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SEVEN: Gerry LaFemina
| Posted on October 8, 2010 at 11:43 AM |
Gerry LaFemina believes poetry is the highest art form; believes everyone should rock out with a guitar at least once--even if they can't play; believes teaching is a calling; believes the New York City subways are beautiful (even if they smell badly); believes in love, bigfoot and other mythic creatures; believes in the power of a good meal, a good night's sleep, good wine, etc; believes laughter is a type of prayer.
LaFemina is the author of five collections of poems, two books of prose poems, and Wish List, a collection of stories. A new book of poems, Vanishing Horizon, will be out in early 2011. He directs the Frostburg Center for Creative Writing at Frostburg State University, where he teaches. He divides his time between Maryland and New York. Visit his website at www.gerrylafemina.net or the Frostburg Center for Creative Writing: www.frostburg.edu/cwcenter.
Discover SEVEN intriguing facts about Gerry LaFemina. He has agreed to take questions for the next two days, so ask away!
~SEVEN THINGS YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME~
Gerry LaFemina
1. I joined a punk band around 15. Growing up punk rock taught me almost everything I believe about writing and teaching and being a writer.
2. I can’t resist episodes of the original Star Trek; I’m also a sucker for episodes of Get Smart, Mission Impossible, Barney Miller, and the Monkees. That said, I’m a firm believer that The Odd Couple may have been the best written sit-com ever.
3. The first acceptance letter I ever received was from the old Twilight Zone Magazine for a horror story. I was 17. The publication folded before the story ever came out.
4. If I could do it all over again and not be a writer, maybe I’d be an archaeologist, maybe a painter, maybe a Buddhist monk. I’d probably always dream of being a poet.
5. I went to day care at the Brooklyn Public Library, and have surrounded by books all my life. In the books that parents keep about their kids, my kindergarten career choice is “author or astronaut.” My eighth grade one is: “Author or attorney.” I have wanted to write all my life.
6. I have over 2000 vinyl records. Most mornings include me picking a record at random and starting the day with an album side and a few cups of coffee.
7. Once, I performed The Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand” at a community Gong Show. I was gonged. I was six.
______
LaFemina's latest book of poetry, Vanishing Horizon, will be available for purchase in 2011 from Anhinga Press.
Pre-order now! http://www.anhinga.org/index.cfm
Some of LaFemina's other collections are pictured above: Wish List, Graffiti Heart, Figures from the Big Time Circus Book/The Book of Clown Baby, and Parakeets of Brooklyn.
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18 Comments
Eliot Parker says...
Hello again Gerry,
I hope it is okay if I ask you another question.
I am working on an MFA in creative writing. The program has really improved my writing skills already and I feel like the program will be a positive experience. In terms of writing and teaching creative writing at the college/university level, is an MFA a good investment?
As an "investment"--no. But i don't like to think in those terms. And MFA means you studied the art and craft of writing. And as such it has given you a kind of mastery of techniques that you will have to continue to hone and develop and challenge. An MFA does not mean you will get a five book deal, win a Pulitzer, or anything else. I'm not even sure if it improves your odds. On the other hand it gives you a few things you can't do without: someone to kick you in the hindquarters about the things your laziest about in your writing, it forces you to write when writing is one of the things you can "give up" in your busy schedule, it forces you to read (ditto in your schedule), and it gives you a community of people to read your work.
In terms of what it gives you to teach--it gives you a piece of paper that some--even many--schools recognize as qualifications to teach. But each program is different in how well (or if at all) it prepares you to teach.
Save the talk of investments for the bankers, and think to yourself you are paying to study with writers you admire, and that is no waste of money if you love to do it. I have paid money to study guitar, buy gear, etc--and the way I still play distorted power chords some would say it wasn't a good investment, but I love it and it gives me joy. My joy (and your joy) is priceless.
I hope it is okay if I ask you another question.
I am working on an MFA in creative writing. The program has really improved my writing skills already and I feel like the program will be a positive experience. In terms of writing and teaching creative writing at the college/university level, is an MFA a good investment?
