Featured Poet: Brandon White
We recently had the opportunity to interview Brandon White about his new book The Year that Stole the Light Away and his approach to poetry.
Congratulations on the publication of your new book The Year that Stole the Light Away! What inspired you to write this book?
The poems that make up the book became a sort of life raft while my Father reached the end of his final battle with cancer and the grieving process that followed and continues today. Sometimes we're called to face unimaginable circumstances and to wear a brave face for those we love. We bury the hurt because there's no space for it at the time. The poems are the space I created for those feelings.
Can you describe your creative process?
Like all writers, it's changed over the years. I often challenge myself to create something of worth and beauty out of the daily mundanities we all face. There's so much sparking in those moments that goes unnoticed. I find it fascinating. It's always a challenge to stay tapped into my writer's brain. I try my best to keep the channel open and be ready for inspiration when it comes.
What does your workspace look like?
My car, my desk at work, the recliner in my living room, the booth of whatever restaurant I may be visiting. I'm always working at my craft.
What is your motivation for writing?
I'm motivated to share ideas, and the world filtered through my eyes. Connection and the act of creation - not much interests me beyond these things.
How did you become a writer?
I've been a singer/songwriter since I was fifteen. I've always suffered from a touch of social anxiety, so writing was an outlet. I made my way to poetry after the birth of my twin daughters. Recording in a house with two excitable newborns proved to be a more significant challenge than I was capable of handling. Poetry offered it's hand, and I haven't looked back.
Has the coronavirus pandemic changed how you approach your craft?
Well, it's undoubtedly limited my ability to be out in the world and among people. This fits my personality like a glove but doesn't lend itself to much inspiration. It’s challenged me to dig deeper for inspiration and at times has brought me to a standstill from the anxiety and depression that comes with living through a pandemic.
I've tried to make the best of it.
What does literary success look like to you?
I think most of us that write hope for some notoriety, some recognition that the work matters to more than just ourselves. In saying that, putting my work into the world feels pretty successful to me.
Where can readers read more of your work?
My Instagram @brandonwhitemusicandpoetry has several pieces available, several pieces were included in a recent anthology from Raw Earth Ink entitled The Poets Symphony, and I have a new piece appearing in the Fall Anthology from Train River Publishing.
Of course, my debut collection, The Year that Stole the Light Away, is available for purchase in paperback or digital format, and I'm hard at work on the follow-up collection that I expect to be released later this year or early 2021.
More information can be found at my website, www.brandonwhitemusicandpoetry.com.
