Interview - Dan Crocker

By Chad Armbruster

The amount of talent in this town can and will surprise you the longer you stay here. We (yes, this includes me) don't really look around and see all of the intricate things that lie before us and think: "Hey, I bet that took a lot of talent to do."

Now, when I say art, I'm not just talking about the mural that's painted on the floodwall downtown. I'm taking about the floodwall, the Arts Council, groups like Acme Blues Band, writers like Dan Crocker and so much more. We dismiss them and take for granted all of the things that make this place Cape Girardeau.

Dan Crocker is our profile for this issue. Crocker has published hundreds of poems and hundreds of short stories. But, guess what my fellow reader, he lives and works in OUR town. So, happy reading and hopefully this will make you think of all the talent that this town holds.

OFF! - How/why did you begin writing?

CROCKER - How, I don't know. I just began writing when I was 8 and I really don't know why. That's just the first time I can remember making up stories and writing them down. Why, I don't know. I just always liked to read - even at a very young age and I thought that it would be something I would like to do.

OFF! - Did you find it as a means of escape or just something fun?

CROCKER - I think reading started out as a way to escape reality. And then writing was just a natural extension of that.

OFF! - What do you use for inspiration?

CROCKER - I basically use my own life for inspiration and those around me. And I guess the egocentric desire to be a great writer.

OFF! - Is it really egocentric to want to make something of you?

CROCKER - Not really, I think that what I mean is that I want to make great writing. But as far as I'm concerned, I could just write. I'd rather have my writing famous and no one know who I was.

OFF! - So it doesn't matter if you ever become famous?

CROCKER - It's just that I want to do something good. Something I can be proud of that I've done.

OFF! - Is teaching more or less an ends to a monetary means or do you enjoy it?

CROCKER - Oh, I do enjoy it. It's not just for money. I mean if I had a best seller and made millions of dollars I would still teach.

OFF! - Which do you consider a passion, teaching or writing?

CROCKER - I think writing is more of a passion, it's something I would have to do no matter what. Teaching is just something I enjoy to help kids learn that they can write better.

OFF! - Is teaching something you would do if you didn't paid?

CROCKER - I would still teach even if I didn't get paid, but maybe under different conditions. I might teach poetry workshops in prisons or mental health centers or to under-privileged children. People need to learn that poetry isn't William Wordsworth or whatever they're forcing down your throat at school. It's your own experience.

OFF! - Are you open to people coming to you to show their work?

CROCKER - Yeah, but they better be ready for honesty. I mean, don't just come up to me with a poem that really stinks. They better expect me to say it. I mean if anyone really wants help, I'm always willing. Anyone who just wants his or her ego stroked - that's a different story.

OFF! - Does criticism really make or break an author?

CROCKER - I don't think so, because if you want to do it bad enough when you first start out you're not going to be that great and you're going to be faced with criticism at some point. But if you love it and you have faith in it, you'll keep going.

OFF! - Which do you prefer to write poetry or fiction?

CROCKER - Fiction, I think I'm better at it. See, when you start out I think it's a little easier to get poetry published in literary journals and small magazines because it just takes up less space. It's just a matter of economics. I like writing fiction a lot better because there's a lot you can do with fiction that people haven't always done.

OFF! - What do you get out of fiction that you don't get out of poetry?

CROCKER - The chance to tell more of a story.

OFF! - At what point do you realize that the way poetry and writing were being taught didn't work well for you?

OFF! - Well, probably in high school. I think all high school kids have that feeling of why am I writing five paragraphs when I can say it in three. And that's one of the reasons students don't read and write as much as they should. I mean think of yourself in ninth grade and you're sitting there reading Longfellow. Now tell me, did that really speak to you at all in ninth grade? Could you relate to that? This is what they're told poetry is and so understandably they don't want anything to do with it.

OFF! - How do you hope to influence your students?

CROCKER - I think the main thing I want to teach my students is that their personal lives and experiences are worth writing about.

OFF! - So, are there any final words of wisdom that you would like to pass onto our reading audience?

CROCKER - BUY MY BOOKS. (Insert laughing here) For the Cape Girardeau audience there are a lot of outlets here for your works. There's OFF! and Journey. I mean there's a nice artist community that people just don't know about. So to you, I say tap into it.

There are more Dan Crockers, musicians, painters, sculptors, skateboarders, divers, pilots and yes, even dog trainers. Hey, art is in the eye of the beholder and you don't always have to look too far from your own backyard to learn from the experiences of others.