Lamplighter Interview

 

The Lamplighter is a website based out of New Jersey that covers Art, Literature and Music happening in the garden state and of course NYC, Philadelphia (and beyond). Right now there is an event happening through April called Artist/Writer Mashup, that pairs illustrations by New Jersey artist Lauren Clarke with far flung writers all across the country. The illustrations were sent to various poets, flash fiction and short story kids. The writers use the illustration they are given as a prompt, and the while thing will carry through the month of April with blog posts by participants talking about their unique creative process.

So, as the Lamplighter asked, and here’s some answers to a few questions that asked about who I am and what I’m doing on this bizarre earth.

 

Who are you?

I’m a 33 yr old man, living like a drunken child in a blinking neon NYC. I work heavy construction in New Jersey: welding, rigging, taking apart machinery in industrial hell holes. I build power plants and refineries for money as a Boilermaker. I’m a novelist too, the books are F-250 (forthcoming from Piscataway House), and Tollbooth, I write short stories, have a collection called Or Something Like That, and a poet, my poetry book is called Everything Neon. 

I have a car in NYC and that in itself probably tells you how fucked up I am. Haha. I lift weights for exercise, even though the lady downstairs always comes up and screams at me. I put barbeque sauce on eggs sometimes. I have a wife who is a textile artist, and she always fills our apartment with light and laughs and Prince played at top volume on the stereo. 

What is your experience with writing?

Writing is a big ball pit. It’s stupidly fun. It’s fireworks going off inside an arcade that serves cold beer. 

I got tired of playing in bands, so I started sending poems and short stories out. Got published in cool lit mags like Smokelong, Word Riot, decomP, The Nervous Breakdown, Vol. 1 Brooklyn … That led to some novels being put out by some presses, like Piscatway House, and a book of poetry that came out from Marginalia in California. 

I don’t take the writing stuff very seriously. I try to keep it light. Keep it weird. Just enjoy it any way that I can. If it’s not utter joy, don’t do it. 

How did you find Lamplighter?

Heard about Lamplighter from my friends at The Idiom Magazine, Mark Brunetti and Keith Baird. They said that Lamplighter is doing very good things so I went on the site and looked and agreed. Lamplighter is adventurous. Covers it all. Reminds me of why I’m happy as fuck to be from New Jersey. 

What do you expect to accomplish while participating in the project? 

The usual. Just make Stuff. I don’t care whether it’s good or bad. I want to be making Stuff every day. This is an excuse to have a good time and see what some other writers and artists are up to. 

I don’t think I enjoy anything more than meeting great artists. There’s a party promised at an art gallery at the end of this April free for all. I’ll be there. I’ll be in the motherfucking gorilla suit. Unless it’s hot in there.