Spotlight On Writers

Kenneth Vincent Walker

Where, do you hail from?

My humble origin began in snowy Western New York, Lackawanna to be more specific; a small, working class, steel city bordering the Southside of Buffalo. It was an ethnically diverse and vibrant community back in the day. Though I entered this world in the “Happy Days” of the mid-1950s, and my mother went into labor watching Elvis debut on the Ed Sullivan Show, I consider myself a child of the turbulent ’60s. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that my family moved to the safe confines of the adjoining village of Blasdell, yeah, the suburbs.

What is the greatest thing about the place you call home?

I now call the outskirts of Red Lion, a sleepy little town and suburb of York, Pennsylvania my adopted home. It has had that distinction for the last 24 years of my adult life. The greatest thing for me that this area has to offer is its people, creatively talented and truly artistic people, which I hobnob with at the many creative and cultural venues this region has to offer.

What turns you on creatively?

I can best answer this question with a poem that I wrote entitled “Out of Nowhere.”
Only the creatives out there will understand that there is Nothing, absolutely nothing Like creating something out of nothing! Breathing life into that which has no life of its own, giving it a pulse, and a heartbeat, vibe, even attitude, Indelibly engraved in stone.

What is your favorite word, and can you use it in a poetic sentence?

Ironically, my favorite word is simply the word, “word” itself. Whether it is the written word or the spoken word, words have the power to move mountains, change the trajectory of the future, and heal a multitude of sins.

“For by your words you shall be justified or condemned, Imprisoned or freed.”

What is your pet peeve?

Actually, I have many pet peeves. However, most of them have to do with driving in traffic, and inconsiderate and reckless drivers driving me nuts.
So, on a literary note and having to do with punctuation, a major pet peeve of mine is seeing a comma not followed by a space.

What defines Kenneth Vincent Walker?

It’s no easy, nor well traveled, road that I tread being a modern day walking anachronism, and in a sense, a retro-trailblazer. However, once you’ve decided to follow your heart and calling, as have the great poets of old, despite economic, physical, and psychological hardships, there is no substitute, and no turning back.
Those who personally know me will attest that I am tenacious, fearless, and driven. I love my art with a passion, and display my art regardless of fashion. I am the embodiment of my art in ascension. Surely I will live and die for my art and obsession.
I consider myself a “New Formalist” poet, a byproduct of the ages and of poetry’s illustrious past, more specifically the Romantic Movement, with more than passing traces of the Beat, Metaphysical and Confessional Movements as well, all with a modern sensibility and edge.
I walk on the shoulders of giants. May they be pleased.

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Kenneth Vincent Walker

Kenneth Vincent Walker is a "New Formalist" Poet, Spoken Word Artist, Performer and Author of BORDERLINE ABSURD (An Exercise in Rhyme and Reason) published by Poem Sugar Press 2015.