KEN ALLAN DRONSFIELD

OUR POETRY ARCHIVE FEATURED

POET OF THE MONTH

KEN ALLAN

DRONSFIELD

JUNE 2018

ALICJA KUBERSKA: What does poetry mean to you?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  First, let me say “thank you” for inviting me to share some of my thoughts, etc with the audience at OUR POETRY ARCHIVE. I guess to me poetry is Art. Instead of a brush and paint, or a charcoal pencil, or camera, I use words to ‘paint a picture’, whether it’s about birds, trees, a blade of grass or a walk through the woods. When done, my ‘masterpiece’ invokes images in the readers minds, paintings, drawings, etc.

ALICJA KUBERSKA: What’s according to you the meaning of poetry in the contemporary world?

KEN DRONSFIELD:   Personally I find poetry today in this world of contemporary poetry vs. the old traditional style of poetry to be harder to grasp as to the meaning of each piece of work. The styles of writing, be they, non-rhyming verse, or concrete imagery are wonderful, but sometimes I like to go back and read some of the ‘master’s’ work as well. I find it extremely fun to read.

ALICJA KUBERSKA:  Can you describe your creative process while writing a new poem?

KEN DRONSFIELD:   Most times when I’m just beginning a new piece, it will start with just a single word or short sentence, sometimes just a title, and I will let it flow from there. Many times my work sits for months with only a title and the first couple verses, or even just one quatrain, then I finish the work over time.

ALICJA KUBERSKA:  Did it happen to you that a poem was just your dream ?

KEN DRONSFIELD:    Yes, I have written many poems about what I’ve dreamt or fantasized about during daydreams.

ALICJA KUBERSKA: Tell us about your inspiration. What’re the most important subjects to you?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  I love nature and light horror as well. I spent many years growing up in the woods and on the waters of the Northeast corner of the United States; ie, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. My love of the outdoors started there, and has been with me for all my years. The light horror comes from time spent reading Edgard Allan Poe in high school.

MARIA MIRAGLIA:  Which were the emotions that inspired your first verses?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  An exuberance, an excitement in seeing nesting birds, or watching a small baby deer walking with it’s mother, seeing it explore the world around it for the first time. It was and is very inspiring to this day!

MARIA MIRAGLIA:  Was your aspiration to become a poet or did all happen by chance?

KEN DRONSFIELD:   I just enjoyed writing. Whether it was a short story, a limerick or perhaps a four-line poem. I found it rather thrilling to write a poem or story knowing no one has written one like that piece. I think it all comes down to ‘creation’. I believe we all want to create something in our lives. It’s all about the art, albeit a canvas to paint, a picture to photograph, or a poem.

MARIA MIRAGLIA:  Who is the first person you read your poems to and why?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  Myself….I read all my work out loud before anyone else gets to read the piece. I find reading the work in my own voice helps me to correct small grammatical errors or even just improve on the piece.

MARIA MIRAGLIA:  Have you published any poetic anthology, if so what did you feel the first time you got it in your hands?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  I have been published in approximately 8 or 10 anthologies over the past several years. I have also been the co-editor of two anthologies. I was very excited to find myself published in the very first anthology and as I read the book I believe all I could say was, “Wow”!

MARIA MIRAGLIA:  Who are the poets you prefer reading? Do you get inspiration from them?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  Yes, indeed. I have many poets that I enjoy reading, but not too many of the newer contemporary writers. My list of those I love to read repeatedly would be Edgar Allan Poe, William Butler Yeats, Leonard Cohen, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and William Shakespeare. I also enjoy reading Robert Frost, Pablo Neruda, Maya Angelou and Walt Whitman. I even enjoy some of the poetry written by Stephen King, between he and Edgar Allan Poe, I try to write lighter horror using their inspirational styles.

APRILIA ZANK:  How important is accessibility of meaning to you? Do you challenge the readers to work hard to decipher your poems, or do you prefer transparency of meaning?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  I would say ‘yes’. I don’t  challenge my readers to work to find meaning in my poems. I never try to explain my work to anyone. I let the pieces speak for themselves. I think those reading my work always find they’re own imagery within my poems.

APRILIA ZANK:  What kind of poems do you write mostly? Do you have recurring themes, or are all your poems unique?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  This is a tough question, in as much as, I write different poems on a consistent basis. I might write a nice nature poem on Monday, then decide to write a light horror piece on Thursday. With this question, I allow my Muse free will. I simply write what flows.

