Last week, Caroline Gill kindly nominated me to talk about my second poetry collection as part of a blog meme called The Next Big Thing. Caroline also provided the foreword for my book, and has been an expert poetry consultant since the early days of the Folding Mirror form; so thanks to Caroline for nominating me, her advice and poetry.
Caroline and John Dotson have a new poetry chapbook called The Holy Place available, and I’m pleased to say that I just received my copy. From first read it looks full of interesting and evocative poems about subjects I like; such as wondering about life and existence from nature on our planet to the vastness of space.
For The Next Big Thing I answer a set of questions below, before I nominate five other writers to take part next week. Here are the questions and answers:
What is the title of your new book?
242 Mirror Poems and Reflections.
Where did the idea for the book come from?
I’d written about 100 Folding Mirror poems, so I thought I had near enough a poetry collection. I’d self-published a comedy-fantasy book (Werewolf of Oz) on Amazon Kindle earlier in the year, so I thought I would self-publish a poetry collection too.
I also had lots of old thoughts and poems written down, so I thought I could use them as reflections for the mirror aspect of the Folding Mirror poems.
Then I thought I’d have the numbers in the title mirroring too, with two identical numbers either side of a middle one, as two halves of poetry mirror either side of a folding middle line in FM poems. The next number to the amount of poems I had that worked like that was 121, with 242 also working when the reflections were included.
So I then created another twenty or so poems, until I had 121, and mirrored them with thoughts and poems that reflected them somehow.
What genre does your book fall under?
It is a poetry collection.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
I have a Folding Mirror poem that mentions Johnny Depp and Sam Riley playing a couple of my favourite characters in the Dead Man and On The Road movies; William Blake and Jack Kerouac; so that’d do.
Holly Valance has featured in a Werewolf of Oz poem, so she could be the leading lady. Debbie Harry, Brigitte Bardot and Britt Eklund suit mirrors and reflections.
California’s first wild wolf since 1924, OR7, can play the Greenygrey parts if it tires of wandering and takes advantage of its celebrity status in Hollywood.
Will your book be self published or published by an agency?
This one was self-published on Amazon Kindle and in book form on Amazon CreateSpace, after my first collection was published by Chipmunka.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
The poems cover three years, and were previewed here on fmpoetry. The poems were written and published here when they were written, so they were not in subject order.
I sorted the 121 poems into seven chapters: personal-psychological (containing thirty-four poems and thirty-four reflections), social (19-19), culture (15-15), literary (12-12), nature (30-30), travel (6-6) and space (5-5).
That took about a month, and then placing reflections with each poem took another month. So it took about two months to have a first draft.
Final editing and assembling took about another month, so about three months in all.
What other books would you compare 242 Mirror Poems and Reflections to within the genre?
I’ve read collections by Jack Kerouac and Jim Morrison in the past, and Norman Bissett’s Painting the Bridge more recently.
Whether mine is comparable is probably not for me to say.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I’ve been writing Folding Mirror poems for a few years now, so it was poets like Kerouac and Morrison originally; along with the lyrics of rock music I’d been listening to since the 1980s.
More recently, it’s been the people who have posted poetry on the fmpoetry site; as well as people who visit, read and comment. I also read a lot of great poetry on other poets’ sites, and many are inspiring.
What else about the book might pique a reader’s interest?
The Folding Mirror poems have been previewed on this site, so if readers like them then hopefully they might buy or rent the book. Especially as there are 121 extra thoughts and poems in the book that are mostly unpublished elsewhere at the present time.
The Folding Mirror is a new and unique form, and readers who have an interest in new poetry forms might be interested. Especially if they like haiku and palindrome poetry.
The poems also delve deep into the (ADHD and bipolarity?) mind of a middle-aged world-travelled PhD graduate with a love for nature; who was inspired by the 1960s/1970s counter-culture, 1980s rock music and 1990s rave and dance. So hopefully it’ll have some interest for people of the same age, or with an interest in those periods of modern cultural history.
The books have also been priced at the cheapest tariffs possible across the UK, USA and EU on Amazon. The main reason for publishing the book was to make the poems available in a structured form, at a low cost, and with extra poems and thoughts to provide more value for money.
Not denying there was some vanity though, or still some lingering hopes and ambitions for superstardom and riches in the future… without sacrificing any artistic integrity of course…
My Five Nominees for next week are:
Thanks again to Caroline for nominating me, and I look forward to reading the answers from Ruth, David, Lorraine, KJP and Tony.
Hi, exciting news on the book publishing front, with 242 Folding Mirror Poems and Reflections nearing completion for Amazon Kindle. Here’s the cover and contents:
Table of Contents
1. Personal – Psychological
1. Sagas: Solipsistic Astronaut Gravitates Agnostic Space
Reflection: Understanding and Meaning.
2. Hopes Rise With the Sun
Reflection: Narcissism and Ego.
3. Hazy Horizon Optical Illusion
Reflection: Social Fantasy and Maintaining Interest.
