released on april 7 was Driftwood Press, volume one, issue two, where i was interviewed. here is the link:: http://media.wix.com/ugd/d32313_9a31411fcdf84c1988c6a9fe60ebb94c.pdf (pp. 34-35).
interview questions received on 13 march 2014 thursday - Summer Stanzas
When did you write the poem?
- Sometime in March 2012.
What inspired the poem? Are any of its themes inspired by your own life?
- I like to write serial or structured poems. ‘Summer Stanzas’ is part of a larger poem in which I devote a stanza to each calendar month. Arranging these 12 stanzas differently, I have published ‘Spring Stanzas,’ ‘Autumn Stanzas’ and ‘Winter Stanzas.’ None of these stanzas is really ‘personal.’
What was the hardest part of writing the poem?
- I found ‘July’ the most difficult month to write a poem about. When I checked the word in Wikipedia, there was much less inspiring information than I could read in the cases of other months.
Are the seasons, and how they change, a common theme in your poetry? What attracts you to summer?
- Yes, seasonal change or nature is one of the most recurrent themes in my poetry.
Was there anything in your original conception of the poem that didn't make it in?
- I wished to have found more universal human elements about July, August or September and integrated them into the poem as a whole.
Do you primarily write poetry?
- Yes, actually I have been writing poetry only, although I may try to write novels later.
What is your creative process? Is there anything unique about your personal writing process?
- Over the past ten years, I have been able to scribble a dozen poems or so every month. After what I call a ‘sediment period’ of several weeks, I would type the poems and begin the revising or refining process until I feel they are ready for submissions.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
- Lorna Crozier, Ye Chuan, Charles Simic and Mark Strand – they are all contemporary poets.
Do you have any recommendations for readers who enjoyed your work? Where can readers find more of your work? Have you been published before?
- Since I started to write poetry in English in late 2004, I have been published by more than 800 literary journals/anthologies across 28 countries. Whoever interested in my poetic work could please take a look at my joint blog with my teenager poet son Allen Qing Yuan at http://yuanspoetry.blogspot.ca/.
What drew you to Driftwood Press?
- It was the New Pages at http://www.newpages.com/classifieds/calls/ that first called my attention to Driftwood Press.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your work in particular?
- Although my poems have appeared quite widely worldwide, I find they receive far less attention in Canada (my chosen country) or China (my country of origin) than they should deserve in other countries like the US, where I have not only published my poetry collections, but also been nominated for the Pushcart Prize for 8 times thus far. Mainly for such reasons, I always refuse to call myself a poet, let alone a Canadian or Chinese one.
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