Today we talk about Blue Toes and a Dog, a book by Rudy Baron published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author Rudy Baron to get to know him better, where he found the inspiration to write his book Blue Toes and a Dog, as well as how his passion for Writing started.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- Where did you find the inspiration to write your book of poetry?
I believe to a certain extent poetry had lost its way. I stopped writing for a while because I felt that poetry was no longer about language but was simply “rhymers” venting about some social or personal issue. It became redundant and boring. I want poetry to go back to being experimental, challenging readers and their understanding of the world that surrounds them. We tend to ignore the complexity of simplicity. We don’t examine our own lives, scrutinize our every action or thought. We want to think in a linear fashion when we don’t live linear lives. That’s what you will find with my poetry: disruption, disorientation, stream of consciousness, the minute turned into something vast and mysterious. That’s what life is really about.
- What is the message you want to send out with your writing?
I want readers to examine their own lives. Not just general, overbroad examinations. Instead, I want readers to look at every, and I do mean every, single simple moment of their lives: their day-to-day routines, their every single thought of every moment they are awake. The mind doesn’t pause to construct moments to make sense. It bombards you with thoughts with every breath you take. What are those thoughts? Where do they flow from? THAT’S where poetry comes from. It comes from trying to make sense of it all, trying to piece together this collage of ideas, thoughts, and visions that construct who you are.
- How did your passion for writing start?
Oh my god, I wrote my first story when I was about 8 years old. It was an Edgar Allan Poe like horror story with pictures that I drew. My mother was so proud of it she paraded it around for everyone to see. It was quite embarrassing. But, at the time, I knew I poured my heart and soul into that piece. I discovered I had a passion for storytelling, but I wanted something more. I began reading many of the more experimental poets: Whitman, Dickinson, Eliot. I just loved how they wanted to destroy the norm. Especially Whitman. I felt as if he was spitting in the face of traditional poets, changing the face of writing at a time when the public was artistically and socially complacent. I have always said: what fun is poetry if you can’t piss a few people off.
- How was your publishing experience?
A friend of mine once said, publishing is like giving birth to a child. This is the closest statement that I found true about publishing. You’re carrying around this child inside of you for months, nurturing it, feeding it, shifting it, feeling it kick you. Then when its ready, the screaming pain of birth. And there it is, in your arms, all slimy and covered in goo. And it’s beautiful. And you know it’s yours because it came from you. And you will love and cherish it forever, no matter what happens to it.
- Are you planning to write more books? Can you tell us more about it?
I already have a new manuscript completed called “Scarecrows in the Parlor.” I would say this one is more personal: there’s a poem about the marriage of my parents, the death of my father, the death of a friend, my drinking days, growing older, day to day routines, etc. I feel it is some of the strongest work I have ever assembled. I think age has made me reflect more on the past that I had taken for granted as well as my mortality. Right now, I feel as if I am just floating down a stream, enjoying the ride. I know around a bend there is a home sitting on the shore of this stream. One day I will eventuallyreach this home. It is only then I will get off the boat.
Europe Books thanks the author Rudy Baron once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside him on the editorial path that led to the publication of his book Blue Toes and a Dog. We wish him the best of luck for his book and for his future works.
To you, my dear reader, may this book allow you to focus on your thoughts and visions in detail. Make the most of your reflections in order to live a better, constructive and more fulfilling life.
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your Editor!