Q1. When did you start writing and whom influenced you the most?
Chuck: I’ve been writing since I was a kid. I was always scribbling stuff down and drawing comic books.
Q2. Any pivotal moment when you knew you wanted to be a writer?
Chuck: I don’t think it was ever some conscious decision. I just was always creating something and writing was the one thing that crossed over into all mediums I enjoyed.
Q3. Who has helped you most with writing and career?
Chuck: Obviously I had a massive amount of support from my family and friends. And my friend and fellow writer Benjamin DeVos convinced me to start submitting my poetry, so shouts to him for that.
Q4. Where did you grow up and how did that influence you? Have any travels influenced your work?
Chuck: I grew up in the shadow of Philadelphia, which is a large influence on me creatively. There has always been a great amount of artistic talent surrounding the Philly area. Everything from murals, to music, to graffiti.
If anyone has read my work they can easily see that traveling and interacting with people is a huge part of my writing. Road stories and the bizarre communities we infiltrate can be the most powerful inspiration.
Q5. What do you consider your most meaningful work creatively to you?
My poetry is probably my most meaningful creative work, as it is completely freeing during its process. However, I still get excited like a kid when I see my comic book scripts come to life.
Q6. What are your favorite activities to relax?
Chuck: I frequent the movies and go to as many concerts as my wallet will allow.
Q7. What is a favorite piece of writing you have done so far? Any meaning behind why?
Chuck: This changes every so often. As of today I am going with my poetry collection, Working Title, that was released in 2020 with Unsolicited Press. There’s a lot of myself, my friends, and family in those poems.
Q8. What kind of music inspires you the most? What is a song or songs that always come back to you as an inspiration? Or what is a writer or book you always come back to when you’re needing that extra inspiration?
Chuck: I hate to say it, but I tend to listen to a little of everything. Artists range from Bob Dylan to the Wu-Tang Clan. I grew up surrounded by skateboarding and hip hop so obviously rap is a main inspiration for me.
While I write however, I tend to have on jazz. Some that have been recently helpful are Chet Baker, Charles Mingus, Irreversible Entanglements, and Yesterday’s New Quintet.
As for writing, I always come back to Hunter S. Thompson, Jack Kerouac and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the comics of Dave McKean and Howard Mackie.
Q9. Do you have any recent or upcoming books, music, events, projects that you would like to promote?
Chuck: I recently released my newest poetry collection, People Watching, with Alien Buddha Press. I’m extremely proud of this work and is easily what I think to be one of my best as it highly focuses on my more observational style of poetry, used to deal with internal demons and concerns.
Plus that cover is just too sick.
Q10. Bonus Question: Any funny or strange stories you’d like to share during your creative journey?
Many, but none that should probably be printed.
Bio: Chuck is a writer and winner of the Mad Cave Studios 2020 Talent Hunt. In 2021 he participated in Grimm Tales from the Cave anthology from Mad Cave Studios. Chuck released two works of fiction and his fourth poetry collection, People Watching, was released by Alien Buddha Press.
Fevers of the Mind 