Emily A. Benton

After following Collin Kelley’s blog for over a year, I finally got to meet the poet and writer last February in his stomping grounds of Atlanta. I was absolutely tickled pink after Collin offered to meet at a bar for dinner, and it was even better to find him to be as real in person as he is on his blog. And by that, I mean I found him full of hilarious rants and raves for all deserving topics, and also someone gushing with knowledge and experience about the “po-biz.”

Along with several other online poet bloggers, I appreciate Collin because he’s helped ground me as an aspiring writer. I admire him for his confidence in self-publishing, for his no-nonsense approach to the writer’s market, and for his perseverance as a novelist. And damn, where does he find the time, in addition to editing full-time and writing/publishing his own work on the side, to update his blog almost daily?

Indeed, on and off the page, Collin’s work is timely and powerful. His most recent poetry book, After The Poison, is a great example of poetry with a purpose. His poems dive into the past decade of American lifestyles, commenting on his own life as well as those of the voiceless and the newsworthy.

And now, Collin has emerged as a fiction writer. I recently read a preview chapter from the beginning of his novel, Conquering Venus. It will be interesting to see how this book is received, especially since its main characters wrestle with topics such as suicide, sexuality, depression, temptation, and escapism (and that’s just in the first chapter). Equal parts drama and thriller, it has potential to be a page-turner, while also appealing to readers who desire literature with attention to structure and language. But where other authors may be pigeonholed into certain genres for their choices in subject matter, Collin is worth checking out for his blending of the political with the everyday. He handles tough subjects in his writing with the forcefulness of a punch and the precision of a scalpel. Plus, it’s nice, after all, to read work that isn’t afraid to piss a few people off. But if you fall on right (left?) side of the fence with Collin, I think he’s nothing but a sweet Southern boy at heart.

Name: Collin Kelley

Age: 39

Astrological Sign: All Virgos are mad

Website: www.collinkelley.com

Place: Atlanta (otherwise known as Hot’lanta or The ATL)

What are you working on right now? The second novel in a trilogy that begins with Conquering Venus, forthcoming this summer from Vanilla Heart Publishing.

How long does it usually take you to get from start to finish? In the case of Conquering Venus, nearly 15 years. Obviously, I’m in no hurry.

What is your greatest accomplishment thus far? Having a writing career on my own terms.

What is something you have done to improve your creative and productive life? Taking workshops with other great poets and writers, traveling solo across America and Europe and buying a MacBook. 

What do you need to make your work better? Miles Davis, a glass of wine and a wi-fi connection.

Tell us something you learned recently while working on a project: That writing poetry almost exclusively for the last five years has sharpened my fiction writing skills.

On a Friday night, I could find you ____: At a poetry reading or watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and doing laundry.

What are you consuming this month? PJ Harvey’s and John Parish’s new album, A Woman A Man Walked By, which is brilliant. I also can’t stop listening to Neko Case’s new one, Middle Cyclone, and if you haven’t heard Vanessa Daou’s new record of jazz/pop and spoken word, Joe Sent Me, buy it immediately. Kristin Scott Thomas in the French film, I’ve Loved You So Long, was the performance of 2008. She was robbed of an Oscar nomination. Put it on your Netflix queue. Carrie Fisher’s memoir, Wishful Drinking, made me laugh out loud.

What scares you? Christian right-wing crazies who try to strip people of their civil and human rights.

You feel guilty when ______: a book has been sitting on my bedside table unread for months because I watch Letterman instead of reading before bed.

What projects do you have lined up/What are some of your goals for the coming year? I’ll be promoting the hell out of Conquering Venus with appearances at the Decatur Book Festival on Labor Day weekend, at the West Hollywood Bookfair on Oct. 4, among others. I’m also hoping to finish the first draft of the second novel.

Define: “success”: When you have made your daydreams reality.

