Coffee Chat with Don Palmer
Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Don Palmer a little better.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I live near Merrickville, ON, 70 km south of Ottawa, a town that pivots around a block house fortress that was built to repulse an American invasion during the war of 1812. I grew up in Montreal graduating from both Dawson College and Concordia U in the 1970s, completing a general arts degree with a major in English Literature. I began writing poetry in my college years publishing pieces in over 30 small literary presses, primarily in Montreal and Toronto, throughout the '80s. In the mid-90s I moved to Ontario to take over the Executive Director position of a community mental health program. The demands of the position took me away from writing for 27 years. Retiring in 2019, I took up writing from where I left off in the 1980s. I struggle with much of the poetry I read in many current literary magazines which I find too rich in identity politics, topped off with a thick icing of victimization. Full of calories, but lacking in nutritional value. Blank Space is one of the few I find worth reading (and submitting work to) as it focused on quality and originality, as opposed to the flavour of the times. Maybe I wallow too much in nostalgia, but growing up among poets in their prime such as Margaret Atwood, Gwendolyn MacKewan, Leonard Cohen, Irving Layton, and many others who defined Canadian poetry, I will not deviate from that rich heritage.
How do you take your coffee? In a cup!
What Blank Spaces issue were you first published in? September 2024 - Volume 9, Issue 1.
When did you first know you wanted to write? I fell under the trance of poetry when I was a child reading the Collected Writing of William Shakespeare, followed by William Blake. The first poem I memorized was Longfellow's, “Wreck of the Hesperus” to my grade 4 class. Everything grew from there.
What are you reading right now? What is it about and what keeps you coming back to the pages? I am very routinized, I read poetry each morning (currently re-reading one of my favourites, the American poet Ai) and novels, non-fiction, or biographies in the evening (currently reading the Origins of Totalitarianism, by H. Arendt in preparation for the upcoming Trump debacle in the U.S.).
What role has Blank Spaces played in your creative journey? It gives me hope, that creative poetry is not a lost art.
Tell us a little about the piece Blank Spaces published and how it was received by family, friends, and the greater community? I shared it with a number of poets with whom I am connected in the U.S., all of whom loved the poem, but were also quite impressed by the glossy, high quality of the publication, from illustrations to layout.
Describe how you see the landscape of Canadian publishing: Could be better. As stated earlier, in my view Blank Spaces holds up a candle in a very dark place.
“Blank Spaces holds up a candle in a very dark place.”
Why is Canadian content important? Canadian writing used to be, and can be, unique. In my view it provides some insight, into what may be described as Canadian identity. I base this assumption on the thoughtful analysis of Northrop Frye and Margaret Atwood, to name but two and my own poetic journey.
Where has your creative journey taken you since being published in Blank Spaces? I continue to do what I do, limiting my submissions to journals I enjoy.
What does your writing process look like? I usually write in the early mornings, when brain is sufficiently caffeinated, but not overly so. The key for me is to recognize when I hit a brick wall. I never write on my laptop, I prefer to use pencil and paper, until I finally have a finished draft. Very old school.
How do you invest in your writing goals? I have no ongoing "goals", per say. I write because I have to. It is an essential component of who I am. My only current goal is to complete a chapbook I am currently working on in both an effort to process grief and to celebrate the memory of my daughter who I lost in 2022 from a drug overdose.
What one thing would you give up to become a better writer? I would sell my soul to the devil.
If you could tell your young creative self anything, what would it be? Just keep on, keeping on........don't stop!
Who are your writing influences and how do they motivate you? So many. An incomplete list would include leading Canadian poets of the 60s, 70s and 80s, Ted Hughes, Philip Larkin, the unfortunately labelled, confessional poets, (especially Anne Sexton), the American poets Elizabeth Bishop, Adrienne Rich, Ai; and to prove I am not simply a rusty old antiquarian, contemporary poets Mary Jo Bang, Agha Shahid, the poet known as Ali, Robin Morgan, George Franklin, Jane Hirshfield. They reinforce my style of writing.
Who is your hero of fiction? No specific character, but I love the host of characters that are given life by the writing of Margaret Atwood, Margaret Lawrence, Carol Shields and Alice Munro.
What is the first book that made you cry? If it happened, it would have been when I was a child, likely something by Dickens, but I am not sure. I am not big on crying and never have been.
What do you tell yourself every time it gets hard and you want to quit? I never do.
Do you have any writing rituals that help the words flow? I have notebooks full of isolated verses and images that I gather as I go through my everyday life. Some of these become poems, or are used in a poem; some simply sit and wait.
Who do you think makes a better writer: an empath or a pragmatist? An even distribution of both, although I believe a vivid imagination is the key to managing both.
What advice do you have for writers struggling to break into the industry? Believe in yourself. Expect one acceptance for every 10 rejections and don't beat yourself up. First and foremost, only write if you love it. If you do, it will nourish you throughout life, even if you never make any money.
What are your creative goals? Where do you see yourself in five years? A published book of poems.
What are you currently working on? A chapbook dedicated to my daughter. I am intending to title either "Funeral Songs" or "The Deconstruction of Grief". I have 10 poems completed, so I am about 50% there. Fingers crossed!
What should we be watching for from you? Diversity and flights of imagination. I am committed to my role as a mental illustrator.
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Learn more about Don’s work that has been featured in Blank Spaces here.
