Interview with Micah Wolfe | Sound Authors Radio

January 1, 2009

Dr. Kent: Welcome back to Sound Authors. Now my next guest on the show is Micah Wolfe and that was one of the songs from his upcoming audio book called Anti-Bushism. He just released his book itself, also called Anti-Bushism. Tell us a little bit about that poem Micah Wolfe, called Capital.

Micah Wolfe: Well that one was a reflection I wrote after I had been in DC and I was actually there in October of 2001 and George Bush had just announced that we would attack Afghanistan so I was just thinking about that and with 9/11 being so fresh on my mind it just kind of spilled out thinking back on that trip to DC and what it all meant being there. just some of the images I saw remember like I said that circle of cops, I just saw like FBI and police, they were just in a circle and I said if walking by I could only imagine what they were thinking and discussing. It was a pretty tense time for the country.

Dr. Kent: So now you are a teacher in Seattle and this book is called Anti-Bushism. How did you get into that? What are you doing now in terms of the election and all of that? What are your thoughts?

Micah Wolfe: Well for me I definitely hope that Barack Obama wins. I think that he’s got a lot better ideas than john McCain and like your previous caller was saying, or your previous interview, it seems like McCain is willing to sling a lot of mud and just say a lot of stuff that’s not true. The most surprising one that I saw was I don’t know if you seen the ad about Barack Obama wanting to have sex education in kindergarten but I think that’s pretty ridiculous.

Dr. Kent: When I look at that ad, what I find disgusting, I always look at the picture they choose and they pick a picture of him looking especially scary to kids. You know?

Micah Wolfe: Yeah.

Dr. Kent: It is such, I like still what Barack came out and said, its silly season. That was one of the most incredible quotes he’s ever said and I really think this is going to be an election that can change everything. so this Anti-Bushism, the book, it’s a bold title and a bold statement, but honestly at this point, there’s not many people, including John McCain that would argue with you, that George Bush was a pretty terrible president. But how terrible was he? Why did you write this book and why is Bush in your title?

Micah Wolfe: Well just a lot of my poems came from things that he said that really upset me and policies that he passed from the patriot Act that really infringed upon our citizen rights to privacy and the first response to Hurricane Katrina and the disaster after that. I just remember watching, he flew over in a helicopter and I just wish that we had a president that would’ve been on the ground in a boat trying to help people get out of there.

Things like that and also just leading us into this war in Iraq, I think everybody remembers him saying there’s weapons of mass destruction and then having to take that back you know. Our soldiers are on the ground already fighting so I think there’s a litany of things that he did that were harmful to our country and our reputation worldwide and also our economy.

Dr. Kent: Now this book itself is a collection of poetry that you’ve written. Its all of it is very passionate. All of it is very political. Now what’s your plan for what’s coming up next?

Micah Wolfe: What’s coming up next? I think I’ve been looking through my poems and I think my next one is going to be about kind of the green movement and trying to get people to take care of the earth a little better and appreciate nature for what it is instead of what we can use it for and just trying to that’s something I’m also passionate about, just trying to create a more sustainable earth so that its around in the future for our children and grandchildren.

Dr. Kent: Now are you hopeful politically? Do you think Barack Obama will win and if he does do you think he really can change things?

Micah Wolfe: I think I am hopeful he will do a lot of good and hopefully more quickly than john McCain would. I feel that Barack Obama is more apt to do that. And I think that Obama, he has my hope with him so I think things will change. How much we have to wait and see.

Dr. Kent: I sure hope so. Well there’s one more poem we’d like to listen to from your upcoming audio book. I’m sure you’re excited, it’s a 40-poem book called Anti-Bushism and that’s going to hit the streets I guess in the next several weeks and it’s an audio book format so hopefully it’ll come out on I-Tunes and places like that. What are your thoughts about reading a poem out loud versus reading a poem on the page? Of course Galway Kinnell just before you, man what a voice when he reads poetry. What’s the difference between reading out loud and looking at the page in front of you?

Micah Wolfe: I think when you hear the author’s voice it just brings out the passion and emotion that the author is trying to convey. You don’t have to guess, you really just feel it so I think that’s the power of going to hear live poetry and listening to audio books of poets. You don’t have to guess.

Dr. Kent: Well it’s been a pleasure speaking with Micah Wolfe. His book is called Anti-Bushism. I’m going to play one more poem from that called Mirror and we can all check out Micah’s website online at micahwolfepoetry.com. It’s been a pleasure chatting with you.

Micah Wolfe: Thanks for having me.

Dr. Kent: Of course I wish you all the best with your work and I hope Obama can take the White House, we’ll see.

Micah Wolfe: Me too, thanks.

Dr. Kent: This is a poem out of Micah’s book called Anti-Bushism and here it is. It’s called Mirror.

Micah Wolfe: Mirror. How can you proclaim an acceptable amount of violence and turn around and tell us your not tyrants? You won’t leave without your contract for oil, gallons of blood spilled for exhaust comes out to spoil? So how can you tell me this is fighting terrorism, when you’ve blended our terror with patriotism? And you claim to profense your day of fighting terror, of bad news Mr. Bush, I hate to be the cartoon who sponsors the terrorism of its own people. That what you say and what you do are far from equal. China is a country you could never reprimand. Then you’re in Sudan trading oil for cash in hand, but what flows toward the death of innocence. Be afraid to look in the mirror because it won’t make any sense. I’m tired of death for capital gain. Take up arms Mr. Bush, take up your fight, experience pain for oil will run out. Seek an alternative and so change can end a war, simply let life live.

Dr. Kent: That was the poem Mirror from the Anti-Bushism audio book coming out soon by Micah Wolfe. His book has already been released and that’s a sample of his audio book. Well it’s been a pleasure speaking with all three guests on the show today; my first guest was Tawan Perry, the author of College Sense, what high school and college advisors don’t tell you about college. My second guest was Galway Kinnell, it was an honor speaking with a Pulitzer Prize winner and his latest book is called Strong as your Hold and it has a CD of poems read by the author. Of course we had the honor of hearing a couple poems from him as well. And also new selected poems published by Mariner books. And then my last guest was Micah Wolfe and his book, Anti-Bushism. We’ll see you next week; be safe.

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