MICHAEL LEE JOHNSON lived in Canada for ten years during the Vietnam era. Today, he is a poet, freelance writer, amateur photographer, and small business owner in Itasca, DuPage County, Illinois. He has 301 YouTube poetry videos. Johnson has published in more than 1488 new publications, his poems have appeared in 45 countries, and he edits and publishes 10 poetry sites. Michael Lee Johnson has been nominated for 7 Pushcart Prize awards for poetry and 6 Best of the Net nominations. He is editor-in-chief of 3 poetry anthologies, all available on Amazon, and has several poetry books and chapbooks. He has over 463 published poems. Michael is the administrator of 6 Facebook Poetry groups. He is also a member of Illinois State Poetry Society: http://www.illinoispoets.org/.
Please tell us something about yourself
Most of my life is summarized in my bio. But after pondering my thoughts, I see that the bio statement is fallacious. I've lived a hectic life with craziness and on the borderline of many dangerous events through the years, with periods of boredom and aloneness. I was a below-average, athletic kid in high school, barely getting pass-through grades. Got married early, too early, and sneaked in the back door on probation at a local unaccredited college at the time. I managed a B average or a 3 out of 4 grade and went on to 7 different junior colleges and universities for many years. As the Vietnam War expanded and I was no longer married with a child, I was wanted by USA Uncle Sam to be drafted. I made it to Canada under adversity. I lived on the streets, hitchhiked, and in a farmer's Brown horse barn for months before getting my legal status in Canada. It was a struggle to survive. I finally managed to earn a BA degree in sociology while failing a pass/fail course in creative writing. I started a Master's program in correctional administration, finishing course work and not finishing a thesis while completing 3 pre-PhD courses in Sociology with little supervision and quit. After 10 years in exile, I returned to the United States in the spring of 1980. From 1980 until now, it has taken too long to delineate activities up to the present.
Do you remember what was your first poem or story about?
JOURNEY: My Mood is Running Short (Poem # 1) Feb. 1968. Now, looking back, it was so typically juvenile pre-Vietnam War verse. Please take his poem as something other than a reflection of my current skill set. Like many young poets, it is about pondering, romance, and fear. Keep in mind this was a beginner poem, which is embarrassing. We all start somewhere; this immature poem is now 55 years old. I was just a young kid with no direction.
Why do you write?
I write because I can. It has evolved into one of the small skill sets I possess. I have been God-blessed with a passion/hobby that pays little to nothing unless one is recognized as "only the best” and moves into legacy time, usually after passing out of this world alone. Only then do they want to know where he lived, his educational level, where we can find his pictures, his history, and the critical people or poets he hung around with.
You have 301 YouTube poetry videos. Is it another way to dialogue with the readers all over the world?
It is a preferred format for me for a few solid reasons. In no order, I have an excellent radio-quality voice since it allows me to hear my voice, catch simple errors before production on YouTube, and correct poems before sending them to publication for serious consideration. I am fascinated by the techniques of arranging, picture selection, spacing of words to frames, and different music selections for each poem. Graphics and voice capture more of a real and lasting long-term audience than just the written word, but both have their cooperative collaborations.
What are your most common poetry themes?
In the early years, like many beginners, I focused on love lost, love gained, and romance, essentially digging out of a youthful broken human heart. An acumen in poetry is needed to be more in-depth. Often, poetry was a form of self-therapy, emotional trauma. With age and gradual maturity, poetry themes evolved in a more stable environment. The themes didn't change much, but the emotional stability did change. Poetry became a passion, not a therapy; it no longer depended on support. Common themes now are death, nature, small reflections of daily events, and dark, haunting poems of beginnings of endings. Jesus is often posing in the corners of many of my poems not to overflood atheists and non-believers.
You are also editor-in-chief of 3 poetry anthologies. What do most poets have in common?
I love this question. It is at the root of sanity or insanity. Supposedly, most poets are introverted, but not all. Some have learned to be extroverted due to necessity, making a living and surviving on the singular or marital platform within society.
Beyond the normal, in my opinion, poets share a few of these things: An interpretation of simple natural events. Nature in general. Often thinking into the mystic, often insecure backgrounds with trauma. Often escaping into their own confined world. They often see interpretations, events, and places differently than most. They apply more effort than most, not much more intelligent.
But more determined.
Could Poetry contribute to uniting poets all over the world? Can it also help to overcome prejudices?
Social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or X, and many other platforms) helps join/unite poets of merit and helps encourage poets to excel. Meaningful connections to others of similar interests can only help. Sharing ideas, resources, poems, and information helps fuel an underground fire. Can it also help to overcome prejudices? No. It is a fantasy. Poetry can't overcome years of indoctrination, history, and beliefs as truth or delusion.
It may help people think, but only time and new generations can overcome prejudices.
What other interests do you have besides writing?
I have an interest in living for a few more years. I have been interested in administrating my many Facebook poetry groups since 2012. I look out my window and enjoy my “creatures of nature” more than most “human beings.” Most human beings don't think of themselves as animals. It sounds so undignified to my more refined acquaintances. Fact, we are all animals.
What would be your advice for upcoming authors?
Don't let anyone steal your joy! Poetry does not pay, but it charms the heart and can't be avoided by the best verse writers. Legacy is a passion; effort makes it come true. If you believe in dreams and life beyond the grave and hold tight to your definition of faith and hope, you are likely on the road to the playground of Poetry Park.
Interview by: Irma Kurti
IRMA KURTI is an Albanian poet, writer, lyricist, journalist, and translator and has been writing since she was a child. She is a naturalized Italian and lives in Bergamo, Italy. All her books are dedicated to the memory of her beloved parents, Hasan Kurti and Sherife Mezini, who have supported and encouraged every step of her literary path.
Kurti has also won numerous literary prizes and awards in Italy and Italian Switzerland. She was awarded the Universum Donna International Prize IX Edition 2013 for Literature and received a lifetime nomination as an Ambassador of Peace by the University of Peace, Italian Switzerland. In 2020, she became the honorary president of WikiPoesia, the encyclopedia of poetry. In 2021, she was awarded the title of Liria (Freedom) by the Italian-Albanian community in Italy. In 2022, she was also nominated as the Albanian ambassador to the International Academic Award of Contemporary Literature Seneca of the Academy of Philosophical Arts and Sciences, Bari. She also won the prestigious 2023 Naji Naaman's literary prize for complete work.
Irma Kurti has published 28 books in Albanian, 24 in Italian, 15 in English, and two in French. She has written approximately 150 lyrics for adults and children. She has also translated 18 books by different authors, and all of her own books into Italian and English. Her books have been translated and published in 14 countries.
コメント