The link can be found here: http://issuu.com/jparle/docs/jparleliterarymagazineissue5
And here is my interview for the magazine.
NAME: Julian Thomas
HOMETOWN: I was born and raised in my hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
FAVORITE PERFORMER: My favorite performer of all time would be Jimi Hendrix. I don't think the world will ever see another artist of that level of pure abstract expression. The videos of his old concerts still give me chills. His Fillmore East concert on New Year's is one of my favorite albums of all time.
FAVORITE AUTHOR: My favorite author is Kahlil Gibran, but my favorite book of all time would definitely be Ralph Ellison's “Invisible Man”.
WHEN DID YOU START WRITING?: I started writing poetry in high school, But my first official piece of original writing came back around my first real acting performance. Somehow for me the two have always been closely tied. In the third grade I was cast in a production for the older middle school kids. They were putting on 'A Christmas Carol', and I was the Ghost of Christmas Present. Good times. It was that year that I wrote my first mini novel, a novella of sorts, I suppose. It was about a young boy who didn't quite fit in with his school peers.
WHY DO YOU WRITE: For me, expression is more a way of life than an occupation or a hobby. I write so that I can live with myself on a day to day basis. I write to bring calm to the inner tempest, and to get back to my center. But often, I simply write in order to get back to sleep at night.
WHAT INSPRIES YOU THE MOST: I get inspired by a really good acting performance in a movie, or a particularly emotional song. I'll end up doing a lot of my poetry writing to old jazz music, often Coltrane.
WHO ARE YOU: I am a poet, an actor, and an educator.
WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU: I'm kind of into metal music, more like the industrial stuff. A couple years ago I became fascinated with the whole Euro-metal scene. I get bored with the club scene. These places tend to have a more interesting crowd.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR POETRY: Jazz poetry, beat poetry, spiritual musings, my poetry is a reflection of the life that produced it. Acting has led me to travel a lot, and so I'll often pull from the lessons of the landscape as I attempt to describe a deeper mood or theme. The topics range from political to spiritual to love, and I try to take an honest and thorough look at whatever theme I'm exploring. There's a lot of exploration and longing and self-examination, and I think that is one aspect that makes my poetry so appealing to young people.
UPCOMING PROJECTS: I am currently promoting a collection of poetry titled “Redemption Songs”.
It is available online through a number of outlets. (http://www.amazon.com/Redemption-Songs-Trilogy-Julian-Thomas/dp/1438949588) I have a lead role in an upcoming horror movie coming out on dvd soon, “The Year After Infection”, we filmed all over rural Missouri, and it was a lot of fun. I'm also in current developments for a poetry tv show that will highlight local artists from across the country.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE POEM THAT YOU’VE WRITTEN AND WHY: Choosing a favorite poem would be like a parent choosing a favorite child. Some are closer to you than others, some speak more loudly to a crowd, while some of them are quiet and pensive, and full of soul spelunking. Dark and cavernous, or uplifting and bright, all of them are beautiful in themselves.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE POEM FROM ANOTHER POET: It would be difficult for me to pick a favorite poem, but some works that come to mind are Amiri Baraka's “It's Nation Time”, and Gil Scott Heron's “On the Corner”. That was one of the first poetry albums I discovered at an early age from stumbling upon an old LP store in Harlem. Other works that jump out would include “Black Zodiac”, by Charles Wright, that was a major influence on my writing, and of course Gibran's “The Prophet”.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE: “My soul has grown deep, like the rivers.” --Langston Hughes
WHAT IS THE MOST VALUABLE LESSON YOU’VE EVER LEARNED: When it comes to writing, you can not sit down to write a great poem. You have to attempt to describe the indescribable. Aim for that, and you'll land somewhere around excellence.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT LOVE: I think Kahlil Gibran put it best:
“Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these by your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.”
I think its hard for true artists to find a partner that is willing to love as openly and honestly as we might prefer. For writers and actors, we are used to drudging up the most difficult parts of our souls for the world to see on display. That's pretty much the life we've chosen. Its difficult to be with an artist, so I try not to be too demanding.
YOUR FAVORITE COLOR: My favorite color is Gray. For me it represents versatility and constant change.
YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE: My favorite place in all the world to be is at a live theater performance. On stage, or in the audience, there's no better moment when the air is more full of charged energy, and rapt attention. To me, that's a slice of heaven.
WHAT IS BEAUTY TO YOU: Beauty is rhythm, motion, and soul. I remember the first time I saw Fred Astaire in one of those old Audrey Hepburn movies. The graceful, effortless dance movements really left an impression on me. When I think of the most beautiful things, I think of a movement toward balance and harmony. The best poetry makes me want to get up and go do something, to make a difference, to make a change. To me thats beauty.
YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF: I have to admit if I had to pick a favorite thing about myself, it would be my work ethic. When it comes to my two crafts of acting and writing, I really dive in and work my rear off to get a piece to where I want it. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so in some ways it is a difficulty of mine because I'm never fully satisfied with a performance or a piece I'm working on. Its good to always keep reaching.
