Midnight Lane Boutique: An Interview with Johnny Longfellow (With a New and Exciting Introduction!)

February 8, 2020

The interview below was conducted by Kristin Garth, and originally published at The Sonnetarium. I’d like to thank her for the opportunity she provided me in conducting this interview. And, for the added honor she afforded me with a Pushcart Prize nomination for my poem that concludes the interview. I consider Kristin a fine poet, a kind person, and a credit to the poetry community. Moreover, I count her as a friend.

I would also like to relate that The Sonnetarium is no longer in operation, though it was hosted by Rhythm & Bones Press. Not too long ago, I observed that the interview was no longer posted at the aforementioned press’ site, though a number of other Sonnetarium articles and interviews still remained archived* there. This includes a record* of my Pushcart nomination. Notably, I had received no notification of removal. However, roughly a week after noticing the interview was no longer posted, the publisher of Rhythm & Bones Press, Tianna G. Hansen, blocked me on social media. The block included both her personal site, along with her press site.

In response, I first checked the site’s masthead, gathered Twitter account handles of other staff, and checked to see if any of them had also blocked me on social media. None had done so. I next queried Tianna directly via email with a request that she remove a blurb I’d written for a poet whose book she had published. In that email, I made clear the request had nothing to do with the poet whose work I’d blurbed, but rather that I wanted nothing further to do with Tianna, her press, or her practices.

That request was honored within hours. Thus, I would like to publicly thank Tianna here, and with my sincerest gratitude for her professionalism.🙄 I would also like to suggest to others in the writing community that they screenshot any work they’ve had published at Rhythm & Bones Press. And, like myself, keep a record of any work posted there, to repost if necessary at their own presses or personal sites, should a scenario similar to the one described above arise. For, it would be a shame to provide Rhythm & Bones Press any acknowledgment whatsoever without a more permanent record to support one’s claim.

That in mind, I’m pleased to reprise the interview Kristin Garth conducted with me at The Sonnetarium, and once again share the poem, “Leavin’ Springersville,” that she so graciously nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

*Update here.