Member Spotlight: Brian Rohr

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world?

I have been thinking a lot about the idea and role of writers and artists during this time we are living in. While the idea is not new, I am coming to understand it in a new way for me. We seem to be in a time of heightened division, anger, hatred, violence, distrust, lies, etc. There are questions if society can hold and the news is sharing such ugly sides of humanity. It is hard. At least it is for me. In these times, I have come to believe, the role of the writer (and artists in general) is essential. It is our job as poets/writers/artists to digest all this material, to take the ugliness and transmute it into something creative, something beautiful, something holy, something meaningful. That is not to say we need to be writing specifically about these topics to do this. Rather, by engaging in the creative process, looking within, writing from our hearts, understanding ourselves more, we are inherently engaging with, and responding to, the world around us. As someone who has made it part of my mission to support artists and writers, this is something I really want people to understand… We are needed, and it is no small task, especially for those of us who feel deeply. I get this sounds lofty, and it is. Yet here we are, acting like worms, transmuting the “stuff” of the world into luscious soil! Or that is the attempt.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block?

As the founder and director of The Stafford Challenge, I think about this often. I, along with over one thousand other participants, are engaged in a practice of writing a poem a day for a year. So there are A LOT of opportunities for writer’s block to enter into the picture. I like to lean into the wisdom of the late, great poet William Stafford, the inspiration of The Stafford Challenge, who famously said, if you are stuck or judging your own work, “lower your standards.” This is actually a bit of a controversial idea for some, especially for those of us who are striving for excellence. However when writer’s block comes, this is no time to worry about being great… It is the time to write. I usually find that writing a few bad poems or pages moves me through the sticky feeling of an uncreative mind, and brings me back to my creative center. The other thing I recommend is to read! Engage in what other writers have done. This helps spark the imagination, remember what is possible, and move forward. Remember, the moment of writer’s block, what is produced at that moment is not the product people will see, which is the highly edited and refined piece of work. Instead it is the messy, crappy, terrible piece of work that you might be embarrassed to write. From these ashes, the phoenix will rise. So lower your standard and just get writing. Your genius will appear again!

What is your favorite time to write?

If I had my way, late morning with a hot cup of tea would be an ideal time. However, with a day job, a family, and loads of responsibilities, I have found that the time I can have to myself without interruption is to wake before the rest of my family. So I set my alarm for 5:30am, usually hit snooze once or twice, and write from 6-7am before I need to start getting myself and my kids ready for the day. It is not much, and I long for more time, but an hour every morning gives me time to at least get my creativity flowing and to craft a poem.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers?

My teacher in storytelling, Daniel Deardorff, once said, “If it is not impossible, it is not worth doing.” So take that impossible risk.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age?

What a fun question. 1) Anyone can be a writer. While this has flooded the market, I love that so many are expressing themselves and engaging in the creative process. 2) I love that I can use a computer to write with. I feel like using this tool can keep up with my mind much faster than writing by hand (plus I have terrible handwriting, so I can never read what I have written that way!) 3) There are so many publications of various kinds that exist, that there is likely a home for your work somewhere. It is just a matter of looking.

Brian Rohr’s Shaken To My Bones: A Poetic Midrash on the Torah is out now with ‎ Ben Yehuda Press.