Category Archives: poetry

5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books, blogtalkradio, criticism, interview, poems, poet, poetry

Don Durant interviews Joey Pinkney on BlogTalkRadio’s Living, Caring, Learning, Sharing

June 15, 2009 Joey Pinkney 2 Comments

Press play to learn more about me and my goings on with this website and also http://joeyisinit.com.

When you listen to this interview, keep in mind that it takes more than a two-year-old hopping in my lap begging for candy or a storm in New York to stop me from making my segment a success!

Towards the end, Don kicks a poem for me. That inspired me, and I had to share my poetic inclinations. You’ll get a sneak peak at the poem that can be found at the end of my short story “Like Father, Like Son” from the anthology The Soul Of A Man.

Please leave a comment below and let me now what you think about the interview.

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Julie Kasten, author of Dancing Amidst the Chaos

April 20, 2009 Joey Pinkney

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Julie Kasten, author of Dancing Amidst the Chaos
(PublishAmerica)

Dancing Amidst the Chaos is the story of a life, told in snapshots of its moments. Each verse invites the reader to catch a glimpse into the author’s internal world of hopes and dreams, fears and struggles. From building a love that lasts to mourning the loss of a friend, from delighting in the joys of childhood to healing the scars of addiction, no topic is off-limits, and each is explored with poignant emotion and pervasive honesty.

All of us are dancers amidst the chaos of the world we live in… Every reader will find a wealth of passages that resonate at the deepest levels within the pages of Julie Kasten’s piercingly candid, brilliantly expressive collection of poetry.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Dancing Amidst the Chaos?

Julie Kasten: All of the poems you see in Dancing Amidst the Chaos were written over a span of about 5 years of my life. My inspirations for individual pieces came from all around me… From simple observations of the night sky to complex explorations of the deepest emotion, almost anything in life can become fodder for my poetry. The people in my life (especially my five-year-old daughter) provide a constant source of inspiration and ideas!

When I began to write these pieces, after a few years of being away from my writing, I don’t know that I even had the idea that they would one day come together into a book. At that point, I was writing them mainly for myself , for my own pleasure and/or my own therapy. Dancing Amidst the Chaos is sort of a “best of” collection from this period in my life.

JP: Why did you choose to use poetry as a medium to communicate your stories of Dancing Amidst the Chaos?

JK: I love the challenge that poetry affords me to make an impact on my reader in just a few lines of text. I love using wordplay and structure to create powerful imagery and evoke strong emotion.

I’ve often compared my poems to snapshots, capturing a slice of life or a moment in time. Reading Dancing Amidst the Chaos should feel like flipping through the pages of a photo album where each piece on its own creates a mood or tells a story. They all come together form a stirring mosaic of moments, memories and feelings.

JP: Which poets inspired your writing style? What were you able to take from them to make your poems stronger?

JK: I read Hart D. Fisher’s Poems for the Dead back in the late nineties and was inspired by the very genuine and fearless way in which he expressed difficult emotions in his work. From him, I learned to dig a little deeper in my own works and take the risk to reveal more of my truth.

I also love the works Universe Konadu, and I have been inspired especially by her poems about her faith journey and her walk with God. From her, I learned the power (for both myself and my readers) of communicating about my spiritual growth in verse.

Jessica Sanchez’s Under the Wishing Well inspired me in its skillful use of imagery and metaphor, as well as the author’s creation of and adherence to her own unique style and structure. There are so many others I could probably name here, but these are the three authors that really stand out for me, and whose influence can be seen and felt in Dancing Amidst the Chaos.

JP: What advice would you give to aspiring poets who haven’t taken the steps to publishing their works?

JK: For me, publishing wasn’t something to rush into. I wrote poetry for many years before I really had a sense that both my writing skills and my subject matter had evolved to a level that was suitable for publication. I would advise all aspiring poets to keep writing! Gather lots of feedback about your work.

If you don’t have people in your “real” life with whom you’re comfortable sharing your work, there are many great communities online for writers. And when you do feel that you’re ready to make the leap to publication, be sure to seek out a publisher that knows and respects poetry. Find a publisher that will work with you to maintain your unique style and voice during the editing process.

JP: What’s next for Julie Kasten?

JK: Right now, my publisher is putting together a little “mini book tour” for me here in Delaware and the surrounding area. I look forward to getting out there and meeting readers. Also, I’m in the early stages of work on a second book of poetry, and hope to be ready to release it early next year.

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Patricia Neely-Dorsey, author of Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia

February 22, 2009 Joey Pinkney 4 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Patricia Neely-Dorsey, author of Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia
(GrantHouse Publishers)

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia?

Patricia Neely-Dorsey: I didn’t really intentionally try to come up with an idea for a book or intentionally try to write a book. It all sort of just fell/landed in my lap. I woke up on Valentine’s Day February 2007 with a poem dancing around in my head. I quickly got up and scribbled it down. The rest, as they say, is history. After that day, poems just started pouring out. They just keep coming and coming day after day. In about two months, I had well over 200 poems. A friend of mine was very instrumental, and I guess you would say inspirational in encouraging me to publish them in book form.

JP: What sets Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia apart from other collections of poetry?

PND: I think that all poetry is very unique and individual like a fingerprint because of where it comes from. Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia is a collection that essentially chronicles my whole life up until this present time. The book includes poems about things that happened to my parents before I was born, my early childhood growing up in Mississippi, my college years in Boston, meeting my husband on a blind date, love, marriage, my son, and thoughts about mid-life…where I am now ( the Fabulous Forties). Specifically, it is my life in poems. Generally, it is a true celebration of the south and things southern. One reader called it a “love letter to the South”

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia getting out to the public?

PND: I always rely on what I call Patricia’s P-Attitudes: Positivity – staying positive, believing in the dream, believing in myself and the book. Perseverance – never giving up. Persistence – being relentless and never taking no as a final answer. The forth one which was something I have had to really work on and learn is Patience, but it pays off in the end. The answer or outcome that you seek may take a minute! You just have to hold on. These P-Attitudes translate, of course, to every area of life.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia?

PND: That’s funny. I don’t really have a process. I just write the poems down as they come. That can be at any time and any place (very often in my car). The entire process from writing my first poem (Feb 2007) to the actual publication of the book (Feb 2008) took exactly one year. The actual publication process which included the submission of the poems, editing, proofing, cover design, and all that took less than two months. The poems was submitted the first week of January 2008 , all of the appropriate changes and additions were done and the book arrived at my door February 22, 2008

JP: What’s next for Patricia Neely-Dorsey?

PND: To infinity and beyond! (LOL) Well, I’m hoping that this book will have widespread, mass appeal and be wonderfully successful. I have enough poems for several books, so those are certainly down the line. My publisher would like for me to do an illustrated children’s book with age-appropriate selections from Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia. That is definitely a possibility in the near future.

www.myspace.com/patricianeelydorsey

http://www.patricianeelydorsey.webs.com/

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