4. Adrift in Unnavigable Oceans: Sodium Chloride
Reflection: Thoughts on Class.
5. Night is a Part of Day
Reflection: Perceptions of Sunrise and Sunset.
6. See Below Sea
Reflection: What People Show in Society.
7. I Am What You See, But You Are Not Me
Reflection: How Words Change with Travel.
8. Orbital Perceptions
Reflection: Doors of Perception, Time and Space.
9. Koala(ity) on a Eucalyptus Tree at Sunset
Reflection: Communicating in Modern Society.
10. Driving Through the Desert
Reflection: Living in the Void.
11. Tale of the Weakness Tail
Reflection: Limits of Freedom.
12. Human and Society Chicken and Egg
Reflection: Getting Even.
13. Mine Bipolar Mind
Reflection: Bipolar Mind.
14. All Cooper
Reflection: Benefits of self-analysis.
15. Climbing Over the Hill
Reflection: Is Middle-Age Purgatory?
16. Middle-Age Memories
Reflection: Our Age is One of Great Importance.
17. Living in the Middle-Ages
Reflection: Middle-Age Choices.
18. The Futility of Life and Death
Reflection: Vampires are all in the Mind.
19. Art of Humanity
Reflection: Travelling with Janis Joplin.
20. Summer’s Sunset Soliloquy
Reflection: Strength and Death.
21. Between Times of Fantasy
Reflection: Creatures of Habit.
22. Multitasking Melody
Reflection: Walking Around the Mountain.
23. Not Love, Gnat Empathy
Reflection: Dangers of Bipolar Highs.
24. Contented Living, Contents of Dreaming
Reflection: Old Flames.
25. Inner Strength, Mental Health
Reflection: Thought of Rioting.
26. Dying to Live, Living to Die
Reflection: Life is Like…
27. Life has More Meaning than Death
Reflection: Making the Most of Depression.
28. Y Green and Grey Go Together
Reflection: Funny Farm Sounds a Laugh.
29. I Can See Through You, Why Don’t People Understand Me?
Reflection: Social Masks.
30. Space Brain Becoming Plain
Reflection: Thoughts Beyond Vision.
31. As each second of the present passes…
Reflection: Living the life extraordinary.
32. Blue Skies, Delta Blues
Reflection: Striatum Controls Desire.
33. Hope for Humanity or Full Speed to Calamity?
Reflection: Vicious Circle.
34. Inside Out
Reflection: How Society Controls Thought and Individuality.
2. Social
35. Railway Line Division Vision
Reflection: Ballad of a Young and Old Hobo.
36. When Life Looked into the Mirror of Death
Reflection: Facing the Reality of Humanity.
37. Sacrifice and Celebration
Reflection: Passing of Time.
38. Humanity is the Filter of the World
Reflection: Trying to Like Humanity.
39. PEACE DAY POEM
Reflection: Life and Soul on Golden Wings.
40. British Electorate Reunite Long Lost Political Twins
Reflection: Red Sky at Night or Morning.
41. Libran Scales
Reflection: Spin or Sorry.
42. Remembrance Day Poem
Reflection: War for Freedom?
43. The God PiL
Reflection: Punk Thoughts Time Cycle.
44. Twist and Shake the Snake
Reflection: Reward or Complaint.
45. For God’s Sake
Reflection: Life and Death Mystery Tour.
46. Simplicate, Implicate, Complicate
Reflection: Wisdom of Enjoyment.
47. What’s Your Work Worth?
Reflection: Jobs Don’t Define Personality.
48. Status Haters
Reflection: Shadow of the Stone.
49. Distraction in Spin Action
Reflection: Both as Bad as Each Other.
50. Too Many Gods Spoil the Earth.
Reflection: Rebel Without Applause.
51. My God, An Insect
Reflection: Comparing humanity and ant society.
52. Natural Disasters
Reflection: Humanity is a Part of Nature.
53. For Richer, For Poorer, In Life and In Death
Reflection: Analysing Axl Rose.
3. Culture
54. Cloverfield Central
Reflection: Inside and Outside the Political Centre.
55. Life Reality and Media Publicity
Reflection: Limits of Freedom.
56. Wonders of the South Park Solar System
Reflection: Benefits of Television and the Media.
57. Immersion Meeting Mirror
Reflection: Image Dependent on Time.
58. Vera, Pink Floyd, Doris
Reflection: Necessary Heroic War?
59. The Whistle Cried Heavy
Reflection: Nothing is Worth Dying For?
60. Two Days When My Cultural Worlds Collided
Reflection: All My Heroes are Dead.
61. News of World – Sky – Sun on Sunday
Reflection: Using Media.
62. The Reverse Werewolf Transformation
Reflection: Benefits of Wolfdom.
63. Our Land and Wonderland Above and Below the Rabbit Hole
Reflection: Poetry Time.
64. The Devil Rides Out… Of You!
Reflection: Frankenstein Features.
