things like that

rob mclennan: Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who enjoys doing readings?

Raoul Fernandes: I really like them despite the nerves and rarely being as good as I want. It's very important for my work to connect with people. I write my poems towards that. It's such an intimate thing to have people sit quietly and listen to you, to have that trust. Especially with something as potentially volatile or bewildering as poetry. After, I want to kiss all their foreheads and say “sorry” and “thank you.”

rob: Do you have any theoretical concerns behind your writing? What kinds of questions are you trying to answer with your work? What do you even think the current questions are?

Raoul: Oh goodness. Well, I think I can speak only for myself. I find myself getting obsessed with certain human qualities: how we perceive things, how we try to make sense of this life. What is this sensation I have no words for? How do we get through the day? Why did that person set himself on fire? Do I want to set myself on fire on occasion? Things like that.

- Raoul Fernandes, in interview with rob mclennan over on his blog. You can read the whole thing here.

Raoul is launching his first collection, Transmitter and Receiver, this Sunday at the Grand Luxe Hall. You can get more information on that here.