Spotlight On Writers
Mark Kodama
- Where, do you hail from?
I live in Northern Virginia in the United States. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I am a third-generation Japanese-American.
- What is the greatest thing about the place you call home?
I like that it is part of the Washington, D.C. metropolis and that it is one of the most well educated places in the country. So it is easy to get into a substantive conversation about politics, law, life, art and literature here. I like the diversity here too. I think the mixing of many cultures and people makes a community more vibrant and tolerant.
- What turns you on creatively?
Everything. I draw my creativity from my life, the books I read, the news I watch, the music I hear and endless discussions with others. Bob Dylan calls it “loading his wagon.” If you fill yourself with thoughts and ideas and experiences, your mind will organize it. And soon, you will have another creative idea. People think Falstaff was such a wonderful character created by Shakespeare. I suspect Falstaff was drawn from somebody the bard knew.
- What is your favorite word, and can you use it in a poetic sentence?
Searching. From my “The Ghost of John Lennon.”
We are always searching for the answer,
When we do not even know what the question is.
And just when we have
Everything almost figured out,
Some deranged lunatic,
Bang, shoots you dead.
- What is your pet peeve?
My pet peeve is apathy. There is so much that life has to offer. Take a side, make a stand but do not let life pass you by.
- What defines Mark Kodama?
I am a traveler in life like everyone else but what sets me apart from many people is that I am a chronicler of life too. I was a newspaper reporter and now a trial lawyer so my whole life is about finding and telling stories.
- Elysian Fields - October 6, 2021
- The Replacement - April 26, 2021
- Send In The Clowns - November 30, 2020
