An Interview with Poet Nick Calder!

How old are you and where are you from? Tell us something interesting about your hometown!

I’m 31 years old, and I’m from Lansdale, Pennsylvania. The high school I went to is so big that kids don’t start going there until sophomore year. To put that in perspective, my graduating class was the smallest in 10 years and we graduated 1008 people! 

Your poetry book Glass and Gravel is out and available for readers. What inspired this collection of poetry?

Life experiences, experimentation, and realization. I have recently gone through an extended period of challenging circumstances, and the only way through was to grow. In that process, I gained understanding of truths that I either didn’t have the tools or willingness to accept in the past. That transformation is a major theme in the book. The catalyst for the book, however, was an experiment with ChatGPT. I wanted to see if it could write a good poetry book (spoiler: it can’t), and had it make several poems. None were particularly good, so I started editing one to see if I could improve it. Eventually, the poem retained none of what ChatGPT had written, and became entirely my own. That poem, Fault Line, felt very familiar to me when I was done. It made me realize a theme across many of my past poems; collapsing buildings/concrete as metaphor for something I worked hard to build only to be torn down. In those same poems, references to glass and mirrors as metaphors for transformational purity, self-reflection, and fragility of beauty arose - and from the combination of those two metaphors, Glass and Gravel was conceptualized.

What led you on your path to Independent publishing v.s finding and agent and going the traditional route?

For me, traditional publishing was never much of a consideration. I knew my style wouldn’t fit into any industry standards, and the sacrifice I’d need to make would be authenticity. I self-publish because it gives me full control of the entire creative process, and allows me to use all the tools at my disposal.Further, I believe traditional publishing is systemically broken. The amount of friction that exists in relation to the payoff doesn’t make much sense to me. To me, the only true advantages the traditional route has is, in one way or another, external validation.

What is your favorite poem from Glass and Gravel? How does this poem resonate with you compared to the others in this collection?

Loosey. I’m “Home” is my favorite - it just hits on so many levels. Visually, conceptually, musically, and it has two of my favorite lines I’ve ever written. But the one that resonates with me the most is Gargle. Many of the poems in this collection still make me feel strong emotions when I re-read them, but only Gargle. makes me feel an intimate connection with the overwhelming strength that exists simultaneously, despite, and within human vulnerability and suffering.

What is the significance of the illustrations in your poetry collection?

Fun Fact: Glass and Gravel wasn’t supposed to be illustrated. When I was looking for cover artists, Clara’s (the illustrator) work stood out to me. One of her styles felt to me like, if I had been an artist instead of a writer, it is what these poems would look like. As a plus, this style has some similarities to illustrated poetry that is already popular, and works in e-book format (which will be coming for Glass and Gravel in the future!). I describe it as “elevated Rupi Kaur.” So I hired her, and restructured the book to fit her work, and worked closely together to maintain cohesion and maximize impact. You can check out more of her work at https://claravecchi35.wixsite.com/clara-1

What do you hope to convey with your words? How do you want your poetry to reach people emotionally?

I generally try not to deliver a specific message. My aim is almost always to take a powerful experience, distill it to its essence, and find a way to recreate that exact same experience and emotional landscape for the reader. Moments that tap into the ineffable are rare, and I believe they are core to the human experience and understanding oneself and one another. They often exist just outside of what our languages can communicate, what our cultures will tolerate, or what our heart can handle. Generally, I write poems because something in my life is so confusing, conflicting, or difficult that I have no other way to express it but to invent a new way to communicate it. For me, it allows me to maintain dignity, and to validate my own experience; it is cathartic. I started publishing when I realized the challenges my poetry explores weren’t unique to me; other people experience them too. But they are rarely talked about, and even less often are they delivered in a way that others would be willing to receive. And that’s why I thought I was alone - because I couldn’t find anyone who was brave enough to show the world a reality that was similar to mine. And once I realized that’s what I needed during the hardest times in my life, it became my mission to be that for others.

Do you have any other creative plans coming up outside of promoting your book?

I have many, but two major focuses in the near future:

1. As part of Rerolling Human Publishing my goal is to create a selective but accessible, low-cost, highly collaborative system to publish creatives who have works that are worthy of publishing, but are unwilling to make the sacrifices required to be successful through the avenues currently available. More to come on that in the future.

2. Through my newsletter, I will be offering poetry prompts specifically designed to train the relevant skills, straightforward checklists that turn notes app poetry into polished published works, and writing systems that enable and adapt to each writer’s undiscovered voice instead of asking the writer’s current voice to adapt to the system.

To get involved or receive updates on both, you can subscribe to the newsletter at nickcalder.beehiiv.com

If you could give advice to an up and coming poet, what would you say?

1. Do not focus on outcomes. You cannot control them.

   1. Focus on doing the right behaviors. You can control them.

2. Uncertainty is not something to be afraid of, it is something to seek out, conquer, and repeat. 

   1. Growth only comes on the other side of uncertainty.

3. Get excited, disciplined, and creative about marketing and promoting your work. 

   1. Come up with your own process while incorporating proven strategies.

   2. Going through the motions is a waste of time. 

   3. If you don’t want to do these pieces; you just want to write, you don’t want to be successful. 

   4. That’s okay if that’s the case, but you will save yourself a lot of frustration if you accept it now instead of hoping the stars align while hemorrhaging money.

4. Something not going the way you want? Consider what you specifically want to happen, identify what isn’t working for you now (even if it’s not “your fault”), understand why, consider options that avoid your blockers, pick your favorite and accept the associated costs. 

   1. Nothing is free.

   2. You can complain. But complaining will bring like-minded individuals who are having the same problems. Which means you never end up in circles with people who have or can solve those problems.

5. Build relationships with people you trust. Trust your instincts. Keep moving forward. Be your best self.

How do you think poetry today compares to poetic works from the past? And where does your poetry fit in?

Hard to say, most great poets were not fully recognized in their time. On the surface, I’d say poetry has been affected by social media the same way as society as a whole; quick dopamine hits and trends dominate. There is plenty of greatness out there, but you have to learn to resist the pull, sift through sweet nothings, and not follow trends to find it.

One benefit of this though is that more poets are getting stylistically more punchy and accessible in their own ways.

I think the biggest shift overall, though, is I’d say poetry used to be more like music because music wasn’t as accessible as written word. Now, if you can find things you resonate with, it more so fills the role of a very good friend, or having an experience that moves you.

The way I see my poetry fitting in is it is one of the first I’ve seen to fully accept that transition, and build its identity from the ground up with that understanding in mind. I hope it inspires both readers and writers to rethink the ‘rules’ of poetry and approach it with a childlike sense of wonder. 

Where do you prefer readers buy your book? And keep up with you online? 

Amazon is the best place to buy Glass and Gravel. It will soon be available on most online retailers. Visit nickcalderauthor.com to get to know me and my work better My newsletter at nickcalder.beehiiv.com for prompts, writing tips, and updates. Instagram (@nickcalder_) is the best place to learn more about my life as an author X.com (@rerollinghuman) is the best place to get a little deeper into who I am as a person (and for really bad jokes). Thank you Coffee Wine Words for the interview, and thank you to the readers - message me on socials, or by email (nick@rerollinghuman.com), I’d love to hear your thoughts!