(Another!) Interview with Author Ken Poyner

Ken Poyner's prose has a truly signature style and voice. His microfiction works as hard as it can in its tiny space, which, as editors and writers, we know is much easier said than done. We were happy to catch up with Ken in another interview below.

What makes you keep writing, even when it's hard?

I find that at times I can still surprise myself.

Advice on creating that you’ve learned by trial and error.

Learn from others, but do not emulate them. There are too many "schools" of writing, too many people who write in the style of fill-in-the-blank.

What's your favorite obscure novel or short story (a work you never hear anyone else talking about)?

“The Nine Billion Names of God” by Arthur C. Clarke.

In your opinion, who is an underrated author that more people should read?

Ursula Le Guin. Yes, she does science fiction, which is too often dismissed.

Do you have a favorite book on writing or creating that's been a helpful resource?

No. I have assiduously avoided the study of writing. Better to bang out page after page and find your own way out of the labyrinth.

Where do you go when you need to work out a writing block? 

Providence Park, the bench nearest the end of the parking lot, far enough away from the playground and picnic tables that I have some privacy, yet I can see some distant activity.

What are your long-term writing goals? 

Hopefully, a few people will be somehow affected by something I have written. Anything more grandiose is sheer vanity is the society we have crafted. 

If you were a cryptid, what would your name be and what strange habits would people whisper about?

Phrawgg, and people would wonder how I can get loose without moving.

What is your writing strategy? Do you write every day, as the mood hits you, or do you have a rigid schedule?

I cannot walk as much as my wife, so I tend to sit at benches in parks and write while she putters around and around. It scares people, many of whom are used to people lost in their cell phones, but not with a handful of books, a notebook, and pen.

If you could travel anywhere in the universe, where would it be?

I am a homebody. And I am furiously old. I would likely go to a quiet park we encountered in Roanoke, Va. a few years back.

Have you ever had a supernatural encounter?

Yes. When the wife and I were staying in Gettysburg, the fireplace in the room where we were staying was set on a timer, going off every half hour. We lamented that fact as we climbed into bed. All night long, the fireplace kept coming back on by itself at the end of its half-hour cycle. Once we got up in the morning, it stopped.

What is your favorite nostalgic film?

Casablanca.

Cursive or print?

Print. I have been blind since birth, but it was not discovered until I was eleven years old (at which point I was corrected from 20/200 to 20/20 with glasses). I could learn to print, as there are distinct hand movements which I could follow with my blurred vision. But I could not distinguish the flowing movements of cursive as it was displayed on the chalk board, and so could never master cursive writing.

Do you enjoy book series or do you prefer stand-alone novels?

Stand-alone novels, though of late I have been captivated by nonfiction. We live in extraordinary times, and I am following the sociology and politics of the day.

Is there a book or film that significantly altered your perception of reality? 

Islands in the Stream—the George C. Scott version. It taught me that to stay true to a novel in another medium, you have to edit and recast to show the intent in that medium’s best strengths.

What do you hope readers gain from reading your work? 

A new perspective.

How do you cope with existential dread? How about existential joy? 

Embrace it. I am the oldest male in my family for the last four generations. My doctors wonder why I am alive. I stare at the ledge and say, boy, it’s a long way down.

Do you have a favorite weirdo? (Could be famous, obscure, fictional, or a personal connection.) 

Other than the wife (a 69 year-old 95 pound world-class power lifter), I can’t think of one.

What’s the one mystery of the human condition you wish could be solved? 

The embrace of obvious stupidity.

How is a raven like a writing desk?

Never has a writing desk, nor owned a raven. 

Tell us a secret. 

I have a persistent bruise on my right second toe. Also, I was born on a Friday the thirteenth.

What is your favorite museum or gallery?

I am not a museum hound. I like to be outdoors. That being said, the default would be the local Chrysler Museum.

Unpopular opinion, go: 

I hate the industry of teaching writing, or taking advantage of the aspirations of innocents by the profusion of writing seminars, the shame of writing contests. Writers working together is fine, but selling hopefuls unrealistic expectations is despicable.

Ken’s twelfth book, Science Is Not Enough, a collection of speculative poems, will be coming out during the summer of 2025. Nine of his previous volumes are available at Sundial Books, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. Ken spent 33 years herding computers and is married to a world-class female power lifter. A number of albums of computer music using his poetry as lyrics are available on digital music sites under Barking Moose Music Productions.