I have a failed novel in a box--one that taught me everything I shouldn't do. The one I'm working on is much more realistic: I've kept its scope to about 225 pages: it takes place in an 18 hour period. And I've been writing it a chapter at a time. Short bursts. I never know what's going to happen next (I know where the novel is going, but how it's resolving itself I have only murky notions of). so in that way it feels like a poem....
Eddy says...
I was wrong!! It's not too late to ask questions! One of the things I liked best about punk rock--what little I know of it--was that it did away with the idea that music has to be pretty and expert. How, if at all, did that concept influenced your writing and teaching? (Or maybe you encountered it too young to even have been intimidated by the idea that music had to be pretty and expert.
I actually spend most of my time trying to encourage students--whether they are college students, high school students, community members, or kids--to find their voices. Once they know how to express themselves--that what they have to say is valid--, then we go on to teach technique. Basically voice is the equivalent of learning how to plug a guitar in and strum it.
But the other thing i am always trying to teach is that the first word in imagination is IMAGE--that they have to connect their desire to express with a sensual something. if they can do this, then they've mastered the first three chords. Songs will follow....
Eliot says...
Hi Gerry,
I teach English at Mountwest Community and Technical College in Huntington. My question is how do you find time for writing during the school year? It is hard for me to find time to write in between teaching, meetings, committee work, etc and sometimes when I do, I am so tired that I cannot get anything started.
Thanks for your time.
My attitude about writing during the semester has been I would rather write for an hour and sleep for five than not write and sleep for six; I also always feel that I put my students and school work first the majority of the time, then if I feel like blowing off grading and giving the papers back a day later so I can take time to write it's okay. I am probably happier having done this and therefore a better teacher in the long run.
I mean, I taught at a community college and a had a 5/6 load at times, so I know how hard it is to find writing time--but if poetry sustains me, then I had better find that time.
G
I teach English at Mountwest Community and Technical College in Huntington. My question is how do you find time for writing during the school year? It is hard for me to find time to write in between teaching, meetings, committee work, etc and sometimes when I do, I am so tired that I cannot get anything started.
Thanks for your time.
Poetry sustains me, too, so I'm really curious about your transition from poetry to the novel because that's the path I'm following. I had some growing pains at first with an ocean to swim around in instead of a lake, but I soon learned to crave the unlimited space and currents. Tell me about your journey so far.
Christina says...
I like that! I bet your students love you, and learn a lot too!
I appreciate too that you like working with small presses. I have spent decades trying to get my novels accepted by big publishers to no avail. All of a sudden, I've got two contracts with e-publishers, and I am going to enjoy the process and the people.
Small presses are the only true supporters of literary publishing currently--it's a shame what's happened to the New York houses, but there's an incredible and thriving literary community with small presses.
I appreciate too that you like working with small presses. I have spent decades trying to get my novels accepted by big publishers to no avail. All of a sudden, I've got two contracts with e-publishers, and I am going to enjoy the process and the people.
Christina says...
How did growing up punk rock teach you to write and be a teacher?
I love the covers on your books.
Punk rock has a very DIY (Do It Yourself) attitude. I worked with small record labels, small venues when I was a kid in bands. And everyone worked to build the scene. I do the same thing as a writer--work with small presses, love small venues, and I believe everyone needs to work to build the community.
As for teaching--I think the classroom should be high energy, should get students "doing," and I students should think for themselves: question authority (even mine), engage, be curious, get out there and do.
I love the covers on your books.
Marie Manilla says...
Hi, Gerry: I am so impressed by the sheer volume of your work. I noticed a short story collection tucked amongst all those titles. Do you approach writing stories differently than poems? What made your turn to stories for at least that one book? Thanks!
Marie, I love poetry, but I also just love writing. Since I actually started as a fiction writer (I went to college to write fiction and then fell in love with poetry), I try to write a story a year. That said, I play with everything--critical essays, cnf, short-shorts, 10-minute plays, and currently I'm working on a novel. (Another thing my mother taught me: be game to try anything!) Poetry sustains me, it gives me access to transcendence--but all the other writing I do teaches me things about poetry and how to use language that helps me.
Seriously, I am blessed with an energetic spirit: I have my mother's energy level, and she is still running around.....
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