Performed by Val Cole

Get to know the poet:

1) What is the theme of your poem?

political oppression in the form of suffocation

2) What motivated you to write this poem?

to draw an analogy between political harassment and the harassment of a mosquito

3) How long have you been writing poetry?

seven years

4) If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?

The painter Francis Bacon

5) What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?

I don’t care to perform myself, but I think poetry readings and performancs fit today’s culture.

6) Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..?

Yes, I write memoirs, short stories and scripts.

7) What is your passion in life?

discovering new writers, finding new favorites; seeing a new play