"Spotlight" Poet Interview:
Andrew Brindle
Andrew Brindle
Hello Andrew. I hope all is well with you. You are not ‘new-new’ to Creative Inspirations, but you are fairly new. How did you come to be associated with, and a contributor of, Creative Inspirations?
I became acquainted with your wonderful publication through Christina Chin. Christina and I have collaborated on Tan Renga pieces for quite a while now, and it is through her suggestion and encouragement that I have been fortunate enough to publish some of our work with you.
Tell us a little bit about Andrew.
I’m from the UK and have lived in Taiwan for over 30 years now. I live on the northern coast of the island and work at a small university here. Although I’m not far from the vibrant city of Taipei, my wife and I live by the ocean and have mountains behind us. If the skies are clear, we’re able to watch eagles gliding on the thermals, and if we go up the mountain, there’s a likely chance of coming across monkeys. I do love the wildlife here, although I have been lunged at by cobras in my local park, and just last week I was lucky not to be bitten by a pit viper as I cleared some weeds from our vegetable patch. So, it’s important to pay attention to your surroundings!
Wow! To see eagles gliding, I am sure, is a beautiful sight! And snakes…oh my, I do not like snakes at all! Please stay cautious and alert!
I know you write poetry. Do you do other types of writing? If so, what kind?
Well, I have a background in Applied Linguistics, and over the years I have published articles and a book within my field of research; quite different from the poetry I’m able to publish with you. I work in areas of Discourse Analysis and Corpus Linguistics, so, although very different from poetry, I have been studying and working with language for many years now.
Awesome! Sounds like very important work.
What are some of the things you like / love about your country? What is a favorite food you like there?
I do appreciate being here, although the island is small, and in places quite noisy and crowded, it is also stunningly beautiful with incredible mountain and ocean scenery. I also believe that the people are warm, generous and welcoming. It’s a very safe place to live. You could walk alone at night in any part of Taipei and not worry about your safety. The food here is really quite varied and the street food or night markets are certainly worth experiencing. I also really love the local fruit! Very soon, mangoes will be in season again, my favorite!!!
Have you ever been to the United States? I actually have some friends in Taiwan, but I have not yet visited there.
I’ve spent some time in New York City, but that was such a long time ago. I’m sure the city has changed a great deal from when I was there, but I remember how beautiful Central Park was, and the hustle and bustle of mid-town was really something to experience!
I have family that lives in New York City, and they say that Central Park truly is a sight to see.
Do you have any favorite authors / poets?
I grew up in the UK quite close to Grasmere in the Lake District; the home of William Wordsworth, and throughout my life, his work has had an influence on me. Whenever I return to visit family, I will always spend some time in Grasmere, enjoying the beauty of the surrounding area and walking in the hills and lakes close to his home of Dove Cottage. I also enjoy reading the work of the American poet Gary Snyder, who turned 95 recently. I appreciate his approach to deep ecology, nature and Zen Buddhism.
What books have you had published?
I haven’t published a poetry book…..yet, although I have appeared in several anthologies and online journals. Perhaps that will be a project for the near future.
Any big plans for 2025, in addition to the works you are doing now?
This year, I’ve been studying process philosophy with an institution in the US. I find it quite fascinating and want to see how poetry and process philosophy can interrelate. I want to be able to write, and perhaps publish poetry that reflects certain aspects of process philosophy. So, I certainly see that as a project for the near future.
Nice. I certainly would be interested in how that process turns out for you.
Thank you, Andrew, for spending some time with Creative Inspirations and doing this interview. Please have closing remarks.
I’d like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to share a little about myself. I’m so grateful to be able to publish some of the work Christina and I create with you. I find poetry is such a valuable craft, especially in these times. Poetry allows us to slow down, to pay attention and reflect, and the work you do in publishing various poets and artists is most valuable. Thank you!
I became acquainted with your wonderful publication through Christina Chin. Christina and I have collaborated on Tan Renga pieces for quite a while now, and it is through her suggestion and encouragement that I have been fortunate enough to publish some of our work with you.
