What was the idea, or spark, that first set off the need to write and put together the collection of poetry and short stories in Amygdala Blue?

This is, quite honestly, an incredibly concrete and foundational question I would take the liberty to invariably rephrase as: What drives you to compose, canvass, sculpt, and personify poetry? Answer: At the core of what drives my poetry – as well as creative nonfiction – what fuels my need to invest myself in poetry, to sit upon the mountaintop of my soul, listen to past voices rustling across sub-Saharan African ranges, excavating the self, lies the need to uncover what June Jordan beautifully stated as “… formulations of what’s important”. Therein rests my poetic bloodline, to swim in the forever tide of truth, of a gripping, forever biopsychosocial River… Moreover, I contend, my style of poetry is certainly NOT mainstream in nature, rather speaks with a bold tone, sometimes distilled and dissected, other times, brash and emotional. Overall, my works are written with a revolutionary ‘structure’, canvassed around the postmodern notion embodying the African American ‘Presence of Absence’ phenomenon. Authentic poetry demands poets become idiosyncratically ‘attuned’ to an uncompromising, creative self.

“Panther Lurking High Above the Hood” is one of my favorite pieces in this collection. Do you have a favorite writing in this collection, if so what is it and why?

Yes, “Durn my Hide” is a personal expression of antebellum, post-reconstructionist musings, channeled from an authentic voice and time. Unquestionably experimental, undeniably raw, but true to cultural place and time. Because this poem evokes so much emotion, and unique qualities – including prominent rhythms, imagery, and compactness – the prose poem form and structure works best in showcasing its characterized intensity. In this poem, there exists an underlying complexity that challenged me for years to countless number of revisions. Through it all, though, I never thought about moving away from the stylized language. In fact, it was Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s seminal craft which inspired me to excavate deeper, dispel the urge to conform to postmodern vernacular; remembering to stay in touch with the odor, sight, and sound of the minute, hour, day poetically ‘captured’… Moreover, of an interesting note, I hail from several generations of African American farmers from Saluda, Virginia. A land enriched with the blood and sweat, and sacrifice of an African American history written far from history books presented to our postmodern culture. However, I wasn’t fortunate enough to meet any of my mother’s siblings or parents, but I was provided enough information from my mother about their incredible hardships and social struggles. Interestingly though, as I grew into manhood, attained higher education degrees, I could never shake my earthen archetypal memories; I continued to be haunted by the Southern African American voice fettered to land tilled from dawn to dusk, every day of every year. In its purest form, “Durn my Hide” is a revolutionary poem! As André Breton (1896-1966), co-founder of the Surrealist movement said, “The advantage of revolution was not that it gives mankind happiness…[but] it should purify and illuminate man’s tragic condition”.

What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your collection?

In the midst of a crisis moment, I hope readers come away from reading Amygdala Blue with a resounding notion regarding the grounding and healing power of nature. For in nature, can we make sense of the world enveloping everyone, and thus understand who we are. Ralph Waldo Emerson stated: “In the woods, we return to reason and faith”.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

TBD…

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