income, no complaints, still overcoming my stroke eleven years ago (because of prayers from family and friends). It also gave me a chance to post stories re my dealing with my stroke, and the types of exercises used to keep my spirits up in re-discovering mobility. Isn’t that what writing is all about; sharing and reading others, in order to appreciate even more, this wonderful world. Without the Internet, I would never have heard of John Yamrus. And it would have been my loss. Keep writing and reading folks. PS. Also be patient with those who are struggling to put words and thoughts together; one day they may even write like you and me. Eh? Below is one of my short poems:
A Boy and his Dog
There’s a liking for the
chase, young fellow
and your dog knows the difference
between love and just a friend
you’re his master
and he’ll follow you
even into salty swells
of incoming tide
as you wade Atlantic-strides
along the shore.
Never let him down,
boy.
© 1993 Richard L. Provencher
Published Dec. 1993
The Pegasus Review
Maryland, USA
thanks, richard. much appreciated. i think people tend to forget that there’s a business side and a “selling” side to everything, even to such a sacred cow as poetry. consider this: if Allen Ginsberg only wrote Howl and never gave the famous Gallery 6 reading and never pushed it on Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the world would be deprived of one of the great poems of the 20th century.
also, think about a guy like Walt Whitman…he went so far as to write glowing reviews of Leaves Of Grass under fake names! imagine what the world would have lost if he didn’t push and promote his work. and does anyone really think Byron didn’t care how his books sold? time has a way of distorting the truth. like it, or not, that’s the way it is. i try and write the best stuff i can…but when the writing’s done, my next job is to get them read by as many people as possible.
john
one final thing to think about…imagine a publisher who only has enough money to bring out one more book for the season…and he’s sitting on 2 amazing manuscripts by writers of equal talent. one of the writers is known to actively work to get his books sold, and the other has a history of sitting back and HOPING his books sold. who do you think is gonna end up in print?
a fact of life.
john
To John Yamrus – No! I am not looking down my nose at Dracula. My point is that it arrived on the scene at about the same time as blood banks. Yes! Writers want to be read and should do everything honest to assure it’s happening. Money’s good, I like it a whole lot. But if it can’t be gained, they want to be read anyway.
just so you know, the new book is now finally available thru Small Press Distributors at:
http://www.spdbooks.org/Producte/9780981184487/doing-cartwheels-on-doomsday-afternoon.aspx?rf=1