R.G. Evans: “In addition to writing poems, I’m a songwriter as well. There’s something exhilarating about the feeling of performing an original song for an audience and getting immediate, positive feedback—but that feeling is, as Emily Dickinson wrote, ‘How public—like a Frog—.’ Finishing and polishing a pretty good poem and at first (and maybe always) being its only reader is a wicked little pleasure I get to keep all to myself.” (web)
R.G. Evans: “One of the first questions I ask my creative writing students at the university where I serve as adjunct is, ‘What is your favorite poem?’ I get a lot of ‘The Raven’ or ‘Where the Sidewalk Ends.’ Some try to describe Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken,’ although they usually can’t identify Frost or the title. I don’t mention this as a criticism of my students, most of whom are clever, adaptive writers who delight me with their work throughout the semester. I mention it as an indictment of an educational system that has gone mad pursuing standards and standardized testing while excluding the rich history of poetry available to everyone. At a time when we need poetry more than ever before, it’s my privilege to be able to introduce students to poetry and watch what happens behind their eyes.” (website)
R.G. Evans: “After the Charlie Hebdo massacre, Bill Maher was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel. Some of my liberal friends worship Maher as if he were the media’s antidote to Bill O’Reilly and other conservative pundits, but I’ve always thought of him as self-serving and dangerous, liberal though I am. His comments to Jimmy Kimmel, included in this poem, only solidified my regard for him.” (website)