“From Beirut (1982-1984): A Cycle of Poetry” by Michael appeared in Issue 34 and can be found here.
We’d love to hear more about this set of poetry.
Kittredge was a very real person–my best friend, my mentor, my brother–and larger in real life than he could ever be in print. He’s the reason the Dispatches exists. I thought I had dealt with all it successfully, though I had periods where I still mourned him. The nightmares had almost gone away. And then in 2003 in the lead up to the Iraqi War, it suddenly all came flooding back and I was a mess. Writing these poem brought me back.
What was the most difficult part of this particular poems?
The most difficult part of creating, “Sabra and Chantila,” were the still potent memories of slaughter. I tried to let the facts speak for themselves. I hesitated to portray the young Israeli soldier for fear that the piece would fall into bathos. Friends who gave feedback to the manuscript criticized me for resorting to emotionalism and sentimentality. I still think that face is at the center of that volume. And I never will forget that face.
Recommend a book for us which was published within the last decade.
At the expense of appearing like an old geezer, I’ve found it hard to find recent writers who interest or move me. Too often I feel like I’m reading a graduate school exercise. All mental, no heart. That will lose me readers, but telling the truth should be a writer’s first commandment. Most recently, I thoroughly enjoyed Margaret Eby’s, South Toward Home.
If you could have a drink with any living author, who would it be? Why?
With anyone who’s buying.
What are you working on now? What’s next?
I’m working on a story called, “1910,” and that’s all I’m going to say.
Our thanks to Michael for taking the time to answer a few questions and share this poetry. Read the Beirut cycle here: https://www.sequestrum.org/three-poems-by-michael-campagnoli.