ChicagoPostmodernPoetry.Com
Poetic Profile
Bob Marcacci
General Questions
1) Where were you Born and what was your Formation?
I was born in Vallejo, CA and grew up in Vacaville, CA. After graduating
from high school, I moved to San Francisco and lived there for thirteen
years. While I was there, I attended San Francisco State University for a
long time. I left San Francisco and moved to Osaka, Japan four years ago.
Two years ago, I moved to Beijing, China.
2) What are your Poetic Influences?
My professors were quite influential, particularly Dan Langton, though many
of my classmates considered him a bit strange. I didn't like his writing as
much as his teaching. He just inspired me to do what I wanted as a writer. I
felt as if he took a liking to me for whatever reasons. Myung Mi Kim was one
of my professors and, although I felt that she was somewhat cold to me, she
turned me on to considering my work, my individual poems, as part of a
larger process. A continuation... That was a breakthrough for me. She also
introduced me to long poems, which was something I had never even
considered. I also really like traditional forms so I consider that a
classical influence.
Rap music is a big influence for lyric content and just plain creativity in
language usage and rhyme. For whatever reason, there still seems to be a
great deal of scorn out there about this sentiment. I'm not sure why. I
don't want to miss anything because I don't like or understand it.
When I was younger, I really liked The Beats, particularly Allen Ginsberg
and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Hart Crane, who I discovered when I was near the
end of my college days. E. E. Cummings from way back for playfulness, at
least. I can see their influence in my writing. Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Kamau
Brathwaite, Aime Cesaire. I look for Juliana Spahr's poems now after reading
her book "This Connection of Everyone With Lungs." Wonderful to read out
loud the beginning of that... Most of my current poetic intake is done via
the internet. I love Shelia E. Murphy who is just about everywhere.
Otherwise, I generally like to read novels and don't read very much print
poetry whatsoever. Underscoring that is a desire to get away from being
overly minimalist. I'm simply trying to develop a longer breath in my line.
That endeavor may never end.
3) When did you realize you were a poet?
I began to consider myself a poet when I was in high school, reading poems
to my friend Caroline in the back of the bandroom. Why not? I kept little
spiral notebooks of my rhymes. They were all rhymes in those days. I had
begun trying to publish back then, as well, but it was too willy-nilly
(lacking proper research and investigation) and I had relatively little
success. I've been really hitting the pavement hard for the past five years
now...
4) What type of class has proven most useful for your development as a
poet/writer?
The working-class! Without that daily struggle, without those conversations
and failures, I wouldn't write the way I do. It brings up my desire to reach
a particular audience, as well, although I'm still failing there. I suppose
I'm getting further and further away from it, as well.
5) Favorite Team or Sport?
As long as I can remember, I have always loved the San Francisco Giants and
baseball. Moving abroad and losing direct easy access to American sports, my
mania has subsided somewhat, which is a good thing. I don't need to listen
to a baseball game six days out of seven every week. I'm a little more
focused on my writing currently, as well. I've been commissioning a fantasy
football league for the past eight years, though. I guess that passion is
really just a love of statistics stemming from my hard-core baseball days
pouring over box-scores in the newspaper and scrutinizing the cardboard
backs of baseball cards.
6) Food?
Sushi/Sashimi. Nothing like that wasabi tingle. About as close to more lusty
intentions as one can expect to get without disrobing.
7) Vacation Spot?
Sierra Nevada Mountains in Winter or Summer. Spent a great many holidays
hiking, fishing and wandering around up in those.
8) Swear Word?
Minchia! Madonna.
9) Are you working on a book?
Not working on a book now. Working on getting one published. I tend to work
in spurts. Read or write or publish. Those things don't often occur
simultaneously. It does happen but, generally, I tend to parcel those parts
out. In the back of my mind, while all these other things are happening and
while I continue writing and weaving, I'm thinking of an idea for a book. I
have a small file of book ideas on my computer and I add to it whenever it
strikes me. Perhaps that will be a poem one day--that list. I tend to work
on groups of poems or ideas for a chapbook or an e-book, rather than
something larger.
Craft Questions
1) How do you write a poem?
Mainly, I like a black pen with a fine point and a small notebook or
something to write on. Paper and pen don't really matter, but that's what I
prefer if I have a choice. After I write a poem, I read it numerous times in
my head and out loud, walking around in my kitchen or bedroom. Sound and
rhythm are an important part of my poems and it's necessary to listen to
myself. I also want the way the words appear on the page to reflect the way
they should be read. I do some editing on-the-fly, as I'm writing, but,
eventually, when the poem is transferred to a computer file, I do another
more serious or thematic edit. Then, for all intents and purposes, they're
done, although editing never ends really. Lately, I've found myself editing
poems I wrote ten years ago.
2) Is poetry a synthetic or organic process for you?
I like collage or found writing, at least, as exercise. That would be
synthetic, I imagine. The trick is to make it feel organic, generally,
although that's not always the case.
3) Where do you write? Is ambience important for you?
Ambience is not that important. Those things, my environment, will obviously
affect the words, as does my mood, but that's not so important. Ultimately,
it seems like an excuse NOT to write. What's more important is my own
comfort. I don't generally write while I'm in bed as I just can't get
situated comfortably. I have written poems in this uncomfortable state,
though. I also don't like flying that much and can't really write anything
good on a plane, but I always try to do it. Try to capture that discomfort.
LINKS
BlazeVOX e-book
Shampoo -
Shampoo 11th
& Shampoo
20th
Sidebrow
Zafusy
Bob Marcacci's Blog
I'll tell you how the sun rose-- / A ribbon at a time.
- Emily Dickinson
