A Fevers of the Mind Quick-9 Interview with Kevin Hibshman

with Kevin Hibshman:

Q1: When did you start writing and first influences?

Kevin: I started writing around the age of fourteen. I got into Patti Smith and the writers she named as influences: Rimbaud, William Burroughs, etc.

Q2: Who are your biggest influences today?

Kevin: Today my biggest influences are Diane diPrima, Joanne Kyger, Julia Vinograd, Maura O’Connor and David Lerner. Only one of them is still alive.

Q3: Where did you grow up and how did that influence your writing/art? Have any travels away from home influence your work?

Kevin: I grew up in a very small town in Pennsylvania. I was alienated as a kid and music and poetry offered me a way out without sacrificing who I am. I spent some time in New Jersey and I think I was influenced by the quick pace of life there.

Q4: What do you consider the most meaningful work you’ve done creatively so far?

Kevin: I have a new book coming out hopefully soon that I’m very proud of because it’s the first book of story-like pieces I’ve attempted. Most of the book is autobiographical prose. It’s based on memories from my childhood and teen years that were very important in shaping me as a writer and as a person.

Q5: Any pivotal moment when you knew you wanted to be a writer/artist?

Kevin: I think the first time an editor asked me for work and then published it, I was hooked. That’s when I began to take it seriously.

Q6: Favorite activities to relax?

Kevin: Music and movies.

Q7: Any recent or forthcoming projects that you’d like to promote?

Kevin: I’ll provide a link to my poetry web-zine: Fearless.

https://archive.org/details/fearless-75/mode/2up

Q8: What is a favorite line/stanza from a poem of yours or others? Favorite art piece?

Kevin: A quote from Diane diPrima: ” The only war is the war against the imagination.”

Q9: Who has helped you most with writing?

Kevin: I’d have to mention my friends throughout the years who are fellow editors and writers who have supported and encouraged me greatly: Dave and Ana Christy, C.F. Roberts, John Patrick Robbins and Scott Simmons.

Links:

http://ryethewhiskeyreview.blogspot.com/2021/01/

Poetry by Kevin Hibshman : Shaman Song

Wolfpack Contributor: Kevin Hibshman