Tell us about yourself and what inspired you to start writing.
I was introduced to writing poetry by a creative writing teacher in high school. I had always enjoyed writing (and was a shy, voracious bookworm) but hadn’t experimented with poetry. I had the typical high school student’s impression of poetry: boring, hard to understand, and worst of all nerdy. But that teacher was the spark, and during the section on poetic forms I discovered the extraordinary power of poetry: the ability to capture emotion, sound, and movement in a few carefully crafted words. Reading E.E. Cummings, more than any other poet, taught me the design language of poetry.
Describe your writing process? Is there anything unique about it?
Over the past forty years I’ve had bursts of creativity and long lulls of blank pages, but always lurking was a need to capture my experiences in words. The year 2020 and its pandemic-induced solitude inspired the poems of which I’m most proud; they lead this collection. Most are autobiographical, in particular the title poem “canvas,” and collectively form a fragmented memoir of memories and melancholy. Some are fanciful, like “tethered,” inspired by a fleeting image seen while hiking the Pacific coastline. All strive to paint images in the reader’s mind through the thoughtful selection and careful placement of words.
Have you published any books or do you have a desire to do so?
“canvas” is my debut book, but one of many I plan to write in the coming decades.
Do you have any favorite poets or authors?
Olivia Gatwood, A.E. Stallings, Billy Collins, e.e. cummings, Margaret Atwood
Do you have a favorite book of poetry or poems?
I’ve been reading a lot of poetry lately
What are you reading now?
Margaret Atwood’s new collection, “Dearly”
What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Full-time job, pets, hobbies?
My day job is a product manager at a tech company in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Are you working on a current project?
Poet Website and Profiles
James Morehead’s Website
James Morehead’s Amazon Profile
James Morehead’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter Profile
Instagram Page