Fellow Scottish blogger, Rob A. Mackenzie, is setting up a 'Cyclone blog tour' - a virtual book tour in support of his recently published (by Salt) poetry collection, The Opposite of Cabbage. I'm delighted to say that this blog is going to be a part of it.I've been following Rob's blog Surroundings for as long as I've been blogging. In fact Rob's blog with it's comprehensive list of literary links was very much a guide for me when trying to get my head around the current poetry publishing scene.
Rob also kindly encouraged me in my writing back when I was far less sure of what I was doing. I've met him a couple of times now at Scotland's biggest poetry festival, StAnza, and he really is a very nice bloke.
But more importantly I've been following his poetry with interest since I purchased his now out of print Happenstance produced chapbook The Clown of Natural Sorrow. An excellent chapbook that I genuinely find myself drawn back to and enjoy re-reading. As the title suggests, these are very imaginative poems, witty with an interesting blend of literalism and surrealism that often remind me of Miroslav Holub, one of my favorite poets.
As part of the Cyclone blog tour I get to ask Rob three questions which can be about his new book, his thoughts on poetry, or even about his life and he will answer them on this blog. So I'm open to suggestions if there is anything anyone would like to know about Rob, put it in the comments or email me if you'd prefer.
The cyclone will reach here in a couple of weeks time!
5 comments:
when it comes to a poet, i always find the question interesting: how much is her or his body part of the process of creation?
and now i have to check on Miroslav Holub too, you have made me extremely curious!
oh do check out Holub, I really like his stuff!
that is an interesting, if not quite difficult, question, roxana!! :)
Holub is great.
Roxana, are you asking whether I write about my body? Or are you meaning something more holistic in the creative process? I'm happy to answer the question, but I want to make sure I'm answering the right question!
hi Rob :-)
the second one: if the body plays a role in the creative process for you, many poets talk, for ex, about a certain freedom the hand seems to aquire during the writing, like 'the hand writes by itself', before even the mind grasps an idea... or the need to say the words loud and 'taste' them on your tongue, everything related to the topic, i have always been fascinated by it :-)
thank you...
I'll have to think about this one. But I'll try to answer it...
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