The First Featured artist is local poet Aaron Johnson. His poetry can be found on his myspace page. There are also some pretty nifty streaming mp3s on his myspace along with some dates where you can find him performing.

I began writing in high school. I was writing one-act plays and two person plays. Eventually, I began to write oratory. Shortly after I began writing, I saw my first poetry slam at Essenza Coffee in Mesa (which no longer exists). I liked seeing the people perform poetry and realized that the possibilities were endless. Four years later, I was a senior at Northern Arizona University, studying speech communication, and I decided to start writing slam poetry. That was almost five years ago, and I haven’t stopped since. -Aaron Johnson

1) What poems do you find yourself writing most?

My poems are about lightning, pinball, cocaine and beehives, recycling, pianos, alcoholism, sobriety, gods, God, books, comics, young people, old people, working and living. You know, stuff we wish we could see every day.

2) What are you drawn to reading yourself?

Some drunk poet once said that when you can’t write, read, and you’ll be able to write again. This week I read three trade paperback comics (Fables), Post Office by Bukowski, Junky by William S Burroughs, and a couple of editions of Readymade magazines I found at a used bookstore.

3) Have you been published? If not where do you plan to submit your work?

I have been published in small poetry anthologies from Mexico City to Vancouver. I recently submitted a manuscript to the indie poetry press Writebloody, and was told to submit again this year. My fingers are crossed.

4) Some poets are also active in other creative areas, what are some of your favorite non-poetry or lit. activities?

Like most people that use the internet, I listen to a lot of music. I met a guy named CR Avery when I was on tour in Vancouver, and I invited him to Phoenix to come perform and have a milkshake. He came in the middle of summer, and he was glad that I offered that milkshake. He taught me how to beatbox and play harmonica, at the same time. So, to answer your question, I play music. Sometimes, I draw.

5) Poets tend to read poetry themselves….Can you give our readers some other authors to check out?

Ed Mabrey, Myrlin Hepworth, The Klute, Derrick Brown, Buddy Wakefield, Bill Campana, Brian Ellis, Jon Sands, Andrea Gibson, and Anis Mojgani.

6) Many writers have methods before they write, do you have any methods you go about?

My lawyer advised me not to answer this question.

7 ) Poets hail from all around the world. Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Phoenix, but I have lived in San Diego for a summer, and Flagstaff for almost six years.

8 ) What, in your opinion, emerges naturally in your work?

A lot of people ask me how I write a poem. I can’t answer that question. The truth is, I write almost any second I get. Some of it is good. Most of it is awful. I might Frankenstein a poem together using scrapped poems. I might bang out a 500 word poem in 10 minutes. Writing is like sex. Sometimes you are a sex god. Sometimes, you are too drunk to get it up, but you can still give someone an orgasm. Advice to new writers: save all of it. We never know when we might need it.

9) Without giving it a second thought what are your favorite 3 words to use?

Epiphany, Bananas, Orgasm

10) Do you have a ritual when you write?

I travel two hours a day on the Phoenix Metro. One hour to my day job, and one hour back. That’s where I write my ideas. Once I get home, I pull out my laptop, light a cigarette, drink some coffee, and bang on the keys.

11) What are your 3 favorite historic poets?

Allen Ginsberg, Ezra Pound, and Tom Waits.

12) Your internet alias is Rights4Lefty….Is there a back story to that?

Growing up left-handed is a tough and difficult journey. Thankfully, nuns don’t slap lefties with rulers anymore, but most inventions and tools are made for right-handers by right-handers. Take the meat-slicer for instance. My first job was working the drive thru window at Arby’s on 43^rd and Olive. I worked with another left-hander that cut off his thumb while slicing roast beef. It’s not as significant as a hate-crime, I admit… but I strongly believe that the general population does not think about the intrinsic bias in our world. Think of all of the things we use every day: chainsaws, bicycles, cars, knives, knife sharpeners, can openers, textile machinery, sewing machines, condom packages, all of these things were designed by right-handers for right-handers. It is a dangerous world we live in.

13) Poets are often said to be eccentric, often saying strange, poetic or profound things, and I think that’s awesome and totally support that, so could you indulge us with some words and send this interview off?

Thanks Joe! This has been a lot of fun. You seem to be a smart guy. I wish more of our leaders were more like the rest of us. You know, it’s sad that the people that always seem to know what to do with our country are driving city buses and cutting hair. I am bald, so I get my head shaved a lot. Barbers always give great advice, except when it comes to romance. I told the barber I just met a girl and he asked me what she was like, and I replied, “Looking into her eyes made me feel like I had been talking too loud my life. The day we spoke for the first time felt like a birthday, and we ourselves were the gifts, to be opened again and again. When I found out she liked chocolate-dipped honeycomb, I wanted to give her cocaine and beehives to see if she liked to live dangerously. We put our shoes together to see who had bigger feet and realized we wanted to know everything that was unknowable before, how we are the same, how we are different, and if life mattered more to us now than before. My lips are the same size as her ear, and her nose could fit in my belly button; we wonder if lions could resist eating zebras if they knew we are all connected by such intricate similarities and if the whole world could love if they knew about our discovery.”