Fostering Community Through the Power of Poetry
James Morehead discusses integrating visual elements with poetry, his role as Poet Laureate, transforming poems into films, and his podcast, highlighting his dedication to enriching the literary community.
James Morehead is a luminary in the world of contemporary poetry, known for his ability to weave vivid imagery with profound emotional depth. As the Poet Laureate of Dublin, California, Morehead has not only enriched the literary landscape with his own works but has also fostered a deep connection between poetry and the community. His collections, including “canvas,” “portraits of red and gray,” and “The Plague Doctor,” showcase his remarkable talent for capturing the human experience in its many forms. Morehead’s work transcends the written word, as seen in his poem “tethered,” which was transformed into an award-winning animated short film, and “dissolving in the gallery,” set to music for baritone and piano. His poems have graced the pages of esteemed publications such as NPR, SF Chronicle’s Total SF, and Ignatian Literary Magazine, among others. Through his Viewless Wings Poetry Podcast, Morehead continues to inspire and connect with poets and artists worldwide, offering a platform for the exploration and celebration of poetry.
Carmine Di Biase, Distinguished Professor of English, Emeritus at Jacksonville State University, aptly describes Morehead’s work as “vivid, spare and elemental,” with a rhythmic control that is nothing short of impeccable. This praise is a testament to Morehead’s mastery of the craft, as he consistently delivers poetry that resonates with readers on a deeply personal level. His ability to integrate visual elements with his written work, as seen in “The Plague Doctor,” enhances the reader’s experience, creating a multi-sensory journey through his poetic landscapes. Morehead’s dedication to his craft and his community is evident in his initiatives as Poet Laureate, where he brings poetry to life in unexpected places, inviting everyone to partake in the beauty and power of the written word.
In The Plague Doctor, you combine poetry with captivating art and photography. How do you approach the integration of visual elements with your written work, and how do you think this enhances the reader’s experience of your poetry?
The Plague Doctor is rich and visual, which made incorporating photographs and original art a natural fit. The ink art of Natalia Andrus and cover art by Tony Rubino are particularly striking, and when reciting the poetry at events I incorporate those visual elements whenever I can. The visual design of the book, as a result, became much more than ordering the poems and basic typography; the placement of the visual elements on the page, how white space was displaced, were critical decisions. The combination of poetry and visual elements offers readers a unique experience.
Portraits of Red and Gray: Memoir Poems takes readers on a journey through diverse landscapes and historical contexts. How do these environments and experiences shape the themes and emotions you explore in your poetry?
Portraits of Red and Gray is anchored on a series of poems documenting an eighteen day trip I took to the Soviet Union, while in high school, back in 1983. That trip was rich in imagery and powerful experiences, and poetry was the perfect vehicle to capture both the bombastic (red) pageantry of Soviet propaganda with the stark (gray) challenges of life for ordinary people. The more I wrote, the more I remembered; this was well before the ability to document everything with a smartphone. With that set of poems in place, I built out the book with more memoir poems, sharing moments of my life that could have universal meaning.
Your poem Tethered was transformed into an award-winning animated short film. How did you approach the process of translating your poetry into a visual medium, and what did you learn from this experience about the relationship between text and image?
I’ve always loved animation and was looking for an opportunity to work with an animator. Because poetry is compact, image-rich, and precise, animation was a perfect fit. I stumbled on an extraordinary animator-director (Gaia Alari) in Milan, Italy through social media. I reached out, pitched the idea, and she was immediately receptive. The two minute short film required 750 hand drawn frames to realize, and I left the animation approach completely up to Gaia. In all of my collaborations with other artists, I try to interfere as little as possible and trust their expertise.
As the Poet Laureate of Dublin, California, how do you see the role of a Poet Laureate in fostering a connection between poetry and the community? Can you share any initiatives or projects that have been particularly impactful?
I’m most proud of our annual Poetry Walk, held in April (National Poetry Month), where 25 poems are selected and placed in 25 local business storefronts. Residents are provided a map of all the locations or may just stumble on poetry while out running an errand. I’ve also partnered with the Dublin Unified School District to bring poetry presentations into English classes. Most memorable was writing the captions for a set of commissioned statues at the Heritage Park and Museums. The words I wrote are permanently stamped in steel.
Your work has appeared in a wide range of literary magazines and anthologies. How do you select which poems to submit to different publications, and what advice would you give to emerging poets looking to get their work published?
Getting your poetry published is, for the most part, a numbers game because the acceptance rate for journals is extremely low. For poetry, you’ll be submitting to many journals, waiting a long time, and mostly receiving rejections. There are times when a journal is the perfect fit. One example was placing the poem “How I found you when the pareidolia fled” in Loud Coffee Press. The journal was looking for poetry with coffee references and my poem worked. A poetry friend once set a challenge to receive one hundred rejections in a year, because if you are rejected one hundred times you will very likely be accepted a couple of times. Getting published comes with many rejections.
Your poetry podcast, The Viewless Wings Poetry Podcast, provides a platform for discussing and sharing poetry. What motivated you to start this podcast, and how has it influenced your understanding of poetry and your connections within the poetry community?
I started the podcast over three years ago because of encouragement from a friend. The podcast quickly evolved into a series of interviews, with occasional submitted poetry episodes, and through those interviews I’ve been exposed to wonderful poetry collections and poets. I learn something from every single interview and hope that is true for my listeners.
