Michael B. Tager is stardust currently in the form of the author of Pop Culture Poetry: The Definitive Edition (Akinoga Press, ’24), and Managing Editor of Mason Jar Press.1. How did your first book change your life? How does your most recent work compare to your previous? How does it feel different? The first book I "really" read was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I was in 2nd grade and it was like "oh, books can do this? They can transport me away entirely and make me forget about everything else? Well I'm into that!" It was quite a moment and I never looked back. As for how it relates to my current writing? When I write prose, I often lean into magic and/or the unexplained. I'm a genre boy at heart. But I tend to write more poetry these days, and poetry about pop culture as opposed to fantasy. Maybe I'll write a thing about Turkish Delight, or my deep confusion at Christian iconography (cause I'm Jewish and that whole Jesus parallel went woosh over my head!)
2. How did you come to poetry first, as opposed to, say, fiction or non-fiction? I came to poetry well after prose! I have never taken a poetry course, either lit or writing. So the fact that my first book is poetry is an irony not lost on me. I came to poetry because it allows me to be weird more than prose. Maybe because I was never taught in poetry, I don't have any bad habits that I need to break, like I do with prose. Plus I can be really vulnerable and hide it in imagery and fun phrases, which is harder (for me) than in prose. In fiction, I layer my own self a bit too deep and in nonfiction I fight the vulnerability at every single step. Poetry is a happy medium for me!
3. How long does it take to start any particular writing project? Does your writing initially come quickly, or is it a slow process? Do first drafts appear looking close to their final shape, or does your work come out of copious notes? When I'm writing--which isn't now--I have two ways I come to writing. The first is that I have a set time every day in which to write on current projects or on new ideas. The other way is that when inspiration strikes, it doesn't matter what I'm doing, I have to get a pen or a computer and just start writing as much as possible, because I've learned that if I ignore inspiration, it goes away. Shocking right? Now, when I get into a project, the writing comes fast-fast-fast. I've been known to write a 5,000 word story or 10 poems in one sitting. Revising can take longer, but first drafts? That's not slow at all.
4. Where does a poem or work of prose usually begin for you? Are you an author of short pieces that end up combining into a larger project, or are you working on a "book" from the very beginning? Skipped
5. Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who enjoys doing readings? I like performing! I have minors in theater and speech communication, I have done dance performances and debate, I've given presentations at conferences and trainings. I like karaoke and I've done weird experimental art exhibits. So, performing isn't a barrier to me. It isn't part of my process or anything, and I don't write for the performance, but I enjoy giving readings. I don't like what leads up to the reading (because stage fright and general introvertedness) but once I'm on stage, it's all downhill.
6. Do you have any theoretical concerns behind your writing? What kinds of questions are you trying to answer with your work? What do you even think the current questions are? I'm trying to get back to the weirdo I was when I first began writing. That sense of fun and play that MFA and general adulthood beat out of me. It's why I am drawn more to poetry these days; it's the genre I have the least experience in and by far the least training. I'm able to access that "fuck it" mentality that eludes me in prose. So while I don't have any particular concerns or theoretical roots that I'm exploring, I do have a goal, which is to capture that childhood uniqueness.
7. What do you see the current role of the writer being in larger culture? Do they even have one? What do you think the role of the writer should be? Writers are artists and artists are the soul of culture. No one remembers Odysseus because of his awesomeness, we remember him because a dope ass book was written. Without artists, there's no memory. You're welcome, world.
8. Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)? I LOVE working with an editor and I find it easy as pie. Possibly because I'm an editor, but also because I love collaboration and I love people telling me how to make my stuff better. Improve me, daddy!
9. What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)? I was at an SF &F panel when I was a baby writer and they were all smart genre writers talking. One jabroni in the audience asked about money and you could feel the panelists' eyes rolling. one of them said something along the lines of there's three reasons to me to write. The first is because you want to get paid--in which case you should just follow the career paths and writing styles of Stephen King or Jodi Picoult or something, or just write cookbooks. The second is because you only feel the need to write and create--in which case who cares about money--or even being published. The last--and the reason I write and probably my colleagues--is because you want people to read you and think about what you think. We like money and we'd like to make a full living by this, but it's not the main concern. So, my advice is to figure out why you're writing and go from there. Don't start at the money.
10. How easy has it been for you to move between genres (poetry to prose)? What do you see as the appeal? Pretty easily! One thing leads to another and being around brilliant creative people gives ideas and thoughts that I want to try. Plus, I get bored and need to experiment or I lose my mind. But I also find that one informs the other. My poetry makes my prose prettier, my fiction makes my nonfiction (incidentally my least favorite genre and one I really only do these days when paid) more interesting, my nonfiction helps me get to the point in my fiction, and the prose helps me keep my head out of my ass with poetry. It's a circle.
11. What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one? How does a typical day (for you) begin? Well, I'm not writing at all now since I have kids and two jobs and a press but eventually that'll change. (answered routine question above)
12. When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word) inspiration? Either physical activity in order to empty my brain of all the stuff clogging it: working out, walking, dancing, etc., or other forms of entertainment. By that I mean video games, movies, card games like Magic the Gathering, and stuff like that. I've written several stories inspired by video games, for example. Get the inspiration from other places!
13. What fragrance reminds you of home? What fragrance reminds you of home? I'm more triggered by physical sensations than smell, so also the weight of light jackets, warm sun and chill breeze, walking for hours without sweating or shivering. Yeah, that's the stuff.
14. David W. McFadden once said that books come from books, but are there any other forms that influence your work, whether nature, music, science or visual art? (see 12)
15. What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work? What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work? My favorite book is Startide Rising by David Brin, which is hard sci fi about space dolphins. I love pulpy fantasy and detective stories. I cut my teeth on Dragonlance and early Stephen King. in other words, given the choice between never reading literary fiction or genre fiction again, I'd be like "fuck you lit fiction." Even though I primarily write lit fiction and poetry, I get most of my inspiration from other venues.
16. What would you like to do that you haven't yet done? skipped
17. If you could pick any other occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or, alternately, what do you think you would have ended up doing had you not been a writer? If and when I switch careers again, I'm going into hospitality. Being a concierge, or making events at a hotel (weddings, cons, whatever) would be my jam. I'm good at it!
18. What made you write, as opposed to doing something else? I don't know. Does anyone know? I'm just biding my time on this earth until I die and writing makes me happy. I’m an optimistic nihilist: nothing matters, so let’s have fun and make everything brighter and cheerier before the void swallows us whole. I like writing, I’m good at it, I recognized that early so I guess fuck it let’s write some books?
19. What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film? I haven't read a book in two years but the best storytelling I've read is the video games Hades. It's a rogue-like wherein each game is different, and it's designed to kill the hell out of you. In between deaths, you talk to characters from Greek myth like Thanatos, Persephone, Hades (duh), Cerberus, Achilles, the Furies, and so on. The backstories, romances, subversions of myth that are parsed out over 50-100 hours are absolutely brilliant. Video games have become art. It's a fact. As for film, you don't really want to open that can of worms. I can go on. But, ummmm, Hunt for Red October was pretty baller. I missed it when it came out and so watched it. It was dope.
20. What are you currently working on? NOTHING! I have two kids, my parents now live with me, two jobs, a semblance of a social life, a wife, and a press that I run (which satisfies most of my artistic cravings). When the baby goes to day care and my wife goes back to (paid) work so I can decrease my hours, I'll probably write again. Until then, I have no guilt at not writing.
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