allan-again.jpg

STATS:

  • LOCATION: Washington, DC
  • TENURE: 11 years
  • PROJECTS: I was part of this exhibit at the Honfleur Gallery in the historic Anacostia town of Southeast D.C. I and several other writers responded to the photos of Northern Irish photographer Mervyn Smyth. The exhibit opened at the Honfleur in July and is currently on exhibition in Belfast Northern Ireland. I have a few upcoming publications in PLUCK! and the Cave Canem 2007 Anthology.
  • WEBSITES:
    http://www.myspace.com/alanking81
    http://www.myspace.com/bustransfer
    http://www.myspace.com/themusicweare

1. What is your mission statement as an writer?

Langston Hughes said the prerequisite to writing is having something to say. When I was younger, I was very bashful. I was talkative with people I felt comfortable around, and clammed up with anybody else. Writing for me was a way of communicating ideas that I couldn’t articulate through speech. As I grew as a writer, I started reading writers like Tim Seibles, Tony Medina, Amiri Baraka, and other writers with a social and political message woven through their work. It was through these writers that I saw a creative way of articulating my concerns for various issues — through personal narratives and other devices — without being rhetorical.

2. Being a writer can be a discouraging journey. Describe a moment, where you said it’s all worth it?

There are lots of moments. One, in particular, was when a woman hit me up on my myspace page and said she was inspired to write after reading my chapbook. Another moment was after receiving what seems like hundreds of rejection letters, a magazine or journal finally decided to accept my poems in their publication. A third moment was when a lady told me after an open mike reading that she enjoyed how my work was rooted in reality. When I’m teaching creative writing workshops in high schools or at a poetry event for grown women, the way they light up at the discovery of how powerful the artform is, that’s what makes what I do worth it.

3. If you weren’t working in the arts, what would you do or be?

This is a difficult question. I really couldn’t imagine myself not doing something in the arts. Before I took up writing, I was in the choir, I played an instrument and even tried to write fiction. I was always doing something creative.

4. What is the Key to becoming a better writer?
Reading! Reading! Reading! And then workshops. I have a trusted crew of folks who pick my work apart and ask LOTS of questions. How does this stanza relate to the rest of the piece? Is the image in that line weak? Can you say this another way? Can you say it in as few words as possible? All of those are good questions to consider when I’m writing.

5. Where do you see yourself in the next decade?

In a decade, hopefully I’ll be published and doing readings. I don’t see myself teaching, but facilitating smaller workshops for younger writers to hone their craft. I also see myself still in journalism.

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