“Vincent went off his meds to travel time,” “Mama told Vincent what the voice said,” and “Vincent dreams he was a crow” by Allen Weber appeared in Issue 35 and can be found here.
We’d love to hear more about this set of poetry.
The first poem of the Vincent series was inspired by the coupon question. The man I drove to get a box of donuts is real (he has schizophrenia, lots of questions, and a huge heart), but it didn’t feel right to write about him, so most of Vincent had to come from my own interests and weirdness–had to keep the coupon, though.
What was the most difficult part in writing this set?
After reading the first, Vincent went off his meds to travel time, my poet wife said there was too much going on to digest in one poem and suggested a series, or even a chapbook around Vincent. So I kept writing in a way I’d never previously done—using the same character in different poems. The biggest challenge was to allow each poem to lean on the others in such a way that it would not fall down if the others were removed.
Recommend a book for us which was published within the last decade.
I hope you won’t quibble over one year: I recently finished the winner of the 2011 Booker Prize, The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes. I am at approximately the same stage in life as the narrator. The issue of false or incomplete memories of one’s youth startled me, made me assume that I too am the antihero of my own story. The protagonist’s memory of his past was fleshed out while seeking answers concerning the suicide of a school-days friend.
If you could have a drink with any living author, who would it be? Why?
If he were willing to share literary insight, John Irving. I’ve loved every one of his novels, but for me it was A Prayer for Owen Meany that insured I’d be a life-long fan. His storylines are bold, with wryly humorous narrations, empathetic characters, and fascinating circumstances.
What are you working on now? What’s next?
Inspiration is all around, but sometimes, like right now, I feel that I may never write another poem. I am on and off looking for a publisher for a collection of poems, some of which I’ve been tinkering with for 25 years.
Our thanks to Allen for taking the time to answer a few questions and share these poems. Read “Vincent went off his meds to travel time,” “Mama told Vincent what the voice said,” and “Vincent dreams he was a crow” here: https://www.sequestrum.org/four-poems-by-allen-weber.
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Allen lives in Hampton, Virginia with his poet wife and two of their three sons. His poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies—including Arc Poetry Magazine, The Fourth River, Iris Literary Journal, Naugatuck River Review, Splash—Haunted Waters Press, Terrain, Unlikely Stories, and Up the Staircase Quarterly.
Read More: A brief Q&A with Allen Weber