here's a link to a new interview Milner Place just gave to Short Story Library.  it's MUST READING.
the interview was conducted by Casey Quinn.


http://shortstory.us.com/2009/08/ssl-interviews-poet-milner-place/

Great job, both of you! Tom

yes, Milner is THE MAN.  and Casey did do a great job setting it up, didn't he?
jy

Terrific interview, milner!  and terrific interview, Casey.  And thanks, John, for bringing this to my attention.

Gentlemen, well done!

Tiko

i'm posting links to this interview all over the place.  got to spread the word about Milner.
john

Kudos to our member Casey AND to our wonderful editor Milner Place! (not tomention John for bringing it to our attention!

This link has been twittered. Tweet, tweet.

And the link and milner have been twittered twice more by me.

 ;)

fantastic!  let's all try to post a link to Milner's interview somewhere or tweet or whatever the heck that is and let's just put on a big effort to spread the word.  Milner deserves no less than our best efforts. 
jy

I'm a bit overwhelmed by all this support - all of a twitter, you might (or better might not) say. Facebook is as far as I've got - twittering could be a step too far for me.

Thanks, and thanks again to all, most especially, of course, to Casey for doing the interview.

The comments that have so far been added are great, from John and Lynn, and Todd Moore is also there (ain't that something?)

milner

milner, I'm kinda surprised that you haven't or aren't in the midst of writing a novel.  Your personality lends itself to novel writing, to me.  I'm not sure why.  I think it's because you appear to be so patient, and wise, as well as always saying the right thing in the right way, correcting and enlightening without pain--so to speak.

I bet you have a novel in you somewhere.

cheryl

By the way, forgot to mention I love 'Outlaw Poetry' website--I think I mentioned to you before that I found your poem about the 'black bird' there and it was so fun to have your writing appear out of nowhere, like that.

Outlaw Poetry reminds me much of 'beat' poetry, or even some of the better 'slam' or 'spoken word' poems today.  Yet I get the sense that particular website is very professional, regardless of anything else.

cheryl

yes, i agree.  Klaus is VERY supportive of all the writers he enjoys.  he's got a "bookstore" on the site and everything.  anyway, speaking of books...i DO hope you've ordered a copy of Milner's.
john

I'd happily appoint you my agent, John, on 15% at least. But even on 95%, I doubt you'd feed high on the hog! In fact, you'd bloody starve. Joking apart - much appreciated.

Cheers

milner

No, Cheryl, one thing I found by having written one unpublished novel, was that poetry is much more my 'thing'.

milner

milner, I sure would like to say somethng about right now.  I just left a very cool website where one of the newer members told me in a comment on a recent poem that he'd 'noticed I, at the least, was able to ruminate along the same lines' in this latest poem (he's from Australia, so I can hardly ever understand what he's saying anyway).

This particular writer seems intelligent and knowledgeable regarding poetry and poets, but when his words come out his mouth they look so ugly I can't stand to listen to him.

Now, I know that doesn't sound bad all by itself (the ruminating remark), but this man has taken me for his scapegoat, or something, I dunno, because I don't know him, but he tends to humiliate me everytime he comments on my writing.

But my point is this.  It wouldn't matter to me how great a poet you are milner, if you didn't have the personality you have.  And you are awesome, of course, goes without saying.

But people are always complimenting you and telling you how wonderful you are, and you continue at the same very gracious, and I believe, very humble pace.

THAT is why I like you so much and why I follow your writing carefully.  I don't care how rich, how talented, or how intelligent a man is, if he hasn't kindness in his bones, he's not worth a dime, and neither is the great fortune he's been blessed with.

cheryl

casey, fine job on the interview! thoroughly enjoyed the read.

milner, you certainly have an array of colours on your palette. if you don't want to try another novel, what about an autobiography? I'd buy it!

Stella

Interesting this point you raise, Cheryl, that has bedevilled many over all the 'arts. How much are we affected in our view by the apparent character and opinions of the 'artist'? Not being a 'critic', I'm afraid my likes and dislikes are very subjective.

Cheers

milner

You're not the first to try to cajole me into an autobiography, Stella. The enormity of the task is too forbidding. I wrote a whole novel based on two weeks of my life which involved a smuggling run during the Algerian war - how could I tackle a life? I think the beauty and attraction of poetry, for me, lies in the wonderful economy with which the 'truth' behind the reality can be expressed.

I think, in so many ways, I'm forever writing that autobography through poems. Maybe the nearest thing to a broad autobiographical approach to a large part of my life is in my poem 'the odyssey'. (It's in here and in my collection 'naked invitation')

Thanks for your appreciation.

milner

I knew you'd say that, milner. the novel sounds intriguing.

The reality was intriguing, to say the least, Stella, but I fucked up on trying to make it into a novel. That, in itself, is a long story, which involved many influences. But I learned a lot of what not to do in writing.

milner