MY PRE-OULIPOST INTERVIEW

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I'm involved in this found poetry project called Oulipost.  It creates poetry on a subject based on rules.  I will post one poem a day in April.  Also I will do a few pre-assignments as well.

WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT OULIPOST ?

I have immense respect for newspapers as a media source.  Being able to combine my skills as a poet and  a citizen journalist is awesome.

WHAT, IF ANYTHING, SCARES YOU ABOUT OULIPOST?

 I’m afraid of the time commitment.   I have other projects and personal issues happening at the moment.

HAVE YOU WRITTEN EXPERIMENTAL OR FOUND POETRY BEFORE? IF SO, TELL US ABOUT IT.

I was part of Pulitzer Remix in 2013, during which I used Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie as my source text.  I wrote quite a few found poems about the 2012 Sandy Hook Massacre.  I began a project to create a found poem about every mass shooting in 2013.  I had to abandon this project in September,  2013 because it was so emotionally draining.    

WHAT NEWSPAPER WILL SERVE AS YOUR SOURCE TEXT?

The Belchertown  Sentinel, the Valley Advocate, the Springfield Republican, possibly the Daily Hampshire Gazette, and Massachusetts Daily Collegian (University of Massachusetts/Amherst’s newspaper)

WHO’S YOUR SPIRIT OULIPIAN?

Jacques Roubaud... We share many of the same losses and a love of gerunds.