Blowback Magazine online 34 Questions
Cynthia Ruth Lewis
1. Why do you write poetry?
It’s an outlet–instead of screaming, crying, or committing
murder, I put it all on paper.
2. What audience do you hope to reach in your poems, if
any?
The twisted, the outcasts, the freaks...people shunned by
society for being different or unusual. However, if
somebody happens to like my work and they don’t fit into
either category, that’s cool too!!
3. Is it important for you to one day achieve poetic fame,
or win prizes of any variety?
I would like to be recognized to some extent, but as for
world-wide fame, hell no.
4. If you said no to the above question, is That really the
truth?
Yes
5. How significant is poetry in the world Today in your
opinion?
We need poetry in this world to differentiate ourselves
from the cloned masses of society who have no
imagination or depth.
6. Does poetry have any impact in the World beyond tiny
little pleasures to the few that read it?
Yes. The entire world can read a poem and not get
anything out of it, but an individual can read the same
poem and see the world in it, and if just one person gets it,
then that’s quite an impact.
7. If you think poetry has tiny impact in the world, do you
think that could ever go beyond a kind of
elitist/underground/Hallmark silly populist prism it exists
in now?
Yes. We may be few, but we are mighty, and we shall
inherit the earth.
8. Do you think it is important to write Frequently or only
when in the mood?
It’s no good to try to write when the words aren’t there.
Very frustrating. That’s like
screaming without making any sound.
9. How do you go about determining if Your poetry is any
good?
It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad, as long as it exists.
10. How often do you ask somebody else to give you a
reaction to your poetry?
Never. It doesn’t matter if they don’t like it; as long as I
like it.
11. If you do solicit an opinion is it Other poets, critics,
teachers, friends, Or someone else you seek?
see above
12. How often do you go back and edit Your poetry?
Quite often.
13. How often do you go back and read a poem you have
written and think either this is really great or this is
terrible?
I usually scribble down a piece without re-reading it, put it
away in a drawer and leave it simmer for awhile; at least
two weeks if not longer...then I go over it, and I either
determine if it has possibilities, or if it sucks cock.
14. How did you first get exposed to Poetry and what
prompted you to delve more deeply into it?
I loved feeling like I just got into somebody’s mind by
reading their poem, or traveled to another country, etc. I
loved how you could put an entire universe into a few lines
(or paragraphs), and it made me want to express myself
through the written word.
15. Did you ever take formal courses of poetry or literature
and what Was your thoughts on how this Impacted you?
Absolutely not. How can one sit in a room full of other
people and have a teacher tell you what is poetry and what
is not poetry, and how to feel after you’ve read it,
etc. ??
16. Do you think it is important to Independently study
poetry outside of any formal context?
I guess so.
17. Do you think it is important for a Poet to have a wide
knowledge of the history of poetry?
No. It doesn’t matter how it came to be, it only matters
that it exists.
18. Do you think that it is important to read contemporary
poetry and If you do, how much contemporary poetry do
you actually read?
Of course it’s important. I can’t imagine anyone today
being stuck on nothing but Shakespeare and refusing to
read any living poets.
19. How many poets actually bother to Read poems other
than their own at websites they are posted on?(editor
comment, site statistics heavily indicate a pattern of
Egocentric poet viewing habits)
I never understood people getting hard-ons by reading their
own work on a website. Yeah, it’s thrilling to see your
work online but things would get pretty boring if yours was
the only poetry available.
20. Do you think the poetry world has been tribalized
between academic and non academic worlds that do not
frequently intersect?
Yes....people that read and write academic poetry live in a
bubble and know nothing of real life...and they sure must
have stiff necks from holding their fucking noses so high in
the air all the time.
21. Do you believe that academic poets and institutions
tend to have a superiority complex relating to outsiders?
Extremely!! We are shit under their feet and they are the
pretty flowers...but most flowers
fade and excrement stays around a long, long time.
22. Do "insider" "little circle" "asskisser""flatter my back, I’
ll flatter yours" Networks exist in the poetry world and
how negative a truth is it if so?
God, do they exist! I could never understand asskissers...
who the fuck wants to be
liked by everybody? When you give away too much of
yourself, there is nothing left, just a hollow shell of a being.
23. Is a creative writing degree necessary to write poetry
that could be historically significant?
The world tends to believe so, but amongst the
underground, we know otherwise.
24. Are the undergraduate/graduate creative writing
programs mostly a business Enterprise to make money for
educational institutions or are they an oasis for Creativity
and vital for making future poets?
It’s a business enterprise, but I’m sure there are a few rare
gems that evolve from that mess.
25. What are your feelings regarding the Presence of online
poetry magazines and Their significance in the poetry
universe?
I actually prefer print venues, although the Internet is
much faster, of course, and I think it has helped the
growth and access of underground poetry
26. Do you think printed poetry magazines Are anything
more than novelties heading towards oblivion in the
internet era, or are they vital still?
I like to believe they are still vital, but I fear one day they
will be completely obsolete, just like common sense and
individualism within society.
27. What poets most influenced you in any way?
There are many poets whose work I enjoy; and actually I’
ve been writing poetry for the past 19 years (never
submitted until the late 90's). I actually burned out in 2002
but I have to admit, the one poet who reignited my fever
was J.J. Campbell. When I read
his work, it felt like somebody punched me in the gut and
knocked my air out. I thought "This is what I’ve been
feeling all this time and should have put on paper!" I just
totally identified with his frustration, bitterness and anger.
28. How did you determine what form of poetry that you
write in?
I’m still trying to determine my form!!
29. Do you ever identify yourself as a "poet" to others?
I never call myself a poet; I even cringe at referring to
myself as a writer, because if you’re talking to the wrong
person, that proclamation can open up a whole
bunch of idiot questions, like what do I write, and have I
been published, etc. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been
published; if you’ve got something to say, put it on paper.
In fact, I have friends and family members that don’t even
know I write poetry because I never
talk about it, I just do it.
30. If you do identify yourself as a poet, does this ever
make you feel silly, or pretentious, Or embarrassed?
If I did, yes it would
31. What kind of events or moments ever bring about any
sort of "poetic inspiration" for you?
A good shit!! But seriously, I write a lot about past events
that have stuck in my system for years; situations I never
really properly dealt with, but that find their way onto the
page...actually, it’s interesting to discover where my mind
goes...sometimes I’m not
sure what’s going on up there.
32. How often do you ever feel creative or Poetic and are
too lazy to actually go and Write anything?
The only way I would never write is if I was unconscious
or had both hands in a cast.33. Do you feel there is sort of
a "lost" history of important poetry that is never found in
Emily Dickinson’s drawer, or never written but could have
been?
Anything is possible.
34. Do you have any comments you’d like to make outside
of these questions?
Long live underground poetry!