Larry Lawrence: Poet Interview
So as promised in the 2013 April PAD Challenge results post, I’m going to start featuring a poem and poet from the Top 25 every Friday between now and the…
So as promised in the 2013 April PAD Challenge results post, I'm going to start featuring a poem and poet from the Top 25 every Friday between now and the next challenge. The first one to respond was Larry Lawrence, aka @TheAmericanPoet on Twitter.
Larry was born and raised in South Jersey. He left his hometown to attend Rutgers University and studied playwriting at Mason Gross School of the Arts. Currently he teaches Gifted and Talented students in several elementary schools. He has been writing and reading poems for many years. He travels frequently to locations in the Southeastern United States. Being a committed writer, avid father and devoted sports fan are essential to his life. Find him on Twitter @TheAmericanPoet or read more of his work at crownedwithlaurels.blogspot.com.
Here's his poem that made the Top 25 list:
Powerless, by Larry Lawrence
The hurricane hits, but without power no one sees
lost lives, streets flood, cars wash away, homes burn.
Darkness across the state, downed wires, fallen trees.
The hurricane hits, but without power no one sees.
No choice as waves rise, the entire neighborhood flees.
It's dangerous living near water, a hard lesson to learn.
The hurricane hits, but without power no one sees
lost lives, streets flood, cars wash away, homes burn.
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Where are you located?
New Jersey.
Who are your favorite poets?
Bukowski, Neruda, and Mary Oliver are my big three.
As a reader, what do you like most in poems?
A poem works for me when I feel myself nodding in agreement with the scenario, the mood, the vibe. Maybe I'm selfish, but I want to relate to the poet's experience and know how they felt when writing it. I need that connection.
What were your goals for the 2013 April PAD Challenge?
I think the most important thing is not to expect each poem to be a home run. Rather the Challenge for me has always been to get up, get moving and get writing.
What's next for you?
I wrote on my Twitter page, "getting published one poem at a time." I truly need to go through the hundreds of pieces I've written and make a valiant effort to get a book published.
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Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Content Editor for the Writer's Digest Writing Community and author of Solving the World's Problems (Press 53). He runs poem-a-day challenges on this blog during the months of April and November. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
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Here are some more poetic posts:
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
