Q & A with Tohm Bakelas, NJ hardly poet

Bakelas contemplating existence.

Tohm Bakelas is a social worker in a psychiatric hospital. He was born in New Jersey, resides there, and will die there. His poems have been featured in numerous journals. He has had three chapbooks published recently: Orphan Crows (Analog Submission Press, July 2018), Destroy My Wound (Budget Press, August 2018), and In Living Rooms (Iron Lung Press, November 2018). Find him online at: tohmbakelaspoetry.wordpress.com / IG: @flexyourhead

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GB: Tohm, thank you for taking time to talk. Usually, my first question is: can you share a little bit about yourself? Any background info worthy of noting for the readers? 

TB: Thanks for having me! I was born in New Jersey on the 12th day of July in the year 1989. I share a birthdate with Bill Cosby, the rapist, and Henry David Thoreau, the guy who didn’t pay taxes in Massachusetts, Richard Simmons, the exercise guy, and Julius Caesar, that Roman dude who was knifed 23 times by his friends. I have lived my entire life in New Jersey and plan to die here.

GB: What's your day-job? Does it affect your writing at all? Are there any impacts or setbacks?

TB: I am a social worker in a psychiatric hospital. Being a social worker has affected my writing, for sure, but I wouldn’t say this current job has impacted it more or less than any other hospital I’ve worked in, which is a lot. Most of the time, the reader will never know what hospital I’m referring to, unless I specifically state the name. At times, I write about my experiences here with patients, but more frequently, I will write about my experiences with staff or coworkers. And with that comes the setbacks. I have to uphold HIPPA and maintain confidentiality with every decision I make in life, not just in writing. No patient names, no identifying information, nothing, can ever be linked to the writing. Working within that has forced me to rewrite lines or, at times, not write at all. An additional setback comes from interaction with coworkers. I maintain a heavy division between personal life and work life. Often, this leads to confrontation when it doesn’t need to. My coworkers are disturbed when I don’t share personal information, they think I’m a freak or crazy. Fuck ‘em, I don’t give a shit!

GB: As a fellow New Jerseyian, do you find it inspiring your work at all? Care to share any stories that some of our local squad might eNJoy?

TB: Of course! Being from New Jersey has definitely inspired my work. We are one of the most hated states in the nation. It’s great! And if you don’t find humor in that, I think your brain is broken. Any stories? Well, the music scene in New Jersey is really amazing. Some of my favorite shows I attended and played were at the Meatlocker in Montclair NJ; always remember, “don’t hang on the pipes.” Bands like Adrenalin OD, Bedlam, and Mental Abuse were some of the first NJ hardcore bands I discovered on my own and in today’s world, PC culture, those bands would never have made it. But in the 80’s, long before I was even thought of, they fucking reigned. I also think Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska LP is one of the greatest records of all time. Also, I hear Charles Cullen was a really good nurse.

GB: What's your creative process like? Any obstacles you've had overcome recently?

TB: I don’t have a creative process. I have four methods I utilize: paper, typewriter, computer, and phone. I haven’t figured out which one works best. Maybe that’s it though, maybe that’s the process, having multiple ways rather than relying on one. The only thing that has never worked is writing in open spaces, like fields or parks. I require confined space. I usually write after an experience has shaken me and I need to document it.

The biggest obstacle I face is the dry spells. Those periods of not writing or rather, being unable to write. At times, I have 10 - 35 thoughts in my head screaming at once and sometimes it’s too much, they aren’t ready to come out. So I have to wait, and the wait is torture. But I’m slowly learning to accept it. I’m not going to force something out when it is not ready. That obstacle is something I may never overcome. Another obstacle is proofreading. I’m a staunch believer in the lack of editing process. Even in my Master’s program I never proofread. I fucking hate it, but I see the importance in it too. I’ve known writers who edit things too much and the original content is lost. I never want to become that.

GB: What other types of art do you like experiment with? Why?

TB: The only other art I experiment with is music. I play bass and sing. Most of the bands I formed have petered out and died. I currently sing in Permanent Tension and run a record label called Forced Abandonment Records.

GB: Who and what is on your MUST-READ list?

TB: My favorite author is Kurt Vonnegut. I find an unmatched connection to his short sentences, sarcastic ramblings, dark view of humanity, and sardonic humor. Ray Bradbury is pretty good too. As far as poets go: Bukowski, Li Po, Du Fu, Bob Kaufman, William Carlos Williams and Dylan Thomas. And some of my favorite contemporary “underground” writers: Marc Brüseke, Zola Cate Piccone, Scott Slome, Katie Doherty, Arthur J. Willhelm, Patrick Moore, John D. Robinson, and Glen Binger (that’s you). There’s definitely more, and I apologize ahead of time for not listing them, next time!

GB: What does "success" mean to you?

TB: Success to me is having one person say, “hey man, I get it, I fucking understand.” Another success is being able to continually write. It’s the best therapy I’ve ever found.

GB: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

TB: I think that’s my secret. I never set out to be a writer. I have always written for me. I started writing poems when the bands started to die. It was an easy transition from writing lyrics to poems. There’s a lot of overlap between both.

GB: What's next for Tohm Bakelas? Got any forthcoming projects we can keep an eye out for?

TB: Currently, I’m sitting on 88 fully edited and completed poems and about another 18 that remain uncollected from various journals and magazines. The plan was to include 12 more unpublished poems and seek a publisher for a full-length book. However, interesting opportunities have presented recently. This guy in Scotland wrote me and requested a bunch of poems. I couldn’t tell you what for, but I sent him some! Marc Brüseke at Analog Submission Press asked me for a manuscript for a new chapbook. It’s titled “decaying sun under noontime rain.” It should be out sometime late February/early March. I sent John D. Robinson at Holy & Intoxicated Publications some poems too, maybe he’ll do something with them. A few presses around the tri-state area have requested manuscripts as well, but they’ve been fucking shady and I don’t want a fucking headache when I’m having fun. We’ll see what happens. Something about self-publishing is appealing but it terrifies me. For now I’ve found a home in the smaller presses through Analog Submission Press, Budget Press, and Iron Lung Press who have each released a chapbook for me in 2018. My plan is to continue with the small presses and seek others out.