I haven’t sent in my publication agreement – will do so tonight – but I’m posting this anyway because it was good news in a sea of no news or waiting for news or unreported news: my poem “Man with a Beard of Bees” has been selected for publication in the 2009 Kakalak Anthology of Carolina Poets.

This makes me happy – my first anthology. And my third time trying. Also, although I didn’t win, Bob Hicok judged the contest tied to this publication, so there’s a teensy weensy chance that maybe he read and liked my poem(s). Maybe. There were three other editors on the project, but a girl tell herself what she wants to.

I’ll update on more Kakalak news, pub date, readings, etc. as I get them.

photograph by Andrew Thomas Lee, courtesy of PasteMagazine.com

As mentioned before, I got Scott tickets for his birthday to go see Antony and the Johnsons in Atlanta on the band’s first studio album tour in three years. Or you could say that I got myself tickets and disguised it as a birthday present for him. I’ll let you decide.

Neither of us had seen Antony perform live before, but I knew if our combined reactions to seeing his performances on DVD in concert films such as I’m Your Man (a Leonard Cohen tribute) were any indication, it would be worth every penny.

Atlanta’s Variety Playhouse was the closest venue to Charlotte to see Antony and his band on tour. I hadn’t been to Atlanta since I was 17 and shopping for prom dresses, so I had no idea what to expect about Little Five Points or the Variety or the people we would see there. I have a lot to say about our little weekend in Atlanta, and hopefully time will allow me to do that later, but for now I’ll concentrate on the Variety and the show that we saw there.

If I could create the perfect venue to see Antony perform in, it probably would be lavish and velvet and somehow resemble a David Lynch dream sequence. The Variety Playhouse was not that, but it was probably the best venue we could have seen him without all the imagined adornments. The space was medium-small and included auditorium seating. I don’t know the history, but I’m guessing the Variety is a renovated old film theater. Maybe they still show films there. But the point is – the sound was great, and the space was not too big, not too small. There was no leaning involved. From our seats near the middle, we could see everything. And everything was good.

I had listened to only one track from Antony’s new release, The Crying Light, prior to attending this performance. That was a little on purpose, because my best live concert experiences have been when I was hearing a good portion of an artist’s work for the first time. It makes the memory stick more, and I think I become a better listener when I’m not comparing the live version to the recorded version as it’s playing out before me. This case was no different – I think I made the right choice to wait. Antony’s songs, especially the new ones, were breathtaking live. Breathtaking. As in, when the song ended, I realized I needed air. I had been holding my breath. Or I had been breathing too soft or too hard and was off on oxygen flow somewhere between my heart and my brain.

I should say, if you have never listened to Antony, you may experience this first time you do. Or the first time you let go of your mental barriers to his voice or persona, and really listen to him as a solo artist with a backing band. (Although, his collaborations are also intriguing. See Bjork, Lou Reed, Rufus Wainwright, Heloise & the Savoir Faire, etc.) For those of us who’ve known his voice, magnify what you know of it by two. That’s seeing him live. Breathtaking.

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So, I disappeared last week. It wasn’t my intentions, really. I just drove home to visit my family in Tennessee. I took my laptop with me an ev’rythang, but my “vacation” actually lacked any “vacation” aspects because I had to wake up at 7:30 a.m. every day and didn’t get to sleep until after midnight most nights. My families kept me busy – I cooked Christmas dinner for both; well, all for one and partial for the other. And I stayed at my mom’s where the entire house is under renovation, save for my bedroom where they have planted the TV and chairs so it’s a makeshift temporary living room. I’d have to kick my stepdad off Sci-Fi channel so I could go to bed. At my (other) dad’s, I was also put to work decorating the tree and whatnot – hardly sat for five minutes before a new task. I had all of two hours of uncommitted time, not counting evenings, and those hours were spent taking a nap and reading a chapter of Harry Potter. Oh, and no wi-fi. So here I am, groveling again!

