Wynn is a writer from Maine, now living in Ottawa with his wife. He is an author of unfinished work and a thinker of unfinished thoughts. You can find his words published or forthcoming at bywords.ca, Queen’s Quarterly, and elsewhere.
You can read After the rain starts in the October 2025 issue.
Is there a collection of poetry that never leaves your (perhaps metaphorical) nightstand?
I have kept a copy of Shel Silverstein’s “Where the Sidewalk Ends” near me since I rediscovered it a couple of years ago. Something about him makes me think anything is possible. I’ve also gone back to Bukowski’s “Last Night On Earth Poems” often over this past year. There’s something different about them. A lifetime of writing and self-indulgence was catching up to him and you can feel a lot of gratefulness and a sense of having gotten away with something. It’s really special.
How do you revise your work?
I’m actually really bad for this. When I write poems I tend to just write them in one go and then leave them. I find if I go back and rework them, the vibe changes completely and I don’t see myself in them anymore. It’s a bad habit, but it’s mine. I do like to send them out to a few trusted friends when they’re first complete for notes on what works and if anything truly horrendous stands out. My wife is also very helpful in that regard.
As a poet, what does creative success or achievement look like for you?
This is a tough one. As I’m relatively new to being creative, I was hyperfocused on achieving that first publication. To me, that felt like the great legitimizer of the work I was doing. Over time that has affected how I write and the stuff I write about. My goal for “creative success” nowadays is to get back to writing for myself and hoping that that work then resonates with people, and accepting it if it doesn’t. I hope that I can create work that people relate to, work that affects them as the stuff I love has affected me. Besides creating for the enjoyment of it, that would be the greatest success for me.
How or where or with what does a poem begin?
Anything can become poetry. What I think is the best of my work has come from reflecting on where I came from. I think everyone will have something that speaks more to them or comes to them more easily. For me, being away from where I was raised, reminiscing about how it’s affected me as a person makes for easy fuel. Other than that it can happen at any time. Random things will strike you or you’ll develop a desire to write about something in specific that you come across. I suggest keeping a little notebook around so you can write down these little prompts as they appear. A poem can sprout from one line that sounds nice to your brain. Be open to what’s happening around you.
What are you reading or watching or listening to lately that intrigues or inspires you?
I’ve been reading a lot of Japanese Zen stuff, Dogen, Hakuin. I think this kind of worldview has been really helpful as an artist and as a human. It is especially good for getting out of your head so you can observe the world around you. I am also reading Omar El Akkad’s “What Strange Paradise” for a class I’m in, and the prose is superb, really inspiring work. I think work like this, with a strong message, written with beauty and skill, is more than any artist can ask for.
How did you begin writing poetry? Was there a specific inspiration or reason?
It’s thanks to an old neighbour of mine that I began writing at all. He is a talented author and a talented reader, and he took me under his wing, so to speak. He lent me various books to read and encouraged me to write on my own. He remains a massive inspiration for me and a good friend. Beyond him, it was thanks to the support of some other close friends and opportunities afforded to me by being around them that helped me find my way forward. I’d also be remiss not to mention the constant support and assistance from my wife, who is a talented writer in their own right. I am honestly lucky to know so many people who are creative, emotionally literate, and intelligent.
In terms of poetic style or craft, is there a big question you are trying to find an answer for?
Definitely, I’m really trying to find the balance between the kind of work I like the most and the kind of stuff I want to write. Who am I as a writer? Do I have a space that I belong to? Writing honestly without trying to just imitate a style I admire has been difficult. I am fighting nowadays to carve out my own voice and to represent the things that matter to me. Back to the question about revision, I find when I look back at my stuff and make these big changes, my voice is lost. It’s interesting to navigate for sure. I think it’s truly about finding confidence.