DeeMar Communications
Andrew Malekoff Interview:
author of Night Crawlers:after hours at the ER
Andrew Malekoff is a social work administrator with North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center, Roslyn Heights, NY, who has authored numerous articles, essays, editorials, book chapters, and poetry. "Night Crawlers" is Malekoff's third book and first book of poetry. It was inspired by his professional and personal experiences in and around emergency rooms. Malekoff also authored "Group Work with Adolescents" (1997, Guilford Press). He lives in Long Beach, NY with his wife and two sons.
DMC: How long have you been writing poetry?
AM: I have been writing poetry for about 7 years.
DMC: What/who inspired you to write (now or in the past)?
AM:When I was in my 20s after 16 years of formal education, I discovered that I could write by writing letters that people told me that they liked. That was the first inkling.
DMC: Who is your favorite poet?
AM: My favorite poet is Charles Bukowski.
DMC:What is your favorite poem?
AM:My favorite poem is "I am Joaquin (Yo soy Joaquin):an epic poem" by Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales. I discovered this poem by the Chicano activist Gonzales while I was working as a VISTA volunteer in a Mexican-American community in Nebraska, 1974.
DMC: What piece of advice would you give to aspiring writers?
AM:My advice to aspiring writers is to write freely and often and be tenacious in seeing your work through to its completion. Understand that each piece you write is a building block to the next and a step towards becoming a better writer. Find honest critics to review your work.
DMC:If you belong to any poetry clubs or groups, which ones?
AM:I don't belong to any poetry groups.
DMC:Do you plan to publish more poetry books? If so, are there any in the works?
AM:I have written much poetry that is not published. This includes my favorite, an autobiographical poem of almost 150 pages that covers the first 22 years of my life. I don't have a publisher at this time. I have another book of unpublished poetry about odd experiences here and there (e.g. going out to eat, buying a meat slicer, going to an empty movie house and having the only other people there sit right in front of me, and so on). There are also poems on my work with kids that could constitute a book.
DMC:What is the easiest part about writing poetry?
AM:freedom
DMC:What is the hardest part about writing poetry?
AM:adding some discipline to the freedom
DMC:Add any comments or info about yourself.
AM:Writing is easy compared to being a parent and I write a lot about kids. My kids keep me humble.
DMC:Thank you Andrew.
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