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| Photo of Andrew Nye © 2011 Kenneth Traynor |
How are your new poems changed since your first book, Flying Objects?
The clearest change has been moving away from the seemingly personal “I” central to lyric poetry and into a recurring fictional “he” more characteristic of narrative poetry. Each poem presents an event centered around a third person protagonist.
How does your location affect your writing?
Contrary to what everyone believes, it rains in Seattle. Everyday. All year. On the other hand, the sun breaks through most days on and off. The gray atmosphere broken by bright, sharp light upon dazzling flora in constant bloom is a bit like The Wizard of Oz when the film shifts from black and white to Technicolor. It must affect my writing somehow.
What book do you think has inspired you the most?
Mr. Cogito by Zbigniew Herbert has had a big influence on the suspect poems. Mr. Cogito was originally published in Polish as Pan Cogito in 1974.
How would you describe your work to someone?
I would describe it as surrealist narrative poetry. There is intention within the poems, however, and they are very accessible. These poems are not an exercise in nonsense (as much as I do love good nonsense).
Any upcoming projects?
I am considering a mystery novel written as a series of narrative poems. I am also constructing a zygote.
