So, we are solidly into Month 2 of this series at this point. You can check out all of the previous articles on myprofile. This week, I had interviews withAlexander Vellis, poet-in-residence in Canterbury, UK and meme extraordinaire, andPaulie Lipman, long-time poet and genius wordsmith. Here's what they had to say about travel, movies, editing, and more!
Q: How long have you been writing and/or performing poetry?
Alexander Vellis:I have been writing poetry since I was twelve years old, been performing since I was seventeen, and writing and performing good stuff for the last two years or so.
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Paulie Lipman:I’ve been writing poetry since I was 10 years old. Performing and/or reading in public, since I was about 16. I didn’t start doing/taking either seriously until about 16 years ago.
Q: If you could travel to any country in the world, where would you go and why?
Alexander Vellis:The Federated States OfMicronesia. To go and explore cursed temples and to marvel at how they got all those damn rocks there.
Paulie Lipman:I couldn’t narrow it down to one. I’ve already been to Israel (was Bar Mitzvahed there). There are many I want to go to for many different reasons, aside from performing in them. Japan, Spain, Australia, New Zealand. I would very much like to go to Russia, Germany, Poland, and a few more in Eastern Europe as both sides of my extended family originally hail from there.
Q: Where is the most unique place you’ve ever performed?
Alexander Vellis:Every pub I have ever been in. Get me a little bit boozy and I am dropping haikus like it’s going out of fashion.
Paulie Lipman:I have performed in some odd venues: Burger joints, pizza parlors, sports bars but I have to say that the most unique was in a DIY space a few friends of mine shared, in between noise/industrial groups.
Q: What are you most looking forward to this fall?
Alexander Vellis:I love the smell of the leaves, my poet in residence scheme is launching this autumn and I love the way “autumn” is spelled, so, probably one of those three things.
Paulie Lipman:Hopefully finishing my novel and shopping it, putting together a new poetry manuscript and/or chapbook, and maybe a poetry tour.
Q: What is one thing you would tell the next generation of poets if you could?
Alexander Vellis:It’s fine to mess up on stage, you’re the only person that knows how the poem goes anyway and if you want to change the ending that is your prerogative. Also, don’t open sets with puns about anal sex unless you are sure the audience will laugh.
Paulie Lipman:If you’re going to write a poem about a subject that has been covered before: 1. Pay no mind to the “Oh god, not another poem about _____”s you might get. If it moves you enough to write about it, then do it. 2. Remember to keep yourself in the poem/present the subject from your own unique perspective to the point that no one but you could’ve written it. For an expanded definition of what I mean by this, refer to my essay “Outside the Narrow Garden."
Q: Who are some of your biggest mentors, coaches or inspirations?
Alexander Vellis:Inspirations areKate Tempest,Dizraeli,Shane Koyczan,Polarbear,Taking Back Sunday, every emo band ever, andIsaac Asimovto name a few. Mentors and coaches has got to beJoelle Taylor,Emrys Plant,Helen Seymour andDan Simpson.[Interviewer Note: You can read Dan's interview here.]
Paulie Lipman:First off, my best friend and brilliant poet,Ian R. Dougherty.Ee Cummings,Langston Hughes,Jim Carroll,The Last Poets. As far as thinking/writing/performance influences who are not poets:Bill Hicks,Roddy Piper.
Q: What is your all-time favorite movie?
Alexander Vellis:Either Fight Club, Gattaca, or… Actually, that’s a tricky one. Can I just use everything about Star Trek? Films, series, uniforms, seven of nine, you know, everything.
Paulie Lipman:Those who know me well, know that I am an extensive cinephile. To pick just one would be impossible. Maybe I could give a Top Five for each genre and subgenre but that would take up too much space. One I have been re-watching lately is “Trumbo” as it deals with a period in American history I have studied thoroughly: The Red Scare/Black List. Another dramatization about this time period I love is “Cradle Will Rock.”
Q: Approximately how many times do you edit a poem before it is “finished”?
Alexander Vellis:I never finish editing, whilst on stage, I often change stuff and I read from a book… It’s my book by the way, not just any old book.
Paulie Lipman:While I can never emphasize enough the importance of editing, I don’t have an exact number. I often edit whilst writing. Then when I think I have a loose first draft, I go back through and edit again for a second draft. Often, I’ll do instinctive edits right before/while performing it for the first few times. Sometimes an edit will happen due to mis-memorization. And sometimes, the first pass is the best, but that doesn’t occur very often.
Q: Anything you wish to add?
Alexander Vellis:If you want to add me on Facebook, well, my artist page anyway, have apeekor check out myInstagramwhere it is almost exclusively pictures of my face and things I like, or even on Snapchat alexvellis, thinking about it, I think that is also almost exclusively pictures of my face and things I like, but you know, for a shorter duration of time. Oh, and keep an eye out for my book which is called “Everything is terrible” out in December.
Paulie Lipman:Thank y’all for reading, your time and interest.
