The Mad Poets Blog

 Ray Greenblatt has been a poetry judge, editor, and teacher. He has read his poetry from Vermont to Florida to California. He has won the John Corcoran Prize, the Mad Poets Annual Contest, and the Anthony Byrne Prize for Poetry jointly sponsored by the Irish Edition and Trinity College, Dublin. He was nominated for the Pushcart Prize also. His poetry has been translated into Polish and Japanese. Some of his recent works include Sunspots, Dvorak’s Garage and Erasing the Lines. His poems have been published widely in the small and electronic press.

The Interview:

Q. You have been involved with the Mad Poets Society for over two decades. How did you first get involved and what are the benefits?

You’re talking to someone long in the teeth. My connection has really been thirty years. Before Mad Poets was Delaware County Poets. It was one of the few places that you could publicly read your poetry. Besides, it was a beautiful setting in an eighteenth century stone house in Rose Tree Park (peering out the windows when it snowed was a thrill—who cared how you got home!); it was mysterious too because after the reading they would process outside by torchlight. Eileen D’Angelo continued that tradition but with much more energy and creativity. Look at all the venues poets in the area have a chance to participate in now! Also, Eileen’s quarterly bulletins let people know what’s going on in the entire Delaware Valley. 

Q. Incline Press in England released your book “Sunspots’, (http://www.inclinepress.com/sunspots.html ) in a limited edition hand made book. The publisher wrote, “Light illuminates the minutia of daily life in Ray Greenblatt’s poems.” What can you tell us about the book?

It took a year and a half for the SUNSPOTS manuscript to see the light in complete form, and I’m totally honored by Graham Moss’, the publisher, magnificent creation. The handmade paper is Indian, the type German, the end papers French, the logo Turkish, the silk thread Irish. It’s a true U.N. of publication! You can best see it (who can afford it!) on Incline Press’ website. 

Q. Laura Stamps reviewed “Dvorak’s Garage”, ( http://www.moonpublishprint.com/Dvoraksinfo.html ) published by Moon Publishing. Stamps noted “What holds this collection together? Music and humor. Greenblatt is a poet with an ear for the rhythm of words.” How important is the use of “rhythm” in writing poetry?

The content of DVORAK’S GARAGE is in four parts. One section has musically focused poems; I hope readers saw that motif running throughout the book. I am aware of how many beats my poetic lines have;  I also like to use incidental rhyme (It’s amazing today how one rhyme seems so strong that it can echo through an entire stanza.) I believe there must be some coherent structure, some subtle design to each poem. I’m also pleased that Laura Stamps picked up on the humor; it leavens a lot of serious bread. 

Q, Erasing The Lines (http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/description.asp?ISBN=0-7414-3020-7 ) has been described as a work that “ …takes us across all boundaries, making what we thought was familiar into the unknown.” What can you tell us about the development of this collection?

 To be very honest about ERASING THDE LINES, it was originally awaiting publication by the renowned Mellen Press. Then they abruptly decided to cut back their poetry division. I was left with a gasping MS (a poet is like an old tree in the waiting process: years, as the rings round one’s middle grow) I was going to cut it down to a more svelte size for a better chance with publishers. Then one brooding night I realized: these eighty some poems, when looked at as a whole, indeed constitute a real “life” with all the time, vicissitudes, growth built in. So I kept it intact and continued to send it out.

Q. I have asked this question of Lou McKee and Leonard Gontarek. As a poetry workshop leader, what are the benefits to established and emerging poets to attend a poetry workshop in particular one conducted by Ray Greenblatt?

When I teach a workshop, the major thing I look for is the overall focus of the poem. I don’t sweat a typo or poor word choice or awkward phrase, etc. That all comes later—if the poet cares enough to rewrite then  rewrite.  Limited poets ought to be told so; talented ones need to be encouraged—all this done kindly, no egos, please. There are not many people out there in the public who even care about poetry—hell, or even  about books themselves—there never were, but quality in the arts not quantity! Beginning poets can get a lot of stuff like this from a workshop. Also, allowing all the poets in the workshop to give their opinions about each other’s work is very insightful for all concerned, even the leader. The best thing an oldtimer gets in a workshop is observing what the younger ones are writing about and in possibly what new forms. All poets need ideas for writing and a workshop can be a seething cauldron. Writing can be lonely and hooking up with colleagues now and again is essential. To teach I use plenty of emotion, humor, and anecdote, in no special order.

Q. You have had the opportunity to read your works across the United States. Is there a difference in the appreciation of poetry in different geographic locations?

I have read in an old barn in the rain in Vermont ; I read in an elderly recreation center in
Florida (after my reading, one old guy pounded on an upright while the rest danced); I read in a bar of bikers, drunks and addicts in California . The bottom line is if a person enjoys the written word—song lyrics, stories, doggerel poems, rap—he is your “poetry” audience. Meet ‘em where you find ‘em! I take it as a challenge to try and choose poems which might reach a particular audience. The venues are different but they’re always there; some of us could never compete in a slam.

Q. What poets influenced you during your development as a poet?

I love Robert Frost’s New England subject matter (I deal a lot with nature—it’s obviously mankind’s mainstay whether actually in the wilds or urban) and the solid clarity of his lines. He philosophizes but also “paints” examples of what he is saying. There is a mystery to T.S. Eliot. You never know where he is going; his imagery is so shockingly vivid. However, caveat: I won’t follow Eliot where he has to supply footnotes. Once in a writing course a prof I respected very much said my poetry reminded him of a mixture of Walt Whitman and Marc Chagall! If he meant a certain “primitive earthiness” then I’m flattered. 

Q. As an educator do you see an interest by students in poetry and can poetry remain relevant in today’s society?

I have a pet peeve with many school teachers of poetry. They start off by admitting that they’re not sure they understand poetry; what a gross message to lay on students! Does anyone know “everything” about every piece of literature? Start with what you know and show the class what your likings are. If you reread my comments to question #6, you’ll see that some people will always be sensitive to the written (and spoken) word. Notice how many articles over the years stated that the novel was dead or that the theater was momentarily folding. Fat chance! Writing is one of heaven’s gifts.  

Q. If you were able to sit down and share a few beers with three poets from the past who would they be and why?

Boy, is this a loaded question. First of all, I drink wine—beer is liquid vomit. Secondly, you never try to talk in depth with more than one poet at a time; you’ll get either pouting or a hell of a dog fight. But seriously, past poets have spoken to me through their poems I prefer the living. I’d have the most fun—as I’ve done every month for twenty-five years—talking with poet friends at our Overbrook Poets meetings. It feels like family and you can’t get better than that.

Q. Do you have any new works slated for release or appearances scheduled where we can hear your work?

By the time this interview reaches blog position, my last scheduled reading of July 6 in Bryn Mawr will probably be over. That was sponsored by my British publisher of SUNSPOTS. Who knows, he might invite me to read in England , and I’d really be up for that (so would my wife)!