LatinosUSA

Do you think poetry is back in fashion?

In my opinion, poetry never went out of fashion. The poems many people studied in secondary school when I was young were older standards that did not appeal to many of us. It appeared to be a lost art for a while, interesting only to college professors. I have been fortunate to attend many poetry readings and meet the poets. Today’s poets write in more accessible language about real-life issues and feelings. A skillful poet can use metaphor to address sensitive issues, or tackle heartbreak and politics head-on.

Is your poetry created daily, or do you wait to be inspired to write it?

When I worked full-time at a college counseling center, I got up at 5:30 AM and wrote for an hour before work. Now semi-retired, I work part-time at my private mental health practice, Pearl Street Counseling, LLC. My time is more flexible, but I continue to write early in the mornings and watch the sun come up. My day starts later now. Early now means first thing after the coffee is ready and the pets are fed. I recently adopted a puppy, and a baby kitty that was found abandoned near my neighbor’s house.  Pet chores take a bit longer but are worth it to me.

What is your next publishing project? Could you tell us how it came about?

Sandhills Press will publish my next book, “The Last Yellow Rose.” The poems in this manuscript are about family, especially my daughter, who has many immune system-related illnesses, which have been life-changing for her.

What city do you live in, and can you describe your favorite bar or café?

I enjoy a rural home surrounded by pasture. In many ways, it is paradise. It is also a lot of effort to maintain myself. Family helps me out when they can. In my book, “A Quilted Landscape,” there are poems about the people in the nearby village of 400 souls. There was a café there at that time called The Kick Ass Café. After it went out of business, the town was without a gathering spot for a few years. Most recently, a new place called Wildcat Bar and Grill opened. It is my favorite spot to eat and drink. Taco Tuesday and Wings Wednesday are back by popular demand. You can find more about the café on their Facebook page.

Sample Poem from “A Quilted Landscape”

Red Piano is based on an actual series of sightings. I photographed the piano, and the artist Sharon Carr created a drawing of the piano.

RED PIANO by Lin Brummels

“…Nobody has played it for ages, and the silence
inside its grand case, carved with brooches of flowers,
has settled like dust to the bottom…”
– Ted Kooser, “Piano”

Early spring a red piano
turns up at the edge of a grey field
along oft-traveled highway 35
like a flower growing from granite.

Piano stands vigil, waiting
for someone to stop,
ivories decaying, keyboard
warping daily, music lost.

She endures thru the seasons,
bright against the emerald corn
of summer, gold of autumn, like
hues on a color wheel.

We smile as we pass,
believe she will always be there,
a bright landmark against
endless miles of cropland

between the old Dehy station
and the big curve in the highway
that turns from south to east
when driving to the next big town.

Her chipped paint fading,
she vanishes one day
before winter’s snow,
as abruptly as she appeared

after surprising travelers,
charming folks like me.
Like many lost marvels,
she’s sorely missed.

Author Biography

Lin Marshall Brummels earned a BS from the University of Nebraska and an MS from Syracuse University. Brummels has published poems in Poet Lore, San Pedro River Review, Concho River Review, Oakwood, Plainsong, Nebraska Life, and others. Her chapbooks by Finishing Line Press are “Cottonwood Strong” and “Hard Times,” a 2016 Nebraska Book Award winner. Books: “A Quilted Landscape,” Scurfpea Publishing. Forthcoming, The Last Yellow Rose, Sandhills Press.

Interview

My recent interview by Wayne State College Press is available on its website, MINI INTERVIEW: Lin Brummels – WSC Press

“A Quilted Landscape”