Featured Poet: Thom Ratz

We recently had the opportunity to interview Thom Ratz about his new book Willow Grove Commodities and his approach to poetry.

Congratulations on the release of your new book willow grove commodities! What inspired you to write this book?

I’ve gotten to a point that I thought I wanted to give up on writing to focus on my full-time career but that brought me into a dark place of sacrificing necessary relationships and morals for the American Dollar. Some people call it growing up. I wanted to find a way to become a man without making those sacrifices. Willow Grove Commodities is that journey.

Can you describe your creative process?

I constantly like to shift between various processes. I personally feel like if one uses a singular specific process then they will pigeon-hole their work. I rarely enjoy repeating myself unless I really enjoy a passage or line I use. Therefore, my creative process is capitalizing and becoming the absolute best pulling from all processes.

How did you become a poet?

Growing up, I was deeply enthralled in music due to certain members of my immediate circles. I learned how to play a variety of instruments and write songs. After implemented sound restrictions of family and friends, I knew that they only aspect of being able to process what I was personally and professionally processing along with what I was seeing in society, was writing lyrics ergo poetry. Through time I fell in love with the craft.

What does literary success look like to you?

Literary success is a very interesting goal to set for myself. Obviously, in the literary field, money or fame doesn’t really translate to success rather peak writing ability. However, if I reached prime writing then I would feel like I would then get bored of the craft. I guess to sum it up, literary success to me, is a forever distance of motivation.