The Intense Aesthetic Experiences of Writing Poetry With Alan King
Connecting with music, dance, and poetry
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TW Creative Director John Vogel interviews Alan King, poet and author of the book Point Blank. In this interview, which John collected as part of his Perfect Recognition project on intense aesthetic experiences, the two discuss Alan’s connection to music and poetry as well as his development as a poet.
Since April is Poetry Month, Talking Writing is highlighting an interview with poet Alan King. John first met Alan when Talking Writing was preparing to publish two of his poems in 2020. Land of Innocence was later accepted for a collection on Adam Gnade’s literary tape label, Hello America.
Alan King is a Caribbean American whose parents emigrated from Trinidad and Tobago to the United States in the 1970s. He’s a husband, father, and communications professional who blogs about art and social issues at alanwking.com. A Cave Canem graduate fellow, he holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the Stonecoast Program at the University of Southern Maine. He’s a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee and was nominated three times for a Best of the Net selection. He lives with his family in Bowie, Maryland. In addition to his two books of poetry, Drift: Poems and Point Blank: Poems, he has published writings in numerous anthologies and journals, created documentaries, and worked as a videographer.
Point Blank: Poems is a 102-page collection that has garnered high praise from two of the most celebrated poets in the United States—Tim Seibles and Joy Harjo. Here’s what they’ve said about Point Blank and King.
In this week’s episode, Alan recalls when a work of art caused an intense emotional reaction. He says that Jennifer Hudson’s “You’re Gonna Love Me” gave him full-body chills. She was able to embody the emotions of that song and completely transform as she sang. He also loves rapper Pharoah Monch’s work due to his incredible rhyme patterns, attention to detail, and storytelling delivery.
Alan also discusses the perceived expiration date of books. Reviewers are oftentimes reading best sellers or brand-new books. But once books are a few years old, they are left behind, and reviewers move on to the next thing. Alan likes to go to bookstores and bargain bins and fish out books that are a few years old to read. He likes to take the time to enjoy the quality of the writing and admire what the author is trying to say.
Alan started writing poetry when a friend dared him to write a better poem than him. They went back and forth comparing their poems. Writing poetry began feeling cathartic, like how he felt when solving a puzzle. Narrative poetry also made him closer to his dad as they would share stories, and if the stories were particularly funny, he and his dad would share them with friends and family.
Check out Alan’s episode to hear more about his relationship with writing poetry and the intense emotions it elicits.