NAME: Julian Thomas
HOMETOWN: I was born and raised in my hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
FAVORITE PERFORMER: My favorite performer of all time would be Jimi Hendrix. I don't think the world will ever see another artist of that level of pure abstract expression. The videos of his old concerts still give me chills. His Fillmore East concert on New Year's is one of my favorite albums of all time.
FAVORITE AUTHOR: My favorite author is Kahlil Gibran, but my favorite book of all time would definitely be Ralph Ellison's “Invisible Man”.
WHEN DID YOU START WRITING?: I started writing poetry in high school, But my first official piece of original writing came back around my first real acting performance. Somehow for me the two have always been closely tied. In the third grade I was cast in a production for the older middle school kids. They were putting on 'A Christmas Carol', and I was the Ghost of Christmas Present. Good times. It was that year that I wrote my first mini novel, a novella of sorts, I suppose. It was about a young boy who didn't quite fit in with his school peers.
WHY DO YOU WRITE: For me, expression is more a way of life than an occupation or a hobby. I write so that I can live with myself on a day to day basis. I write to bring calm to the inner tempest, and to get back to my center. But often, I simply write in order to get back to sleep at night.
WHAT INSPRIES YOU THE MOST: I get inspired by a really good acting performance in a movie, or a particularly emotional song. I'll end up doing a lot of my poetry writing to old jazz music, often Coltrane.
WHO ARE YOU: I am a poet, an actor, and an educator.
WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU: I'm kind of into metal music, more like the industrial stuff. A couple years ago I became fascinated with the whole Euro-metal scene. I get bored with the club scene. These places tend to have a more interesting crowd.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR POETRY: Jazz poetry, beat poetry, spiritual musings, my poetry is a reflection of the life that produced it. Acting has led me to travel a lot, and so I'll often pull from the lessons of the landscape as I attempt to describe a deeper mood or theme. The topics range from political to spiritual to love, and I try to take an honest and thorough look at whatever theme I'm exploring. There's a lot of exploration and longing and self-examination, and I think that is one aspect that makes my poetry so appealing to young people.
UPCOMING PROJECTS: I am currently promoting a collection of poetry titled “Redemption Songs”.
It is available online through a number of outlets. (http://www.amazon.com/Redemption-Songs-Trilogy-Julian-Thomas/dp/1438949588) I have a lead role in an upcoming horror movie coming out on dvd soon, “The Year After Infection”, we filmed all over rural Missouri, and it was a lot of fun. I'm also in current developments for a poetry tv show that will highlight local artists from across the country.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE POEM THAT YOU’VE WRITTEN AND WHY: Choosing a favorite poem would be like a parent choosing a favorite child. Some are closer to you than others, some speak more loudly to a crowd, while some of them are quiet and pensive, and full of soul spelunking. Dark and cavernous, or uplifting and bright, all of them are beautiful in themselves.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE POEM FROM ANOTHER POET: It would be difficult for me to pick a favorite poem, but some works that come to mind are Amiri Baraka's “It's Nation Time”, and Gil Scott Heron's “On the Corner”. That was one of the first poetry albums I discovered at an early age from stumbling upon an old LP store in Harlem. Other works that jump out would include “Black Zodiac”, by Charles Wright, that was a major influence on my writing, and of course Gibran's “The Prophet”.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE: “My soul has grown deep, like the rivers.” --Langston Hughes
WHAT IS THE MOST VALUABLE LESSON YOU’VE EVER LEARNED: When it comes to writing, you can not sit down to write a great poem. You have to attempt to describe the indescribable. Aim for that, and you'll land somewhere around excellence.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT LOVE: I think Kahlil Gibran put it best:
“Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these by your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.”
I think its hard for true artists to find a partner that is willing to love as openly and honestly as we might prefer. For writers and actors, we are used to drudging up the most difficult parts of our souls for the world to see on display. That's pretty much the life we've chosen. Its difficult to be with an artist, so I try not to be too demanding.
YOUR FAVORITE COLOR: My favorite color is Gray. For me it represents versatility and constant change.
YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE: My favorite place in all the world to be is at a live theater performance. On stage, or in the audience, there's no better moment when the air is more full of charged energy, and rapt attention. To me, that's a slice of heaven.
WHAT IS BEAUTY TO YOU: Beauty is rhythm, motion, and soul. I remember the first time I saw Fred Astaire in one of those old Audrey Hepburn movies. The graceful, effortless dance movements really left an impression on me. When I think of the most beautiful things, I think of a movement toward balance and harmony. The best poetry makes me want to get up and go do something, to make a difference, to make a change. To me thats beauty.
YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF: I have to admit if I had to pick a favorite thing about myself, it would be my work ethic. When it comes to my two crafts of acting and writing, I really dive in and work my rear off to get a piece to where I want it. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so in some ways it is a difficulty of mine because I'm never fully satisfied with a performance or a piece I'm working on. Its good to always keep reaching.
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