Spotlight On Writers
James Gabriel
@James_Gabriel1
- Where, do you hail from?
I am from Los Angeles, CA. I have lived here my entire life.
- What is the greatest thing about the place you call home?
Probably the diversity. Unlike other major cities, Los Angeles is so spread out with many different cultures living together. On top of that you have the beaches, the forests, the deserts, the cities and suburbs. You get a large swath of experience both topographical and cultural.
- What turns you on creatively?
Anything to be honest. I feel like you have to be open to different experiences. Art of all kinds, people, sights and sounds. Sometimes it’s a book I’m reading or maybe it is something I saw someone wearing in line at the grocery store. I think if you pay attention there is a lot of creative inspiration out in the world.
- What is your favorite word, and can you use it in a poetic sentence?
My favorite word for a while was “vermilion” but I just finished Jorie Graham’s book, “fast” and she used the word “loam” which is probably my favorite word of the moment. I stole the word for a poem I wrote a couple of weeks ago:
tendrils of crimson cling to the loam/and the fish/plucked from the ocean
- What is your pet peeve?
My pet peeve on a personal level is a lack of punctuality. My pet peeve creatively is when characters in any work of fiction constantly say one another’s names as if they don’t know each other. If you think about how often you say a friend or family member’s name it is not nearly as often as a character in a bad work of fiction will.
- What defines James Gabriel?
I’d like to think it is the relationships I have in my life with my wife, family and friends. Everything else is transitory.
- A Bountiful Harvest - October 11, 2019
- Car Fire - September 8, 2019
- Dessert Wine, by Mistake - May 17, 2019
