Jaf Liethers is an experimental poet on DeviantArt and has a self-proclaimed Ph. D as an "Ego Enhancement Consultant". For more info, visit: http://jafnsyxx.deviantart.com/Thank you for taking the time for this interview despite our gaping time difference.
Does today, Poe's death anniversary, make you wonder how society might commemorate you after you have passed on?
It certainly does! Edgar Allan Poe is a huge influence and inspiration in most of my works. What do you think should be written over my tombstone, "Extinct" or "I'd prefer if you ungrateful stalkers celebrated my genius, not my stuffed toy-induced demise."?
What's the most appropriate word to describe you?
"Rabble-rouser". It's an intangible fact supported by laws of nature and my existence...and my cockiness. Can't help it.
Out of all your works, what is your personal favorite and can you tell us something about it?
At the moment it is "L'homme en Verre Teinté" (The man stained in glass). It's a prose I had written anonymously (well, not anymore) because I found it overpoweringly blasphemous. It's about the sacrilegious scorns of a man who, after a fruitless search for god, razed all his beliefs. Everyday he found himself praying, calling out to god, only to realize he himself was the only one listening. Then he just assumed he was god.
Do you relate to "L'homme en verre teinte" and have you ever lost your faith?
Do you look up to any other poets?
There are countless! But most essentially Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Rimbaud and Pablo Neruda. I grew up reading Shel Silverstein's works and they served as a push to my interest in poetry.
Perhaps, Shakespeare in the purest sense that our works are often misinterpreted and praised due to these misconceptions. If Shakespeare were alive today, I bet he'd be an avid contributor at Cracked.com; he hid dirty jokes in his poetry and these were assumed to be romantic. I'd describe the features of a dull, empty refrigerator and again they'd consider it romantic.
Where do you find writing ideas?
Everywhere! They just come, and when they do I just stop what I'm doing, put my headphones on, ignore the world, and write away. This is why my Filipino class teacher hates me.
Poetry, just like everything else I do, started with interest and curiosity. I'd gone through a dark period of my life and writing helped me survive. Scratch that, I'm not sure if I'm completely on the other side yet. It's a dark winding tour of the world's ass which I call Jaf's Renaissance.
There's music, sketching, and I pride myself for eating quite artfully! I indulge in numerous activities which are nowhere in the same ZIP code as "creative". I'm also one for the languages and I like learning something different every now and then.
What is one thing that surely continues to inspire you as a poet?
One thing? The thing about my inspiration is it's impossibly inconsistent. Dynamic! One moment it's my love interest, the next, it's a bottle of apple juice staring at me. I don't know, really. I'm not even sure I'm a poet! Right now, all I am sure of is....English.
Jaf Liethers is truly an inspiring and witty individual. We hope that Jaf continues to amaze us with poems.
Read more of this interview in our Literary Magazine, Poets' Refuge Issue No. 43.
There are countless! But most essentially Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Rimbaud and Pablo Neruda. I grew up reading Shel Silverstein's works and they served as a push to my interest in poetry.
Which classical poet would you associate your poetic side with?
Where do you find writing ideas?
Everywhere! They just come, and when they do I just stop what I'm doing, put my headphones on, ignore the world, and write away. This is why my Filipino class teacher hates me.
What encouraged you to pursue this form of art?
Do you have any non-literature creative activities?
What is one thing that surely continues to inspire you as a poet?
One thing? The thing about my inspiration is it's impossibly inconsistent. Dynamic! One moment it's my love interest, the next, it's a bottle of apple juice staring at me. I don't know, really. I'm not even sure I'm a poet! Right now, all I am sure of is....English.
Jaf Liethers is truly an inspiring and witty individual. We hope that Jaf continues to amaze us with poems.
Read more of this interview in our Literary Magazine, Poets' Refuge Issue No. 43.
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