I
was asked by my friend and fellow creative, Kathryn Dyche Dechairo, to
participate in a virtual blog tour. Its goal is to introduce talented
bloggers and have them share insight into their writing and creative
process. You can visit her tour post at
The Edge of Silence - See more at: http://confessionsofalaundrygoddess.blogspot.com/#sthash.fZmpB1Dk.dpuf
I
was asked by my friend and fellow creative, Kathryn Dyche Dechairo, to
participate in a virtual blog tour. Its goal is to introduce talented
bloggers and have them share insight into their writing and creative
process. You can visit her tour post at
The Edge of Silence - See more at: http://confessionsofalaundrygoddess.blogspot.com/#sthash.fZmpB1Dk.dpuf
 |
| Susie Clevenger |
BIO:
Susie Clevenger is a Poet, Author, Blogger and Photographer. Her debut book of poetry
'Dirt Road Dreams' is available on Amazon and Susie is currently working on her second poetry collection, Insomnia's Ink.
***
1.
What am I working on?
My first complete collection of poetry, Upon the Blue Couch (Winter Goose Publishing) was just released in April, so I'm working on spreading the word and trying to promote it. Here is the title poem from my book.
Upon the Blue
Couch
by Laurie Kolp (Winter Goose Publishing)
Maybe I didn’t
write a thing today.
Maybe I sat on
this twenty-year-old
muted blue
couch and did nothing
but think
about the wear and tear
from move
after move we’ve been through,
with washed
over mars, the scars
of cigarettes
and vomit,
having been
passed out upon and puked upon,
a shoulder
when I needed one
to cry my eyes
out upon.
Maybe I
remembered all the lovers
who have lied
sprawled upon
its pillows
with hungry
lips I’ve kissed,
hands upon
thighs, breasts upon chest,
all to feel
something better than
what was
missing in my heart.
Maybe I
dreamed about my husband
and all the
times we’ve rued upon
blue
obsequious fabric,
worrying about
the economy we’ve fallen upon--
with curse
words or whispers
sometimes at
opposite ends,
sometimes hand
in hand,
but always
with a love
never to be
crashed upon.
Maybe I
recalled my babies
sleeping upon
their daddy
sleeping upon
the cushions
as they sought
solace in colicky times
and I was too
tired to stay awake,
my nipples
having been sucked upon
and sipped
upon one too many times,
their cracks a
small sacrifice
for a lifetime
of nourishment.
Maybe I didn’t
write a thing today,
but this
twenty-year-old blue couch did.
 |
| My blue couch |
2. How does my work differ from others of its
genre?
This is a question I'd like for my readers to answer (feel free to in comments)! Of course everyone's work is different and unique, but I think mine is unpredictable... hopefully keeping readers guessing what's next.
 |
| Haiga by Laurie Kolp |
3. Why do I write/create what I do?
It's a basic need, really. This muse inside of me (sometimes naughty, sometimes nice) demands to be set free. When I entered college, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. Becoming a writer seemed so unreachable. I did know that I was on this beautiful earth for a reason; but what it was, I had no clue. I tried nursing, business and then decided on education since the women in my family were teachers. I enjoyed teaching, but never felt completely fulfilled. I returned to writing after birthing three kids in four years. I knew at once that was my purpose.
4. How does my
writing/creating process work?
I work really well in the morning; but with three kids, I take what I can get. Sometimes my muse nudges me, sometimes she downright pushes me to write something that popped into my head. Other times, I can't get her to do a thing. It's during those times that I try to spark my creativity through other avenues, such as photography and art. The picture below won an award from NWCU. The art sparked the poem.
I also go back to older poems and work on editing them. I'll start with a
rhyming poem and then change it to a different form/style. Another
thing that helps get me going is found poetry. I participated in The Found Poetry Review's Pulitzer Remix in April 2013. I had to create 30 found poems from John Updike's Rabbit at Rest. Here is one of those poems.
***
Below are the three poets I selected for this virtual tour. Next week, they will guide you through the same questions. Please check them out!
***
 |
| Linda Hofke |
Linda Hofke, a native Pennsylvanian, lives in Germany where she writes,
takes photographs and puts her lead foot to use on the Autobahn. Her
work has been featured in Curio Poetry, MiCrow, Bolts of Silk, The Fib
Review, The Poetic Pinup Revue and other literary journals as well
as several anthologies. She blogs sporatically at Lind-guistics (http://lind-guistics.blogspot.de/) and Linda's Life on the Other Side (http://lindas-life-otos.blogspot.de/).
 |
| Walt
Wojtanik |
Walt
Wojtanik is an accomplished poet, playwright and composer who has taken
45 years to become an overnight success. His work has been presented in
various anthologies and publications, or has been staged in his native
Buffalo, NY. He’s currently working on his next big thing, whatever that
might be.
https://wojisme.wordpress.com/.
***
 |
| Imelda Santore |
I am Imelda Santore. I came from the Philippines.
Eleven years ago, I left family, friends, and a legal career to marry
the wonderful man I met online. We are now the parents of four boys. I
keep myself busy homeschooling the elder children, gardening, and doing
things necessary to keep our home in a livable state. I take refuge in
writing poems to sort out my thoughts and to keep my sanity. http://mywordwall.wordpress.com/
