Today, Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest, Tom Conroy poet and author of three collections of poetry: Beyond The Second Traffic Light: Medicine & Magic: Coming Down From Over There.

Good day Tom and thanks once again for participating in our interview.

Norm:

Tom, since we last communicated when you published your first collection of poems, Medicine & Magic, you have now two other collections, Beyond The Second Traffic Light and Coming Down From Over There. What keeps you going?

Tom:

Reading and writing poetry is like breathing to me.  I have to do it is as much a part of me as anything else in my life.    If no one ever read one of my poems, I would still write them.   Each time I complete a new poem it feels like a good and strenuous workout has gone well.   The endorphins are pumping and I feel great.

Norm:

When you publish a collection of your poems, how does commerce come into the picture? Are you concerned about the number of books you sell?

Tom: 

Numbers don't matter, but real and critical reaction does.   It means a lot to have someone spend the time and energy to review and comment upon poems I have written.  It helps me to see if my craftsmanship and imagery is at the right level.

Norm:

How popular are poetry readings today? Do you participate in poetry readings?

Tom: 

Poetry readings are great but regrettably infrequent in my area.  I try to arrange some and try to join others.  

Norm:

What advice would you give to teachers wanting to encourage students to read and appreciate poetry?

Tom: 

 I tell all young people to filter what comes into their mind just like they should filter the types of food that they eat.  We are what we eat and what we ingest mentally.    I have a small rock garden set up in my bathroom so that it is the first thing that I contemplate each day.  

If you start off with a beautiful image in your mind then the mind will work on conjuring up other ones throughout the day.   Follow that by reading a poem the first thing each day and you have begun your own juices flowing.  Then when the stress and nonsense of the world tries to assault you, you have your armor on  you and can deal with or ignore the onslaught.    

For students I would recommend journal keeping as a first step towards writing poetry.   If they constantly record the images or thoughts that they have then when they review them, the poems will follow.

Norm:

What do you remember about poetry when you were a student in school?

Tom: 

I was forunate in that I had several teachers who exposed their students to literature and poetry with passion and clarity.  This inspired me and brought me to a place where I learned to use reading and writing as a way to cope with life.

Norm:

Do you get inspiration from the readers of your poetry?

Tom: 

All the time.   I enjoy hearing commentary and review from readers.   The negative ones help as well as the laudatory ones.

Norm:

How long does it take you to write a poem?

Tom: 

Each poem is different.  Some seem to just roll out while others are a difficult birth struggle for completion.   The editing process takes longer.   Letting each new poem sit and then coming back to it, makes it richer.   My goal is to be writing every day but to achieve one complete poem per week as a standard.

Norm:

What do you like to do when you are not writing poetry?

Tom: 

I am an avid fly fisherman.  I tie my own flies, seek out new places to discover wild trout and enjoy the outdoors.   Other than that I work out 6 times a week at the gym.

Norm:

What is the job description of a poet?

Tom:   

My belief is that every mind creates its own diorama in which to live.  A good poem comes like a large boot and smashes that diorama, then hands you some images and says, 'build yourself a new one.'  So the job of a poet is to be a big boot that carries powerful images.

Norm:

What advice would you give to aspiring young poets?

Tom:  

Just like anything in life, work at it and practice, practice, practice.  Anything that you approach half heartedly turns out like crap.  Also, read, read, and read some more.   There is much to be learned from what others have written.

Norm:

What is next for Tom Conroy?

Tom: 

I am the founder/editor of www.theleagueoflaboringpoets.com.   This is a website that encourages the reading and writing of poetry and offers ongoing cash prize awards all year long.  There are no reading fees, so any one can afford to enter often.

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?

Tom: 

Thanks for your insightful reviews and great questions.

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.

The above interview was conducted by: NORM GOLDMAN:  Retired Title Attorney: Editor & Publisher of Bookpleasures. Here are  Norm Goldman's Reviews    

To read Norm's Review of  Coming Down From Over There CLICK HERE