Contributor Spotlight: Richard King Perkins II
Richard King Perkins II’s piece “Freshman Barometer” appears in Midwestern Gothic Issue 15, out now.
How long have you been writing?
I write in periodic bursts, but for a total of about five years.
What’s your connection to the Midwest?
I’ve lived in the Midwest my entire life.
How has the Midwest influenced your writing?
A Midwestern sensibility is at my core, so it certainly informs my writing.
Why do you believe there has never really been a regionalist push for Midwestern writing in the past like there has with the South or even the West Coast?
The Midwest is frequently typecast as a cultural void, most often by the sophisticates of the East and the trendsetters of the West. Of course, that’s me now typecasting people from the East and West coast.
How do you feel about social media to promote your writing, and do you use it?
I do not use social media because for me, it appears to most often or most readily connect people who would otherwise be on the fringe of one’s existence, quite often at the expense of those who more richly deserve that time and attention. As far as using social media to promote my writing, I closed my poetry blog when I realized that many publishers believe that posting a poem on one’s website or on their Facebook page constitutes publication.
Favorite book?
The Elric Saga by Michael Moorcock.
Favorite food?
Granny Smith apples.
If you could have coffee (or tea or a beer) with any literary figure, alive or dead, who would it be?
Given my career as an advocate for vulnerable people, I’d choose tea with Sylvia Plath late in the evening of February 10th, 1963. I’d have to try.
Where can we find more information about you?
Google my name for general information. Email me at roguesatellite@yahoo.com for specific information.
