Ask the Author: Keith Gaboury
Answered Questions (6)
Keith Gaboury
I started writing the poems in Hello Universe Lovers while I was working on my MFA at Emerson College. I've always been interested in sci-fi and fantasy. I remember reading Scientific American as a nerdy teenager. Through writing and revising, I pursued that interest to the chapbook Hello Universe Lovers.
Moreover, James Tate was a huge influence when I wrote my poetry chapbook, Oakland, I'm Not Dead. The Ghost Soldiers and Return to the City of White Donkeys are good examples of Tate's use of dialogue poems that start simple and then build to absurd and/or surreal levels. Oakland, I'm Not Dead is a collection of dialogue poems that really leans into the absurd. That's the kind of poetry I want to write.
Moreover, James Tate was a huge influence when I wrote my poetry chapbook, Oakland, I'm Not Dead. The Ghost Soldiers and Return to the City of White Donkeys are good examples of Tate's use of dialogue poems that start simple and then build to absurd and/or surreal levels. Oakland, I'm Not Dead is a collection of dialogue poems that really leans into the absurd. That's the kind of poetry I want to write.
Keith Gaboury
The world is constantly ripe for poetic inspiration. I've been inspired by my daily life, my family, and what I'm reading. If I've lost inspiration, I'll find inspiration in a book.
Keith Gaboury
I'm currently working on a poetry chapbook of family poems. Over the past year, I've done a lot of research into my family research. Out of this exploration, I've felt inspired to write these poems centered around my immediate and extended family.
Keith Gaboury
Read, write, hear other writers read (rinse, repeat). A successful writer must make a lot of small gains over years. I'm always trying to challenge myself as a poet. Through genre and form exploration, I'm thinking about how I can push poetry forward into the 21st century. How we define poetry now is different than how we defined poetry in the 19th century for instance. How will we define poetry in the 22nd century. Let's find out.
Keith Gaboury
Making connections in the world/universe that were previously unseen.
Keith Gaboury
Read read read. I think a writer/poet's writer's block is an expression of their lack of reading. The more one reads, the more we are inspired to write.
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