Interview with Poet Michael Randolph

Michael Randolph is a horror author, poet, and editor currently living in San Antonio Texas. He is the owner-operator of Eldritch Press. He is a U.S. Army Veteran of Desert Storm/Shield where he first witnessed the true horrors of the world. A navy brat, he travelled to many countries throughout his childhood and still travels sometimes more than he likes. He’s a certified Gemologist and has spent nearly twenty-five years in the aviation field, mostly in military defense as an airplane/helicopter structures mechanic.

I’m incredibly grateful that Michael took some time from his busy schedule to talk to the HWA Poetry Page about the current state of dark/horror poetry.

HWA: Where do you see the state of poetry in the horror genre today?
MR: Poetry has always taken a backseat to the other forms of literature, but I have seen poetry take a surge these last couple of years in the market. Horror poetry, or as I prefer to call it “Dark Poetry” is a definite subgenre though the form is beginning to become more accepted in the mainstream literary corners. In all, I believe Dark Poetry is healthy, though a still ailing form of literature.

HWA: Where do you see it going in the future?
MR: Honestly in a lot of ways that is up to us. We need to bring back the excitement and draw of poetry. All literature has its ups and downs. The market is a cruel mistress at times, yet I see Dark Poetry becoming more of a mainstay in literature.

HWA: As an Editor, what are you looking for?
MR: First and foremost, I like originality in the form. I like a poem the reader can live through, which means I like meanings and stories interwoven inside a poem. Maybe that comes from my love of the greats that preceded us, but I look at the substance when I read a poem before anything else. I like experimental and unconventional forms and also at times lean toward the classic forms and look for structured poetry. I am not a big fan of rhyming schemes in dark poetry but think that just employing free verse is a disservice to yourself and your art.

Currently at Eldritch Press we are running a contest that was strictly created to find new poets. Voices that have not been heard before. While we have and continue to publish award winning authors, one of the most important aspects we all look for is that unknown voice that has the quality of voice to be the next great.

Not just that, but I go out and seek out people in the music and film industry. Rocky once said to me that most of the accomplished lyricists started out as poets but moved on because of the lack of monetary gain. That is a very true statement. As an editor and a publisher I am proactive in looking for poets and know a lot of those type of folks, so naturally I tend to look in that direction.

HWA: As a poet, would you be willing to share a poem or two?

Legend of the Dreamer’s

Manacled remains buried deep within your dreams,
conspire to corrupt; drag your screaming corpse
back to the dark pits of Tartarus.

The legend of a dreamer’s life blanketed your soul.
While you stumble about seeking blissful sleep,
the grey fog surrounded an existence
preyed upon by others.

Insatiable desires wrought your life,
kept you awake these long nights.
Is your night interrupted?
Do you live within another’s dream?

Fantasies brought to a lover’s mind,
Foul nightmares, blissful meetings.
Deep inside a mirrored world, do you really sleep?

Satires written portray a sated life,
drained of reality as you walk this road,
responding as a puppet to the master.

We sleep the night away,
while you live our dreams.
Pray for the legend of the dreamer’s.
When they awake under a golden sun,
your life will drain away.

— from the collection “Missives in Red”

Cŵn Annwn

(Hell Hounds)

Dark as the essence of the night
led to the shores of the living,
breaking upon the lands deemed unfit
for the dead, Gwyn ap Nudd, ruler of his
realm, moves inside our realm.
His shadow lurks along the forest trails
cloistered with his brethren,
tall, dark, hideous of form,
hunting this world for the damned,
leading souls to the Underworld.
Packed in a train of loathing,
death slipping in rivers,
judgment delivered by the gaping maws,
crooked fangs, lolling tongues and
fetid breathe, hunting of the hounds,
driving those spirits through the trees
along our father’s lands, seeking
abandoned souls left to rot
in the dusk of this world.
Falling prey to the slathered pack,
man and beast cruelly torn from their bed
in the midst of nightmares abounding
to finish a journey they begin in youthful
earnest of the plagued.

— from the collection “Allegories of the Dead”

HWA: How vital do you find organizations such as HWA to horror poetry?
MR: The Horror Writers Association is a fantastic supporter of dark poetry. After all, once a year we celebrate the genre with the Bram Stoker Award® in Poetry. But, we also have the first of its kind poetry scholarship set up in conjunction with the HWA and Eldritch Press. As an organization of writers, I am proud of what we do for dark poetry. Dark Poetry would not be having the jump in popularity like it has without the HWA.

HWA: What would you tell non-members to entice them to join?
MR: Simply if you are not a part of the hwa you are missing out on some fantastic opportunities you will not find elsewhere in the horror field. Conventions, chapters, networking, reviewer lists, mentoring, volunteering, the list goes on and on. At the StokerCon2106, we will be having workshops and events dedicated strictly to poetry. The Hwa is unlike any other organization out there and have some of the best people I have ever met in a writers organization.

HWA: Is there anything you’d like to see HWA do to promote horror poetry?
MR: I’m greedy with some things, so anything the HWA can do to promote poetry is great with me. But, all joking aside, the hwa does a lot already. I would like to see more done during Conventions, but that is also taking an upswing last year and during the upcoming StokerCon2016. I would like to see a full anthology devoted to strictly poetry, but more than understand that at this time poetry can be a no sum game, so that may be a long way off.

Michael Randolph’s horror publications include Missives in Red, Allegories of the Dead, Hunted, and Descent into Darkness. His upcoming publications include Poetic Allegories, a 200 page dark poetry hardcover poetry/art collection scheduled to be released in the near future. You may contact him at author@michael-randolph.com (or at info@eldritchpress.com) and visit his website at www.michael-randolph.com.