Interview: Poet Julio Montalvo Valentin

Julio Montalvo Valentin co-hosts Ground and Sky Buffalo Poetry Series every first Thursday and is a member of Just Poets of Rochester. He published his first Chapbook "Don't Give up the Ship" in 2015 and "Ship Lost" this year. He describes his works as semi-confessional and socially awkward. His third installment of his ship series, Ships and Giggles, will be out by July. When combined with Nathanael William Stolte and Mistral Khan-Becerra, they form the Cringe-Worthy Poets Collective. They also run a local kitchen table press. With the Poet John Dorsy, They will be touring mid summer, from New Jersey to New Mexico.

MCL: Do you write prose or just poetry?

JMV: Just poetry. I'd love to write prose but when I try to, a pattern or rhythm develops. It almost begs for a line break in order to be digested properly by the reader.

MCL: How did you get into poetry?

JMV: Growing up, I used to write poetry for a dollar. I had this big dream of filling billboards with poetry but life couldn't spare the time for dreams after High School. 10 years later, I finally get time to go back to college and took Cultural Anthropology with Professor Monique Lester. It was during a time I struggled with clinical depression. I learned how to see the world for what it is with and without me. The following semester, I took a creative writing course where poetry was infused into my holistic view of life. Now, I write because it's the closest way to become immortal.

MCL: Some poetry influences?

JMV: The struggles in life, real struggles like waiting for Labor Ready to open or having a park as a residence in the past have influenced me. So has the friends I've truly bonded with and the people who paddle carefully on the erratic stream called life. I read a fair amount of poetry but it's the world that influences me. I'm merely the reporter. Instead of poets, there are poems that have helped me grow as a poet.

MCL: What is it about those poems you find interesting?

JMV: My favorite poem in the world, "St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry Stomp" by Martin Espada, taught me how to show my reality on the page. "Walnut Grow Plantation" by Lucille Clifton, showed me that poetry comes from the past and must be told with clarity. "Problems with Hurricanes" By Victor Hernández Cruz revealed to me that there is humor in everything, including tragedy.

MCL: Describe your poetry?

JMV: I would describe my poetry as semi-confessional and socially awkward. Since I love to watch people in public and often think about the reasons behind their actions, I use that to put myself in their shoes. Hence the "semi" part. The socially awkward part comes from the different things I write about. I do my best to write about things we don't normally talk about or pay attention to. I feel it's my duty to do so.

MCL: What's the Buffalo, New York scene like?

JMV: It's been truly amazing. When I moved here 8 years, I didn't realize all that this city had to offer. Now, I see poetry readings going on everywhere in the area. I've only been in the poetry scene for the last year and a half I think and yet, it's been so damn welcoming. I'm so grateful to be able to meet such wonderful people. They just don't know how much they have saved my life.

MCL: Any local poets who helped you grow?

JMV: Most definitely. Without them, I'm not sure I'd be here. Nathan, Misty, Tragedy, Shayna, Lissa, Rebecca, Ben are just a few names that come to mind. So many more local poets and supporters have helped me grow. Every person I meet, read to, hear, has helped me to become a better poet and human being.

MCL: Some of your favorite venues and why?

JMV: Every Monday night at 6:30pm, you can go to Café 59 and have a poetry writing session with Marcus Bizzle and Shayna Israel. I love the prompts and the critique given there. There is the Pure Ink poetry series at Gypsy parlor on 2nd and 4th Sundays. The voices here invoke an emotional rise that makes you want to stand. The Screening room have a poetry series every third Wednesday, hosted by Marek Philip Parker. This venue has amazing space and people. There is the Dog Ears Books 4th Friday poetry series where I've learned a good deal of history of South Buffalo. Lynn Ciesielski hosts the Circumference Poetry event every 4th Wednesday at EL Buen Amigo. I love the cultural aspect and the music here. There is also the Ground and Sky Poetry reading series hosted by the Cringe Worthy Poets Collective at Rust Belt Books every first Thursday. This is my favorite venue because I take turns hosting the reading with Nathanael William Stolte and Mistral Khan-Becerra. I love the synergy found in the poems shared by people who connect with one another through a stanza, a line, a word, that triggers a call and response.

MCL: If you could go back in time and be a poet, when would it be and why?

JMV: It's impossible to go back in time. Instead, I would love to stay here in the "now". It is the now that the poets of the past have lived and continued to live in. It is the now in which they have shared themselves in order to spark change in you, me, and others listening. It is the now that we only know because life isn't worth living in any other time.

MCL: Finally, promote yourself. What's coming up? What's going on in 2016-2017 for you?

JMV: Mistral, Nathanael, and I formed a poetry group called Cringe-Worthy Poets Collective. We strive to connect far and wide with other poets and be the bridge between the living legacies and those just starting poetry. We also run a kitchen table press called CWPCollective Press. We are a growing press, evolving every day to meet your creative standards and beyond. Handmade with your words, our goal is to fill heads and hands with books made by you. We hope to make poetry more accessible to younger generations and continue to share our words with the world. We have a summer tour, stretching from New Jersey to New Mexico. Updates and future readings can be found on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/CringeWorthyPoetsCollective/?fref=ts. You can also buy books from our press on our Etsy page at https://www.etsy.com/shop/CWPoetsCollective.

As for me, I will be releasing the last chapbook in the ship series called "Ships and Giggles" in July and working on the next chapbook called "The Things that Keep Me Up at Night". For 2016 to 2017, I only aim to read in as many places as possible while working on getting through college in the fall. Thank you so much for this interview!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON JULIO VALENTIN:

https://www.facebook.com/CringeWorthyPoetsCollective/