Life Lessons of a Queer Nomad by Jeff Logan O'connor

Life Lessons of a Queer Nomad by Jeff Logan O

“Mummy” is the experience of a man confronting his homeless mother in a park, about the abuse he suffered as a child. Although he writes in the first person, a few of the poems are imagined stories. House’s work is not entirely autobiographical.

Major drinking bender and all, so who the fuck knows…Ĭonversely, sometimes his life is very scheduled, offering a program for his writing to occur: (about my appalling behaviour in “Paris”) down on paper, Of writing properly though I got that bizarre piece It has the comforting foundation of safe and calm.ĭrinking writing never comes under the title Real work occurs in a kind of way that is sober and steady. In the poem “when i write”, House opens up about his habits and thoughts on writing. His method is never the same – like his life, it is spontaneous. The vivid world in which he lives and its translation into poetry is based on a flow of consciousness – and he works until, as he puts it, he knows it feels right. There is no single rhythm and no one structure in his work. (Excerpt from the poem “where and when”).ĭespite limited education or knowledge of literature, House has developed a unique, succinct voice. Just as he takes risks in life, he does so in his work: blurring forms and often swaying into prose poetry. He steers away from traditional forms of poetry, avoiding typical poetic conventions and rhyme unless it occurs naturally in sections. Then a process of refinement until the piece tells him it’s finished. From there the scrawling starts dot points and scribbles in a cafe or bar, alone. House’s poems usually begin with an idea that grows as he wanders along, taking in the environment around him.

Life Lessons of a Queer Nomad by Jeff Logan O'connor