But all bah-humbugs aside, I had a great time in TN and a very good Christmas as far as quality family time is concerned. I also got to see my two close friends, one I hadn’t seen in about 3 years.

I hope all your Christmas-es were bright as well!

Now I’m back in Charlotte and looking forward to a few more days off work later this week, when I hopefully won’t catch a stomach bug like I did last New Year’s.

And in the spirit of the holiday, here’s my annual “best of” music list for you. Granted, even though I work in the music industry, I haven’t listened to everything that was released this year, even the usual suspects! But this is my list so, dissect as you must…

Top 10 Best Albums of 2008

1. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes

2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

3. Gutter Twins – Saturnalia

4. She & Him – Volume One

5. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend

6. Aimee Mann – @#%&! Smilers

7. The Walkmen – You & Me

8. Chad VanGaalan – Soft Airplane

9. Alejandro Escovedo – Real Animal

10. Calexico – Carried To Dust

runners up:

R.E.M. – Accelerate

The Felice Brothers – The Felice Brothers

Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid

The Helio Sequence – Keep Your Eyes Ahead

Giant Sand – proVISIONS

Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer

Eagles of Death Metal – Eagles of Death Metal

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan – Sunday at Devil Dirt

Neil Young – Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968 (not sure if that counts)

Portishead – Third

and all the Robyn Hitchock reissues from Redeye but I’m not sure if that counts…

(This is a little something I wrote for work. You know, cheeky marketing! I am hardpressed to find any new Christmas albums I like, so these are all old releases. Also, not included here, I am totally digging The Beach Boys’ Christmas album.)

When it comes to Christmas, I’m the biggest cheese ball around. And nothing solidifies that the holidays are here like the continuous loop of Christmas carols bombarding you from every stereo. Here are a few of my favorite holiday albums. Don’t be surprised if they make your Grinch heart grow three times its normal size.

VINCE GUARALDI TRIO – A Charlie Brown Christmas

I can’t get enough of this nostalgic, jazzy soundtrack from the holiday television special. It’s perfect for decorating the Christmas tree, wrapping presents, and making cookies. Or, put it on after you do some gift shopping; it takes all the “good grief!” out of the holidays.

VARIOUS (DEAN MARTIN, FRANK SINATRA, SAMMY DAVIS, JR.) – Christmas With The Rat Pack

I love the swingin’ lounge diddies The Rat Pack brings to traditional holiday songs (or any American Songbook, for that matter). Pop this collection into your home stereo and it instantly adds suaveness to your abode. But a cocktail dress and some spiked eggnog may be in order.

AIMEE MANN – One More Drifter In The Snow

I put this album in the car CD deck to keep my road rage down over holiday travel. Aimee’s mellow voice goes well with traditional songs, and her originals such as “Calling on Mary” are catchy enough that you’ll be caroling to those, too.

SUFJAN STEVENS – Songs For Christmas

As a guy who’s made full albums on individual states (Illinois and Michigan), it’s no surprise that Stevens could write and play songs for another singular topic – Christmas. In fact, he’s put together five discs of Christmas songs for this box set. Stevens’ gentle voice, sweeping choruses, and folksy orchestration make him sound like he’s among the cherubs.

LOW – Christmas

For down times after eating a holiday feast, or for sipping hot chocolate with friends, Low’s got the cool indie rock take on Christmas music down pat.

EVIE (TORNQUIST-KARLSSON) – Come On Ring Those Bells

Evie’s cheesy and unmistakably ’70s album cover brings the most laughs when people flip through my record bin. But I was thrilled when I found a used vinyl of it in a record store a couple years ago, much to the store clerk’s chagrin. Evie’s a classic for me. My parents have put this record on for my sister and me every Christmas since we were toddlers. The title track, “Come On Ring Those Bells,” gets everyone in the spirit. Evie, a Norwegian-American songwriter, later made it into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame after she retired from her singing career in 1981. So, if you find a copy – because they’re rare – do pick up one for your kids or the kid in you.