Piedmont Poetry Project: What do you hope to achieve with your poetry?
Justin Chopin: “A
more personal goal is that writing poetry helps me to battle OCD, which can
make me feel like I am living in a war zone. Writing allows me to take all of
the forebodings trapped inside of my head and create pieces of poetry that
reflect the mental struggles that I have to face everyday. This routine of
writing when I am stressed usually works really well because it allows me to be
liberated from the plague of anxiety bringing a great deal of relief and joy knowing
that God allows me to express myself through the written word. I would also
hope that my poetry would help others with similar struggles to know they are
not alone and God is there to help them.”
PPP: What are your earliest recollections of poetry in your life?
JC: “My
earliest recollections of poetry in my life are the brilliantly rhyming and
witty books of Dr. Seuss. My Mom would
read them over and over to me until I had them memorized. Later on during middle school, we studied the
dramatic and passionate Psalms of David, which became a very profound influence
on me. My Bible teacher had the class write a poem in response to a Psalm. I
wrote my first poem, “The God of Peace “ which was published in the school
newspaper.”
PPP: Why, in your opinion, is poetry important in our society?
JC: “Poetry
has an immense importance to society both to the writers and readers of
poetry. Writers can express themselves
through the many forms of poetry providing a creative outlet for everything
inside of them. Poetry benefits the reader because it can speak to us about our
problems, joys, and experiences in both a creative and intelligent way that we can
appreciate and relate to. Isn’t it
amazing that we can relate to poetry written hundreds of years ago? Most societal struggles are timeless and so
is poetry. “
PPP: What inspires you to write?
JC: Everything
and anything can inspire me to write including but not limited to: God, whatever
I am feeling in the moment ranging from happiness to depression, my
relationships with my family, friends and other people who are important in
shaping the foundations of my life, current events, tragedies, triumphs, rock n
roll music and rock n roll musicians, the stupidity and the sheer mindlessness
of television, the wickedness of the world we live in, etc. Anything I see or
hear can spark an idea or an emotion, and I can’t help but write about it.
PPP: When do you write?
JC: “I
write anytime and all the time. I
usually don’t go anywhere without a notebook. I write whenever I feel I have
something to say about the condition I have found myself in. Whether it is devotionals,
attempting to outline a new story idea, taking notes about a book or a passage
of the Bible or developing a piece of poetry, you can usually find me writing
whenever I have a chance. Writing is an omnipresent force in my life.”
PPP: Is there a particular place that you like to write?
JC: I like
to be outside when I write. I usually sit
on the front porch swing, which is a good perch as I watch the world go by and
observe the awesome marvel of creation.
PPP: What poets do you read?
JC: I love
to read poetry almost as much as I love to write it. I have read an unholy
throng of poets: Ezra Pound, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Robert Burns,
Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Wallace Stevens, Jack Kerouac,
Allen Ginsberg, John Keats, Lord Byron, Christina Rossetti, TS Eliot, Edgar
Allan Poe, William Carlos Williams, Dylan Thomas, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Browning,
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, etc.
Honestly,
I admire the Romantic poets more than the Modernistic poets. I believe that the
Romantics were much more optimistic about life, love, and all of the other
vital aspects of life praising them as a blessing. They wrote odes to everything they described
including their childhood memories in very elegant, lyrical verses. Since I
could relate to their longings to go back to the past and live as freely as
they did when they were still in their early years, Romantics made my desire to
become a poet much greater.
The
Modernistic poets are complete opposites in that I find most of this poetry boring,
depressing, and cynical. Modernists tend to have the attitude that society is
some kind of sadistic monster that would annihilate all of humanity. This kind of “grungy” bleakness made me loathe
having to study their poetry. I would
rather read and write poetry that is uplifting and encouraging.
PPP: What advice do you have for others who might want to get started writing poetry?
JC: My
advice to those who have poetic aspirations would be to just start writing.
There are many websites that allow you to write and critique the work of
others. The Internet is also a great
source for prompts and contests.
Beginners
may want to take a class in poetry writing. I majored in Creative Writing in
college and especially enjoyed my poetry classes. I would also suggest that they read a variety
of poets and notice their different styles, their poetic voice and the messages
that they are sending with their compositions. I also think it is important for
poets to be open and honest with their feelings about their lives and the
world. This vulnerability is beneficial
to the writer by providing an outlet for feelings even if no one else ever
reads it.
PPP: Have you noticed any trends or patterns in your writing over the past 5-10 years?
JC: The trends
I have noticed during the last five years are actually patterns that I believe
my poetry has always had namely a spiritual theme about God and the wonders
that He bestows about mankind every day, a rhyme scheme that usually consists
of couplets that almost always enhance the quality of the piece I am writing.
The
mood of my poems can either be very joyous if I am speaking about the greatness
of God or can be very sadistic and cynical if I am lamenting the modern world
that we live in. An ever-present narrative voice sets the tone for the majority
of my pieces.
When I
was in college, my poems had a very optimistic and spiritual kind of mood and
theme to them. I would sit outside near the lake and gaze at the skies, the
trees and all of wonderful natural creations that God had fabricated, and I
could not help myself but to praise Him.
PPP: Share a comment or two about life, parenthood, nature,
teaching, writing, or anything else that you'd like.
JC: After
I had graduated from college, I became anxious about my future. As my anxiety increased, so did my OCD, which
can actually be debilitating. The moods,
themes and other aspects of my poetry became darker, moodier, and much more unpleasant.
But writing helped me to get through
this dark time and provided a release for my anxiousness. Even though I am still dealing with OCD, the
monster has been quieted and the darkness is not as bleak and neither is my
writing. Praise God!
Life
to me is a very precious and beautiful gift from God that some people love and
some loathe. Some people wake up
everyday with a smiling face hoping to embrace every beautiful aspect of life.
Others gaze at life as one long, depressing tragedy that they would rather
avoid than be a part of.
Writing
is a process that takes time, patience, and determination. I do not believe
that anybody can pick up a pen or pencil and just scribble down some lines and
become the next William Shakespeare. It just doesn’t work that way. Truly wonderful writing comes from an
individual who has disciplined himself to persevere through the rejections and
disappointments knowing that if he keeps writing and takes the advice that his
peers and his critics have given him and makes the most of their critiques,
then he will be successful.
If
writing has helped to soothe your soul or to comfort another soul, then you are
a successful writer.
Read the feature on Justin Chopin and his poetry at Independent Tribune.
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