“Writing is easy. You just open
a vein and bleed.”
— Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith,
American sports writer (1905-1982)
For some, the practice of writing is part hobby, part catharsis.
Joel Lipman is Toledo’s first poet laureate. A former creative writing instructor—he taught for 37 years at the University of Toledo—Lipman’s work has been published extensively in the small press community. He has edited independent and university press books, and has made an impressive career of the written word. The environment in which he works is a dream come to life for many writers.
Lipman has a studio in his home, where he works on conventional poems or visual poetry. Ten years ago, he and his wife, Cindy, purchased a seasonal log cabin in Maine, where they spend much of the summer. “Our time in Maine is very much outdoor-focused, so we keep the cabin very sparsely furnished and simple so there’s little internal distraction. I’m inspired by fresh air and bright sky,” he said.
How the work is done is as important as its location. Many writers just begin writing. Some creatives generate text and transfer it from one medium to the next, before arriving at a final product. Write it on a whiteboard, transfer it to a notebook, enter it into a computer and format accordingly. Or follow a similar process in reverse.
That could mean anything from making notations in a pocket notebook while on the go, speaking into a recording device for later transcription, scribbling on cocktail napkins or the back of a piece of mail. Irrespective of the process, the physical, environmental methods used to memorialize the written word is up to the author.
For Lipman, this process is rather streamlined and effective.
“When I write poems, I revise extensively,” he says. “I jot rough notes in a notebook, work in pen or pencil, and then enter the text on my Apple and work out lineation and concrete composition on the machine.”
Lipman spends much of his time writing and teaching. Lipman serves as a board member of The Arts Commission and is involved with the ongoing Poetry Sidewalks initiative. In 2013 he opened ABRACADABRA Studio of Poetics, serving as a space dedicated to all things poetry. For information on the studio, workshops, personal sessions, and to see Lipman’s portfolio, visit abracadabrapoetry.com
This is the first in an ongoing series that explores regional writers’ work
and workspace.
To read more about Lipman’s practice as
an artist, view our September 2014’s
Focus on the Arts cover story online at toledocitypaper.com
