Friendly and inviting were the first things that came to mind when I met David Kirby. An accomplished poet and professor, he was humble at his nomination for the 2004 Griffin International Poetry Award, and said the ceremony was too glamorous for words. That is high praise from a man who has authored over twenty books. Originating from Baton Rouge, LA, he has written poetry since the age of 5. It didn't take long for him to realize the power words held when he presented his first work to his mother after being sent to his room, and she quickly forgave for his wrongdoing. From there, his words took on a life of their own. David's writing grew as he listened to his mother who for almost 100 years told stories reminiscent of The Big Fish. David comes from a lineage steeped in hanging out at schools, with his father a medieval scholar, his brother a medical school dean, and David is the Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor at Florida State University. In addition, his wife is accomplished poet Barbara Hamby. So what kind of things does David draw from? Favorite season is the fall, not for the luscious and plentiful colors - but don't we all love the time we were born? The people on campus constantly inspire, as do Richard Pryor, a stand-up comedian who makes his art seem so spontaneous, and SCTV's Count Floyd. Nothing fills dead air time like a howl! His latest book "The Ha-Ha", is reflective of David's playful relationship with words. From someone whose poetry abounds with humor, it is typical The Ha-Ha means something other than jovial laughter. The Ha-Ha is an 18th-century English landscape feature which was designed to keep cows and sheep at bay, but in the book, the term "ha-ha" refers to the mechanisms we employ to make our lives complete and orderly. So if you are looking for advice from someone who has found a way to live their dream, take a page from the David Kirby student's handbook. "Writing is a state of mind as much as it is black marks on a white page. You can't write all the time, but you should always be thinking about writing: working on your strategies, staying open to new ideas, collecting little bits of language, talking to other writers,

reading the right things. Then when the actual time to write comes around, it's going to be much easier. PS - Kirby's most frequent advice to his students? "Poem suggestions are meant to be helpful -- please, no spitting!"

Photo provided by: Scott Kopel

Interviewed and Written by: Tracy Lynn Repchuk