Have you any early memories of being attracted to writing generally or poetry specifically?
Actually most of my earliest memories in terms of any sort of artistic engagement are to do with music and my parents. They are retired now, but both my parents were musicians and teachers. My mother was a concert violinist and my father was a jazz and classical trumpet player and music educator.
My mother tried me out on violin when I was 4. I still remember the old cigar box violin I played. It only lasted a year because I was very young. And I worked my way through most of the Western band instruments under my father’s tutelage.
Interestingly, in terms of poetry, I think I ended up very visual stylistically. Probably the influence of Imagism and Ekphrasis, I think. H.D. was an early favourite of mine. But the aural and the audio dimension were very strong since early on and has always played a key role in my approach to language. I do remember jazz, world music, classical music, a whole smorgasbord of music being played in the house when I was growing up. It was all kind of ubiquitous.
What about poetry?
I distinctly remember when I chose to read and write poetry purposefully. I was thirteen years old and I went out to the back porch where my father was sitting reading. I remember the garden being very lush and green, the vine around the side of our house was full on, obscuring most of the porch’s screen windows. This was in summer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, really muggy and buggy. And I told my dad I “wanted to read poetry,” and I asked who should I start with.
He gave me two books, Lew Welch, his collected poems, and Gary Snyder’s “No Nature”, and I read those determinedly over the next few months. That was my real introduction to poetry.
Clearly you had a lot of support at home?
Absolutely. I’ve been incredibly fortunate in that respect.
What about school?
After about sixth grade, my parents decided to take me out of the public school system for a couple years, and I went to a private school where my dad was teaching – band, choir, orchestra, the whole shebang.
Attending that school, in tandem with me wanting to really get serious about poetry, there was a possibility of reinventing myself, and beyond that I ended up with an incredibly supportive eighth grade English teacher – Paul Carpenter – who encouraged me in my own fledgling attempts at writing. I ended up writing a radio play that won a scholastic award. There was some money in it as well – something like 100 bucks, I think – and an invitation to go to DC to attend the awards ceremony. Of course I couldn’t afford to go, but it was a wonderful affirmation of my abilities at the time.
You then go on to tertiary study?
Yeah, so I am one of the many “overeducated” people in the US. I went to Carleton College for undergrad. People who go to Carleton tend to joke that there are certain types of people who end up there; people who are kind of cerebral, passionate, weird, and quirky. It was a perfect fit.
Suddenly I was among all of these people who were so much smarter than I was, but at that time I was a pretty brash, pig-headed, arrogant young man. I was convinced that what I was doing would change the world. But surrounded by such smart, eclectic, intellectually enthusiastic people was a fantastic experience, and incredibly humbling. There were so many intellectual discourses, so much intellectual ferment going on. There’s a reason why Carleton alumns are so loyal to the institution.
If you would like to see more of the work of Matthew Ryan Shelton – see link below