Tell us a little bit about Andrew.
I’m from the UK and have lived in Taiwan for over 30 years now. I live on the northern coast of the island and work at a small university here. Although I’m not far from the vibrant city of Taipei, my wife and I live by the ocean and have mountains behind us. If the skies are clear, we’re able to watch eagles gliding on the thermals, and if we go up the mountain, there’s a likely chance of coming across monkeys. I do love the wildlife here, although I have been lunged at by cobras in my local park, and just last week I was lucky not to be bitten by a pit viper as I cleared some weeds from our vegetable patch. So, it’s important to pay attention to your surroundings!
Wow! To see eagles gliding, I am sure, is a beautiful sight! And snakes…oh my, I do not like snakes at all! Please stay cautious and alert!
I know you write poetry. Do you do other types of writing? If so, what kind?
Well, I have a background in Applied Linguistics, and over the years I have published articles and a book within my field of research; quite different from the poetry I’m able to publish with you. I work in areas of Discourse Analysis and Corpus Linguistics, so, although very different from poetry, I have been studying and working with language for many years now.
Awesome! Sounds like very important work.
What are some of the things you like / love about your country? What is a favorite food you like there?
I do appreciate being here, although the island is small, and in places quite noisy and crowded, it is also stunningly beautiful with incredible mountain and ocean scenery. I also believe that the people are warm, generous and welcoming. It’s a very safe place to live. You could walk alone at night in any part of Taipei and not worry about your safety. The food here is really quite varied and the street food or night markets are certainly worth experiencing. I also really love the local fruit! Very soon, mangoes will be in season again, my favorite!!!
Have you ever been to the United States? I actually have some friends in Taiwan, but I have not yet visited there.
I’ve spent some time in New York City, but that was such a long time ago. I’m sure the city has changed a great deal from when I was there, but I remember how beautiful Central Park was, and the hustle and bustle of mid-town was really something to experience!
I have family that lives in New York City, and they say that Central Park truly is a sight to see.
Do you have any favorite authors / poets?
I grew up in the UK quite close to Grasmere in the Lake District; the home of William Wordsworth, and throughout my life, his work has had an influence on me. Whenever I return to visit family, I will always spend some time in Grasmere, enjoying the beauty of the surrounding area and walking in the hills and lakes close to his home of Dove Cottage. I also enjoy reading the work of the American poet Gary Snyder, who turned 95 recently. I appreciate his approach to deep ecology, nature and Zen Buddhism.
What books have you had published?
I haven’t published a poetry book…..yet, although I have appeared in several anthologies and online journals. Perhaps that will be a project for the near future.
Any big plans for 2025, in addition to the works you are doing now?
This year, I’ve been studying process philosophy with an institution in the US. I find it quite fascinating and want to see how poetry and process philosophy can interrelate. I want to be able to write, and perhaps publish poetry that reflects certain aspects of process philosophy. So, I certainly see that as a project for the near future.
Nice. I certainly would be interested in how that process turns out for you.
Thank you, Andrew, for spending some time with Creative Inspirations and doing this interview. Please have closing remarks.
I’d like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to share a little about myself. I’m so grateful to be able to publish some of the work Christina and I create with you. I find poetry is such a valuable craft, especially in these times. Poetry allows us to slow down, to pay attention and reflect, and the work you do in publishing various poets and artists is most valuable. Thank you!
For past "Spotlight" interviews, please contact MJ at the email below.
January - Joan Leotta
February - Glenda B. Fraizer
March - Rishan Singh
April - Nila J. Webster
May - Celine R. Mariotti
January - Joan Leotta
February - Glenda B. Fraizer
March - Rishan Singh
April - Nila J. Webster
May - Celine R. Mariotti
Creative Inspirations - P.O. Box 19051 Kalamazoo, MI 49019
[email protected] - www.cipoetrypublication.com
[email protected] - www.cipoetrypublication.com