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Poetic Profile

Linh Dinh

General Questions
 

1) Where were you born and what was your formation?

I was born in Saigon, Vietnam, but came to the US at 11. My formation is ½ fish sauce and ½ cheesesteak.

2) What are your poetic influences?

Rimbaud, Vallejo, Michaux, Whitman, Stevens, Ashbery, Palmer and a lot of trash and incidental literatures. Clayton Eshleman helped me out tremendously early on by steering me towards Vallejo and Barbara G. Walker’s “The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets.” I discovered my inner cave woman through Clayton. He also steered me away from the school of quietude, limp and fluttering, self-pitying jive that had been my indoctrination.

3) When did you realize you were a poet?

When I got turned on by Bob Dylan’s “Blonde on Blonde” and “Highway 61 Revisited,” in high school. Maybe “realize” is not the right word. I had my first poetic stirrings by listening to Dylan.

4) how does being Asian fit into your avant garde sense?

I’m not avant garde, simply out of it. Being Asian was the font of all of my youthful disappointments and delusions. I had to start my own tong, a gang of one, to survive this San Quentin.

4.5) Some of your poems make people wince. they are very risque how does this work in your poetry?

I am very considerate in daily life, almost pathologically so, but completely shameless in poetry. I’m very generous, you see?

5) Favorite team or sport?

Any Seattle team. Spectator sports are beyond stupid and boring. It’s the most tedious way to spend your time, short of slaving for the man, but when I need to space out for a moment, I watch Seattle. When they win, I am obviously triumphant, but when they lose, which is quite often, I am diminished even further. And permanently, I must say. One of these days, after yet another Mariners disaster, I’ll disappear completely.

6) Food?

Thai, Mexican and tapas, but I like just about any dish that’s prepared with care and not by a corporation, even jellied eels and cold cockles. It’s normal for Norfolk. Greetings to my English friends!

7) Vacation Spot?

Anywhere I haven’t been.

8) Swear word?

Neoformalism.

9) Are you working on a book?

Always several.

10) Do you find yourself in dialogue with other arts? which ones? is there something that is a essential dialogue for you as a poet that we don’t know about?

I went to art school so I used to look at a lot of paintings and sculptures. I still do, but to a much lesser degree. I like to examine the architecture of a new place. I heard some Lydia Mendoza songs recently that moved me deeply.

11) Is poetry a synthetic or organic process for you?

If by synthetic you mean I have to force myself to write poetry, then yes, it is often synthetic. I used to be more organic when I was manic depressive. 

12) Where do you write? Is ambience important for you?

I cannot write with a radio or a TV in the background, even faintly.  Other than that, I can work pretty much anywhere. Ideally, I’d be in a completely silent room, with my laptop connected to the internet, so I could reference whatever is trying to enter my poem. (Now I’ve done it, use reference as a fuckin’ verb. What’s next?)