65. Samhaim to Halloween
Reflection: Flu Inspired Poem.
66. Dark Knight Fights Against Joker’s Delights
Reflection: Do People Get the Leaders they Deserve.
67. The Diamond Mermaid
Reflection: Sea Swimming Sun.
68. New Year 2010 Poem
Reflection: Free Life Limits.
4. Literary
69. Muse Scattered Seeds for Poets to Harvest
Reflection: The Point of Short Poetry.
70. When the Muse has no Consideration
Reflection: Shower Spain Paen to Poetic Disdain.
71. Breathing Works Both Ways
Reflection: The Games People Play.
72. Alphabetica Mirroretica
Reflection: Happiness in Fantasy.
73. Easter Nonsense
Reflection: No Talent.
74. In the Middle of Ahead and Behind
Reflection: Natural Reflections.
75. In the Beginning of the Conclusion
Reflection: Honey Bee Sees Things Invisible To Me.
76. Surreal Water Wheel – Wheelbarrow
Reflection: Propaganda Ranter.
77. Reflecting on Poems of your Future
Reflection: Poetic Reflections by the Unconscious.
78. Turning Around OCD
Reflection: When You’ve Controlled All Your Addictions.
79. Backward Static Messages
Reflection: Poe-ate-tree Poetry
80. Denied D9
Reflection: Poetry Can Be Cathartic.
5. Nature
81. On the Surface of it, Ants…
Reflection: Ants Seem Our Perfect Mirror.
82. The Caterpillar and Butterfly: Metamorphosis in the Middle
Reflection: Caterpillars and Ants Alliance.
83. I Mirror, Therefore I Zebra
Reflection: 6500 Zebra Views.
84. Chameleon Mix and Match Conundrum
Reflection: Clowning Clouds.
85. Reflecting on Rainbows
Reflection: Magic of Mountains.
86. Diffraction Delivers Sensory Satisfaction
Reflection: Travelling Storm.
87. The Day of Double Eastern Delight
Reflection: Sunset Love Poem.
88. Changing of the Guard
Reflection: The Locality of Philosophical Thought.
89. Valentine Night Sky
Reflection: Good and Evil’s Love-Hate Relationship.
90. Constellations of the North and South
Reflection: Literary Nonsense Twin.
91. Shadowless Seconds on Earth’s Equator
Reflection: Mind of Matter.
92. Ring a Ding Ding, it’s Spring
Reflection: Spring into Life.
93. Following the Last Light
Reflection: Midsummer Inspiration.
94. Falling Autumn Gold
Reflection: More Trees Thanks to Jubilee.
95. Autumn Air Spins Summer Samaras to Equinox Earth
Reflection: History of Helicopters.
96. Snowcatcher: Cradler of Cosmic Latte
Reflection: Life and Love in the Himalayan Mountains.
97. Eagle Down
Reflection: Grounded Thoughts.
98. Keeping it Clean: Humanity, Environment and Earth
Reflection: Catch-22 of Human and Nature Relationship.
99. Gold and Paper Compared
Reflection: We are Nature, not its Enemy.
100. Earth Hour
Reflection: 5×5 Nation and Planet.
101. Surfing Sea Psyche
Reflection: Ocean of Love.
102. The Secret Life of Chaos
Reflection: Mind’s Natural State.
103. Divided Earth, Unifying People
Reflection: Above and Below Mother Earth.
104. The Skull of Eyjafjallajokull
Reflection: Mountain Spirit Dancer.
105. Reflecting on Reality, the Reality of Reflections
Reflection: Time to Think.
106. Times of Dry
Reflection: Unnoticed Normality.
107. When Earth and Sky are as One
Reflection: Greenygrey Creation Myth
108. Greenygrey Sandwich
Reflection: Examples of Greenygrey.
109. Flight of Imagination Returns to Memory Destination
Reflection: How Images Inspire Poetry.
110. Embracing Sea at Midnight
Reflection: Sun, Sea, Fish and Coral.
6. Travel
111. Between City and Sky, Let Your Mind Fly
Reflection: Sky and City Mirror.
112. Jet Landing Through Cloud
Reflection: Above and Below the Clouds.
113. Dawn Cinderellas Pink Candy Dance
Reflection: Mountain Melody.
114. Islands of the Sky and Sea
Reflection: Is Britain Still Bearable?
115. ATM in the AM: Atacama Thought Mission in the Morning
Reflection: ADD a DD.
116. A Member of the Human Race Between Time and Place
Reflection: Making of the Cover Image.
7. Space
117. How’s that for a Mexican Hat?
Reflection: Repetitive Shapes.
118. Norma’s White Dwarf Colour Composer
Reflection: Computer Helps Create Art.
119. Space from Singularity Expanding Universe
Reflection: The Universe has Always Been Divided.
120. The Universe in a Planck
Reflection: Progress Breakthrough?
121. Future to the Back
Reflection: Telescopic Poetry.
Art, Poetry, Writing Winter Festival
mistYmuse 