Official Apex Reviews Interview: Vernon J. Davis, Jr. (Love, Is, The Beautiful Black Woman)
AR: Vernon, thanks for joining us for this interview. Reading your book was a great treat.
VJD: Thank you. I appreciate that.
AR: Love, Is, The Beautiful Black Woman is your first published book, but you've been writing for years. Please share with our readers a little about your writing career up to this point.
VJD: Well, I started writing in the early seventies after reading Langston Hughes's poem "Impasse". It was such a short poem and I told myself, "I can write poetry like that!"
So, I did, and at first, I wrote to impress the girls. Then I discovered Nikki Giovanni and Maya Angelou(my other 2 inspirations)and decided I should do more than just to impress.I remember reading Nikki Giovanni's poetry over and over again--just to get a feel of her style.And I actually met her. In 1985 I gave her a copy of the first version of "Love, Is, The Beautiful Black Woman" in manuscript form. She told me she was really busy and it would be about 6 months before she could get back with me. Yet, she wrote me two days later and told me she love the book and not to give up.
So, as you can see, my first poetry book has been a labor of Love for some time. My very first poem published was "Beautiful Black Woman" in a magazine called Black Forum in 1978. And that poem is the foundation of my book.
Several of my other poems have been published since then. But, I never pursued the book publication until about 5 years ago. It just felt like the timing was right, especially with all the options available for aspiring writers these days.
AR: Many of the poems in the collection deal with love. How big an impact has love/romance had on your life?
VJD: A huge impact! I'm a romantic at heart--I believe totally in Romance!
And when I write, I try to describe what I'm seeing and feeling into an inspirational serenade of respect and Love. I usually find something good in a person and I'll take that trait and try to put in words,the best words,and elevate or praise as highly possible without being too sentimental. I try to bond with the spirit/soul of who I'm writing about. I love being intimate spiritually, as well as mentally. I think this be should first and foremost in Romance. Then the physical bonding will come naturally.
AR: On the other hand, some of the poems also deal with the inevitability of heartbreak. We're guessing that's also had just as huge an impact?
Yes--heartbreak, does and will happen. Part of Life. And when you have a deep Love for someone, then the hurt is just as deep when the relationship is over. For me, when I write about the hurt--the words I put on paper are healing me. I guess my way of letting go. Also, I can go back in time when and remember.
AR: Out of curiosity, are the named poems in the book actually written for real women with the same names? If so, do they know about them, and what's been their response?
VJD: Yes, all the named poems are about real women who I know. However, the poem--"For C.K." is about Chaka Khan. I haven't met her yet.
All the ladies I know, that I wrote about, saw their poem before it became a part of my book.If I get to know you and I start to feel a strong inspiration that won't go away--I usually will write a poem about you as my tribute to you.
And those same ladies told me they loved the poems. I try as I said earlier to bond with them on a level that I like to call beyond lust, far beyond love.
AR: How was your experience in writing and publishing the book? Any advice for aspiring authors/publishers?
VJD: Well, I did alot of research. And thanks to the internet--it's alot easier to get published than it was 10-15 years ago. Anyone can get published, if you have the discipline to stick to it and finish your book. The options are many--there are print-on demand publishers for a fee or you can publish your book yourself.There are many small publishers that'll work with unknown writers (some of them you can find on myspace).
Personally, what I did for about a year was read and read and read about all the new different types and ways of getting published before I settled with my current publisher. And since then, more options are available. For example, www.publishamerica.com doesn't charge a dime and they work with unknown writers. And I just found out about them less than a year ago.
My experience in writing and publishing my book has been fun! The hard part (the writing) was done so long ago, that all I had to do was concentrate on the editing of my galley and just reply in a timely manner to my publisher. The exciting part of it all was when my book went live--available all over the internet!
AR: We've heard alot about this lately, but that's because it'll never go away: in the publishing industry, poetry remains one of the hardest genres to sell. Why do you think that is?
VJD: I heard that poetry either sells extremely well or not at all. I guess you have to hit a nerve with the public--either good or bad, before something happens. Otherwise, poetry is just decoration.
I remember seeing Rod McKuen on the Ed Sullivan Show reciting his poetry. How did he manange that? I read that his commercial success is unparalleled in the field of modern poetry. His public readings had the drawing power of a rock concert.Well, with me, I just want to hit that nerve.
AR: Do you read your poems live? If so, what kinds of responses do you tend to get? If not, is this something you'd consider doing?
VJD: I have read my poetry live since I was a teenager and I've won talent shows and perform at different functions when invited. I do intend on doing more live shows, but,I'm more of a writer, than a performer. I would like to be like Langston Hughes.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?
VJD: Someone told me that I have a gift--a gift from God. And that I should share it and remember where my gift of writing poetry comes from. When I was younger, I just thought it was all me and my finite skills. But now I know it is a gift from God and I try to live by this mantra daily--PGF!(Put God First)I say this because there are many days I don't know where the words come from and when I PGF--the words seem to appear in all the right places. I truly believe this. And I also would like to say to everyone--Never lose sight of your dreams.
AR: Thanks again, Vernon, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors.
VJD: Thank you! And thank you for the great questions--I enjoyed answering them.
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