1. Tell our viewers a little about yourself. How did you get into writing?
For years I didn’t know whether I wanted to be a musician (I played drums in a terrific soul band) or a writer, but when my mother got me a Royal portable typewriter in 1966, I sat down and typed out five poems, or at least what I thought were poems in those days. I’d only recently began reading poetry, especially e.e. cummings (still a huge favorite). My heroes in high school were The Beatles, James Brown, and Ernest Hemingway. In college I became a philosophy major. Then my heroes were Nietzsche, Spinoza, and Bob Dylan. This was during the Viet Nam War. I became a conscientious objector and was assigned to Denver General Hospital where I became passionately interested in psychology (I was an orderly on the Psychiatric ward) and where I became passionate with a cute intern in psychiatry, Judy Alexander. The passion never let up! Judy and I have been married for 45 years! We moved from Denver to Pittsburgh where I got my Ph.D. in psychology and practiced as a psychologist and psychoanalyst for 35 years. What’s the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist I hear your readers asking: about $35 an hour (hardy har har). I also love to tell people that Judy drugs ‘em and I help ‘em get over it (but Judy doesn’t find that funny—also hardy har har!). Anyway, I wrote a bunch of papers in my field (I was especially interested in how the relational philosophy of Martin Buber could be applied to psychoanalysis). But around 2007, I started writing fiction. I got a few things published, but discovered that I loved writing poetry. I’ve been published now in over 150 journals, so I guess I found my niche.
2. Tell our viewers a little about book that was just released.
An Accident of Blood (WordTech Editions, 2019) is my third book and it was released almost a year ago. Some have seen it as a poetic memoir, but that was never my intention. True, the first section of the book deals with growing up in Cheyenne, Wyoming in the fifties and sixties, and the trials of living with alcoholic parents, but there are sections of the book that deal with political issues, Ekphrasis, nature, psychology, contemporary friendships, literary figures, philosophical issues, and even the art of poetry itself. There’s a lot of satire as well.
3. What was the inspiration for the book?
In antediluvian days of yore, I took an English course in college. The professor, Bernie Beaver, said something I never forgot. He insisted that “anything can be a poem.” I’ve found this to be true over and over again and it’s probably why I’ve never faced any serious bout of writer’s block. Whenever I think my creative juices have dried up, I simply look around me, read a few lines out of a novel or history book—any book—even the newspaper, sit down and write. In other words, life itself inspires me. I seem to never run out of material. For example, the title poem, “Accidents of Blood,” came from reading a Facebook posting of a friend of mine who is a cowboy in Wyoming. We don’t agree on anything. He’s a right-wing evangelical Trump supporter and I’m a lefty atheist pinko. But my friend Bill described the decline and eventual death of his most beloved horse in such a way that his pain and suffering became dramatically present in my own life. The poem almost wrote itself. All that is to say that I’m constantly inspired by the world around me.
4. Will you be out promoting the book, if so, where will you be?
I love to do readings and, up until this month, I’ve averaged a reading a month since the publication of my first book, Flashcuts Out of Chaos in 2016. In these days of COVID in person readings have disappeared. I have done a few readings on line and, if you search for me on Youtube, you’ll see me reading poems. I’m especially happy with the reading that’s entitled, “Charlie Brice: Hello Cooped-up World.” My friend, the poet Jeff Kass, wanted to have a series in which poets read their work and talk about their process that he could show to his high school creative writing classes. I loved making that video. You can find it here. I read several poems from Accidents of Blood in that video. I also recently read on Zoom for the C.C. Mellor Library here in Pittsburgh. That recording should be up soon at http://ccmellorlibrary.org/. If you search “Charlie Brice” on YouTube, you find a couple more recordings of me reading my work. Finally, if you check my Facebook page, you’ll see more about possible upcoming readings on line. https://www.facebook.com/charlie.brice
5. Where can our viewers find your book?
The book is at Amazon and you can also get a signed copy from me. Send me an email at Charlie.brice@gmail.com and I’ll get one out to you for $21 (which includes shipping costs).
6. Where can we find you on social media?
Nicole Leckenby is the co-founder/editor of The Holiday Cafe. She works full-time at the University of Pittsburgh and she has two amazing boys at home that keep her busy, along with a whole host of other things. Check out her website leckenby3.wixsite.com/nicoleleckenby
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