Things of Little Consequence is a collection of poetry that explores the human condition and guides the readers to a new way of looking at life. What was the inspiration for the original and fascinating idea at the center of the book?

Much like what I set out to do with Raw Thoughts and Meridian, my vision for Things was to author a compelling, beautiful, and purposeful work of art. And to redefine, or at least improve upon, the generally accepted concept of a poetry book. To create something that would be found in the Mindfulness and Meditation, or even the Philosophy section of a library or bookstore. I wanted the whole of Things to be much greater than the sum of its individual parts, and for it to be philosophically different than my earlier works. It was these areas of thought that led me to focus on the metaphysical questioning of complexity versus complicatedness, and how understanding the difference between those two can lead us to better understanding concepts like reality, existence, and the human condition.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this collection of poetry?

I felt it was valuable to infuse much of the content in Things with my own experiences related to various important aspects of life. Experiences that people might relate to, crafted in a way that would lead to an answer, or at least to a question that begs an answer of the reader. I believe most answers we seek are already known to us. However, they must be illuminated or catalyzed before they are recognized. Relatable poetry that evokes both emotion and cognition can often be the light or the mechanism for that. I saw it important as well to share outright conclusions I’ve come to over the years. Some of these are evident in the shorter, aphoristic musings scattered throughout the book.

What experience in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing?

I began writing later in life—it was not until I was 45 years old that I realized I found creative writing interesting, and that I might actually be good at it. I knew I could write well, but had always felt I had no time to create anything of substance or value. Though I do have three novels under my belt, poetry was how I got started. And it was one single poem I wrote, just for fun, titled Stupid that set me on an artistic path. The poem was supposed to be both fun, and funny. It is about how everyday challenges in life can lead us to be irritated or apathetic. I showed it to a few friends, and they laughed. That was all it took—the simple fact I was able to evoke an emotion in someone led me to write more, and then more… What I came to find was the incredible spectrum of people, places, and cultures I had experienced in life was a vast collection of possible content from which to create.

What is one thing that you hope readers take away from Things of Little Consequence?

We should continually endeavor to truly understand ourselves and the people and world around us. I believe this effort is not as difficult as we often perceive it to be. The key is, we do not need to understand everything in life; we need only understand those elements that truly matter. But we must begin with understanding ourselves—this is important, because how we perceive our own existence and condition is our personal measuring stick for understanding everyone, and every other little thing in life…

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