APRILIA ZANK:  Do you think your poetry is typically feminine / masculine? If yes, in what way?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  No, I find poetry to be totally without any feminine or masculine credo.

APRILIA ZANK:  Do you write mostly about yourself, or do you also have an open eye /ear for the issues of the world?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  I try not to write about myself, but find I do ‘show up’ in some of my poems. I also have an open eye and ear to the heartbeat of the world as well, but try to stay away from current events. I enjoy writing about historical issues of years or times gone by.

APRILIA ZANK:  In what way is your poetry different from that of other poets?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  

I believe my work to be different because of my attention to detail and imagery that other poets might shy away from.

LEYLA IŞIK:  What are the main factors to make poetry real poetry?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  Another tough one. Let me try to answer this one. I truly believe with all my heart that it comes down to “believability” of the piece. I think that if you know nothing about horses, don’t try to write a poem about them. Your lack of understanding and knowledge will show through every time. So, before you start to write about a subject, get to know your subject first. In my heart I think that believability in poetry is good poetry, and good poetry is real poetry. And that goes for free verse, rhyming, sonnets or even short stories; whatever you choose.

LEYLA IŞIK:  Do you think imagery is important in poetry? Where does the importance of imagery begin in a poem, where does it end?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  Yes, imagery is important in poetry, but, if you are writing an imagery filled poem, keep the imagery coming, don’t start the poem full of wonderful images, then after the first quatrain, or after the first lines, go off on a boring subject. If you do this, the eyes of the reader will wander away from the page, wandering eyes, means the reader is gone. They will leave and look for something more interesting to read. You want to keep their attention and want them to read the next line, then the next, and so on.

LEYLA IŞIK:  What are the most used types of poetry in your country?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  free-verse, concrete poetry here in the USA.

LEYLA IŞIK:  What’s important to be a good poet? To write good poems!

KEN DRONSFIELD:  I would say to write for yourself first. I’ve always said that. If YOU like it, then seek publishing. If you don’t, then put it back in the folder and rework it later. Be true to yourself always first!

DEBORAH  BROOKS  LANGFORD:  Understanding poetry begins with visualizing the central images in the poem. What do you see, taste, smell, hear, and feel? What is the imagery of your poetry?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  If you can take the reader from their couch, or easy chair, and put them right there, amongst the grasses, the village, the people or animals you’ve written about in your poem, then you’ve done your job as a good imagery poet.

DEBORAH  BROOKS  LANGFORD:  What is the mood of your poetry? (Or How does it make you feel?)

KEN DRONSFIELD:  I always feel excited and fulfilled when I finally complete a poem. Whether it’s a horror piece, a nature or seasonal piece of a work of eclectic prattle…

DEBORAH  BROOKS  LANGFORD:  In your poetry who is the speaker of the poem? Are you speaking to yourself or to others?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  My work changes… rarely am I speaking to myself, most times I’m speaking to the reader.

DEBORAH  BROOKS  LANGFORD:  What is the message of your poetry?  What messages do your poetry convey?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  I’m always hoping that the readers enjoy my poetry, that they feel it’s imagery filled, well written, and believable. That each poem speaks a ‘truth’ for all, and that they find the last lines as enjoyable as the first few.

DEBORAH  BROOKS  LANGFORD:   Does the internet and social media contribute to the success of your poetry? Is this the reason you write for?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  Yes, in an enormous way. I think all poets, writers, etc., feel the internet and social media contributes immensely to the success of their individual works. I find that 20 years ago, you had to find a publisher, hand type each poem, mail them and hope for the best. Most publishers at that time would simply read a few lines and throw the lot into the bin. Not even bother to let the poet know. Nowadays, I find it wonderful and exciting to send out your work to editors who select and display for their readers. I love this new age of computer media.  

NILAVRONILL SHOOVRO:  Thank you so much dear poet for the interview. We would like to know your personal experience with OPA as a literary web journal. Would you like to share anything more with our readers?

KEN DRONSFIELD:  I would simply like to thank YOU for all you do for poetry and young up and coming writers as well as those that are established. You give us all a platform to display our talents and our work. It’s an awesome thing! Thank you so much!