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Raw and Meaningful
From the Shallow End to the Deep End is a rich and personal collection of 95 sonnets that moves through childhood memories, family histories, heartbreaks, faith, despair, and redemption. What inspired you to write this particular collection of poems?
I have written poetry as a hobby and emotional release for my entire adult life, but very little of it has ever been shared with anyone. After fifteen years of marriage, I was informed I would be getting a divorce and needed to move out of our house, We were able to quickly enter into a shared custody agreement for our children, but the divorce itself was not as smooth and my new “environment” consisted of a small empty house, a bed, a computer, and the clothes on my back. This, of course, was underscored by the absences of my children from my life for days at a time. So I started writing poetry like never before. I wrote about my most vivid memories that brought me to the unexpected life circumstances that had just been thrust upon me. Eventually, as I wrote the poems, I realized this time the story needs to be told, and the poems would be published in a book (my first). When my daughter, a young student studying art, learned of my endeavor, she asked to do the book’s cover and illustrations for me. This collaboration was instrumental in allowing my daughter and me to stay connected and engaged during my divorce from her mother. Finally, as we talked together about the evolution of our book, we agreed that we wanted to do something “different” that avoids mainstream contemporary poetry while simultaneously presenting an artistic challenge for both of us. As a result, we decided to follow the strict format of the Shakespearean sonnet in the poetry, but apply this rigid structure to raw and meaningful material in a manner that remains simple to read. My daughter crafted the book’s cover and illustrations accordingly.
Were there any poems that were particularly difficult to write? If so, why?
The poems about my relationship with my father are troublesome to me. I wish I could remember him differently, but he was a difficult person to love. I also struggled portraying my relationships with my brothers. They left home when I was very young, and I never really knew them growing up, and I blamed them for not being around when I could have used their guidance.
On a separate note, I felt that I should include a tribute to Shakespeare if I am to write a book of poems following the format he championed over 400 years ago. Sonnet No. 51, entitled “My No. 18,” is my attempt to pay him the honor and respect he deserves by providing a modern rendition and twist on one of his most famous sonnets. It is one of the poems that I spent the most time writing and attempting to perfect. I’m not sure it reaches its intended mark, but I tried.
Finally, in direct answer to your question, Sonnet No 75, entitled “Darkest Times,” is the one poem I still cannot read aloud today. It reveals a part of me that I didn’t think existed, took me to a place I never thought I would go, and the mere thought of that poem smacks me in the face and takes me right back to it all. Even now, in writing this response, I grow teary-eyed thinking about it.
Did you write these poems with a specific audience in mind, or was it a more personal endeavor?
Both. The book was highly therapeutic for me as an emotional release during my divorce, and the collaboration with my daughter certainly enhanced the experience. Beyond that, however, the book is also biographical in nature. Someday, hopefully, I will have grandchildren and great-grandchildren who want to know who I was as a person. Hopefully, a good read through this book can answer a lot of questions they might have.
How has this poetry book changed you as a writer, or what did you learn about yourself through writing it?
Anyone who writes a book should feel a sense of victory and satisfaction. I am no different. The change is that now I feel a calling. I am already working on my next three books!
From the Shallow End to the Deep End
From the Shallow End to the Deep End is a rich and deeply personal collection of ninety-five Shakespearean sonnets that moves through childhood memories, family histories, heartbreaks, faith, despair, and redemption. The book travels in a steady descent from innocence to complexity and then rises again toward clarity and grace. Its structure mirrors the stages of a life that has been lived with open eyes and a bruised but persistent heart, and each section lays bare a different layer of the poet’s world. Streator uses the traditional sonnet form to anchor experiences that feel modern, messy, and often raw, and the tension between old structure and new emotion is one of the book’s strongest features.
I was surprised by how quickly the writing pulled me in. The language is formal on the surface, but beneath it flows a current of sincerity that feels warm and human. I kept pausing at lines that carried a punch not because they were fancy but because they were honest. The poems about childhood felt especially sharp. Scenes of brothers growing apart, parents missing from the stands, and friendships fading hit harder than I expected. They had this way of stirring old memories in me, making me nod along and think, yes, I’ve been there, too. The sonnets in the middle section became heavier and darker, and I admit they made my chest tighten. When the poet spoke about loss, depression, and the desperate quiet of survival, the writing felt intimate. I appreciated that. It made the collection feel alive.
Sometimes the rhyme scheme amplified the weight of the words and made the pain or the joy ring louder. I caught myself smiling at the poems about his children because they warmed the whole book. They softened the darker stories without pretending everything is fixed or simple. That mix of light and shadow felt real to me, and I found myself admiring how Streator holds both without flinching. The shift toward faith in the later sonnets felt authentic, not preachy, more like a man trying to keep his footing after being tossed by life one too many times. It gave the final stretch of the book a quiet sense of hope.
I walked away from this collection feeling both moved and grateful. I’d recommend From the Shallow End to the Deep End to anyone who loves poetry that speaks plainly about life’s messiness while still finding beauty in it. I think it’s well-suited for readers who appreciate traditional forms but want the content to feel fresh, personal, and unguarded. It’s also a meaningful pick for anyone who has lived through family storms, heartbreak, or the slow rebuilding of a life. The book isn’t afraid to wade into deep water, and it invites you to step in with it, one sonnet at a time.
Pages: 109 | ASIN : B0GCPRF4RD
