“An Address on the Fragmentation of My Self” by Stu Nolan
How long have you been writing poetry?
I have been playing with language and writing in some form since I was young, but I really started reading and writing poetry more formally when I was a freshman in high school— about 7 years.
What inspired you to write this poem?
The Great Salt Lake itself is such a strange and magical place! It feels like a whole other world. During that time I had not been writing as much and after this experience was drawn to try to express and capture in words the beauty of the experience.
What are your career goals?
Being in a career that fuels curiosity and creativity, asking questions, having engaging conversations with others who are passionate about something, promoting storytelling and literature, being part of an artistic community…still working that question out.
If you were a punctuation mark, what would you be?
Question mark! No question about it heh :)
Who is your favorite poet/artist?
I cannot choose a favorite artist or poet, but one that I love is Ross Gay.
What advice do you have for new poets?
In poetry, you have the unique ability to create worlds on a page so try to take the opportunity to explore and play rather than judge yourself while you are in the process of writing or worry about whether the poem is “good” or not. (advice I try to give myself still!)
What hobbies do you have outside of poetry?
I love to dance, hike, make bouquets, talk to strangers, learn about local plants, watch media and film produced/directed/starring queer people.
What is your best dad joke?
I have to admit I found this one online… “my wife told me to take the spider out instead of killing him. Went out. Had a few drinks. Nice guy. He’s a web designer.”