Meet Barton Smock

We recently connected with Barton Smock and have shared our conversation below.

Barton, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
My childhood was one of mothers and fathers singing in church, of outdoor dogs loyal and absent, of brothers keeping their teeth, keeping their promises, keeping score. So, a childhood of mimicry, closeness, and impermanence. I was cared for in small spaces and I worried about the bigger picture and who or what might take its photo. I wrote about death before death happened, and wrote toward faith while hearing the covered footfalls of god. Essentially, I copied. Then, death or the fear of death came for real where god did or would not. And, in that, my phobias, obsessions, and writings lost weight in a future based on past gravity. And, for it, were more seen. Purpose is abstract, but can render one precisely. I saw myself, and it was me.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am drawn to blank space and, via poetry, I trade in how that blank space carries over from image into dream. Great avoidances, sudden things. The vulgar, the viral. I self-publish most of my work, and have had a few poetry collections published by presses. I am most excited at the moment about my collection ‘Wasp, gasp.’ which was just published in November 2023 by Incunabula Media, with cover art by my son Noah Michael Smock.

I am a father of four, and my youngest has a rare progressive disease called Vici Syndrome, so time is a thing that can go very backward very quickly. Self-publishing has given me the illusion of control over my hallucinations, and has allowed me to stop time with time.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
To me, interrogating the following three things has guided me the most in clearing the correct space for my poems to land: God, death, and language. The existence and non-existence of all three is what allows those who are creator-less to create. You don’t have to know what you think. But you do have to give thought to its syllables and silence. As long as you’re still questioning, you’ll be able to creatively ask.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed, I watch movie trailers. There is something so complete and far off about a story told in miniature, out of order, and even maybe better than the storytellers intended. It’s intimacy and distance all in one fix. I don’t always sync with my own grief, let alone with that of others, so movie trailers are like asking for the CliffsNotes on sorrow.

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