Many years ago at a workshop I was asked to describe who I am. I thought it was easy, as I had considered myself a musician and a lover of music. But when I wrote the word “music” down it just wasn’t right. There was no excitement or energy in my claim. Genuinely puzzled, I stayed up all night, thinking; and when I could barely open my eyes one word slipped into my mind: “adventure”. Then, another: “unpredictable”. These words aroused in me a strange kind of exhilaration and I realized who I am was not what I do and love, but my nature.
I met Jack Foley at John Rhodes’ SF Poetry TV show. When he showed an interest in my work we quickly became friends. Jack with his inexhaustible knowledge guided me into the jungle of possibilities to explore the self, the mind and its multiplicity.
As I write this, yesterday has turned into today. I want to remember this date: November 18, 2011. It was significant in my poetic journey because Jack has written a commentary about my book of short stories (Babouche Impromptu) and some recent poems. It was posted on Alsop Review. I have re-posted the piece on this blog under “Reviews”. It is the first significant commentary of my work written by a critic who understands where I’m coming from, and leaves the door open to where I’m going.
Photo by Koichiro Yamauchi.
It took some time, and, as Dore said, some webbarizing—meaning solving technical issues on the web without knowing what I was doing. My book of short stories, Babouche Impromptu and Other Moroccan Sketches, has been reissued with more stories and a new look, and it is available now on Amazon.