Theoryland: A Tragedy In Five Cantos follows an ambitious academic who dives headfirst into the world of highbrow theory only to have his arrogance grow, leading to his collapse into disillusionment. What inspired you to write this particular collection of poems?

The date was roughly 1999. I was studying the falderal (H. L. Mencken’s word) in our public schools. I learned about flashy Academic trends such as Post Structuralism. My alumni magazine rejected an article on sophistry. A winter of discontent. I was broke. The more I read about the theories rampant at our universities, the less impressed I was. I always admired honesty and brevity as opposed to the strutting of pretenders.

I thought some of our professors ripe for mockery. You can see Theoryland start as a straight takeoff of T. S. Eliot, then you see it shift gears. Why? I was worried it would get stuck in a narrow rut so I jumped into a new car. A new ride, you might say.

In the rooms the critics come and go
sneering at the status quo.
On the dry grass, in a dry wind,
students throw a frisbee, joking.

I didn’t want to be predictable or pinned down by any particular tone. I wanted to surprise myself. The poem erupted. Abruptly, the janitor laughs, smoking. The subtext was always madness. I didn’t want to lose that at any point.

How long did it take to write?

I finished this wild thing in two or three weeks. I didn’t know what to make of it. Where do you place a very long poem? I put it on the shelf for almost 10 years! Then, one fine spring day, I took it out in the backyard and plunged in. To my surprise, I laughed and cried at all the same places. I decided this may be strange but it’s good. 

Conventionally, many long poems obey traditional schemes and rules, so they are safe but also boring. Isn’t that the challenge? I took lots of chances. I had a lot of Eliot in my brain and careened from one souvenir to another. Maybe, I hoped, I could entertain people who normally don’t read poetry. This has enough story to be a play or a small arty movie. I think it would be so much fun to watch.

Were there any poets or other writers who influenced your work on this collection?

Early on my favorite poets were Walt Whitman. e e cummings. A Roman named Catullus. Ezra Pound. Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Walt Whitman coined the phrase “my barbaric yawp.” I think Theoryland is “my very own barbaric yawp.”

Eliot created the hero’s personality. J. Alfred Prufrock is a passionate but timid man. And we have all been there. Prufrock remains the same throughout his poem, but the narrator of Theoryland knows conquest and as well defeat.

What was one of the hardest parts in Theoryland for you to write?

To a great degree, it wrote itself. I worried about getting in my own way. Let it go, I kept telling myself. Take chances. What’s the most interesting thing that could happen now??? I’ve read this poem almost 50 times and every time was fun.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?

I have two novels out now that were inspired by AI:  Frankie and The Boy Who Saves The World. 
I think they’re both excellent for telling people what scary things could happen.
In 2026 I hope  to release Art and Beauty, detective mystery, and Carla –Manhattan Love Story.